UNT Press

Progress Denied: Quakertown, White Supremacy, and the Illusion of Democracy in Denton, Texas, 1850–1925

— Vol. 12: of Texas Local

Published: February, 2026  Pages: 352  Features: 28 b&w illus. Notes. Bib. Index.

Sometimes, history isn’t what it appears to be. For instance, in the early 1920s, a thriving Southern Black community was literally voted out of existence by local white citizens. The North Texas city of Denton, which was sometimes described as a “Ku Klux Box,” was also home to the Quakertown neighborhood. There, Black Texans worked hard to overcome the legacy of slavery, build financial success and family stability, educate their children, and worship God as they saw fit. And they did it all right in the middle of town. A model of “racial uplift” for over forty years, the community was eventually targeted by their white neighbors. more... about Progress Denied: Quakertown, White Supremacy, and the Illusion of Democracy in Denton, Texas, 1850–1925