04/02/2026
The first time I heard this song my grandfather was singing it.
Elder Dixon told me the story and I'm telling it to the next generation.
He never sold and I'll NEVER SELL!
Elder Dixon 2/28/1933
Ashley Kamil 2/28/1984
66 Bateman road formally known as Rural Rt 5 box 5 in Gonzales TX is a 62 year old 1964 .
It's history and story are my responsibility to preserve.
It was extremely difficult for a black man to build a home in Gonzales County in 1964. Despite being the year the Civil Rights Act was passed, systemic barriers in 1964 Texas made homeownership and construction nearly impossible for most Black men.
did it in
Here are the obstacles he overcame!
While working locally for various employers including Southern Clay Products he built a home for less than $50.00 a month with each monthly mortgage payment.(he kept every money order receipt stub)
Key Obstacles
Redlining: Federal and local policies frequently classified Black neighborhoods as "hazardous," denying residents access to standard mortgages.
Discriminatory Lending: Most banks flatly refused to lend to Black borrowers, forcing them into predatory "contract-for-deed" cycles where they gained no equity.
Zoning and Covenants: Many Texas subdivisions used "racially restrictive covenants"—legal clauses in property deeds that explicitly banned the sale or lease of the home to non-white individuals.
Construction Barriers: Finding a contractor willing to build in certain areas or securing the necessary permits often required navigating a hostile local bureaucracy.
While some individuals succeeded through private financing or community-led cooperatives, they often faced targeted tax hikes or a lack of basic city services like paved roads and sewage.
Jim Walter Homes revolutionized housing for Black Southerners by operating outside the traditional banking system that had locked them out through redlining and discriminatory lending.
Why Jim Walter was the Go-To Builder in 1964
The "Shell Home" Model: Jim Walter didn't build finished houses; they built the "shell"—the framing, roof, and siding. This made the homes cheap enough that a buyer didn't need a massive bank loan.
No Credit Checks (In-House Financing): In 1964, most banks in Texas would not give a Black man a mortgage. Jim Walter provided its own financing. If a man owned a small piece of land (even if it was rural "family land" in Gonzales County), that land served as his down payment.
The "Sweat Equity" Loophole: By 1964, Black families were using these shell homes to bypass Jim Crow restrictions. Because the inside was unfinished, the owner could do the plumbing, wiring, and drywall themselves or with neighbors, avoiding the need for expensive, white-owned contracting firms that often refused to work in Black neighborhoods.
The Trade-Off
While Jim Walter enabled thousands of Black families to own homes when no one else would help, it wasn't a perfect solution:
High Interest: Because they didn't require credit checks, their interest rates were significantly higher than standard FHA loans.
No Interior: The houses were often sold without insulation, interior walls, or finished flooring. Many Black families lived in these "shells" for years, finishing one room at a time as they could afford materials.
The 1964 Context
By 1964, the Jim Walter Corporation was at its peak, going public and acquiring other companies. They were building thousands of homes a year across the South. In rural areas like Gonzales County, a significant percentage of new Black-owned housing in the 1960s was likely a Jim Walter shell, as it was the only way to bypass the "white-only" banking and construction bureaucracies of the time.
