Unveil the Untold Stories Behind Houston’s Black History: The Heart of Freedmen's Town!

"This is where Blacks settle after Emancipation. Now, people did move out to the Third and Fifth Wards, but this is were people settled at first. A lot of people moved here and made an impact," said Debra Blacklock-Sloan, Lead Docent for Freedmen's Town Museums and Education Liaison.

The Freedmen's Town area of Fourth Ward is known for its iconic brick-paved streets, the Gregory School and institutions like Antioch Missionary Baptist Church. But a man now featured on the Major League Baseball website has a claim to fame there, too. Hit play above to watch Part One of this two-part series on Houston baseball and Freedmen's Town's history The Freedmen's Town area of Fourth Ward is known for its iconic brick-paved streets, the Gregory School -- now the African American Library at the Gregory School -- and institutions like Antioch Missionary Baptist Church.

But a lesser-known Houstonian who was no less important also called Freedmen's Town home -- baseball player Leroy Grant. He was without a doubt the first successful Black or white baseball player out of Houston to really reach national fame. "Home Run Grant" According to research and Census records shared with ABC13, Grant was born in Freedmen's Town on April 15, 1889.

"He would have lived on Saulnier Street, which is three blocks over, right across the street from the Jewish cemetery," Blacklock-Sloan noted. At the intersection of Saulnier and Wilson, no signs exist now of the house Grant would have shared with family, but the 1910 Census shows another connection. "In 1910, Leroy Grant said he's a professional baseball player, so that tells you right there he's getting paid and very proud of it," said author and baseball historian Mike Vance .