Webster

he community was founded in 1879 by James W. Webster under the name “Gardentown”. It was established initially as a colony for settlers from England. It began as a stopover for travelers between Houston/Harrisburg, Galveston, Kemah, and Seabrook. Eventually railroads, such as the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway, were built through the area. Farmers in the area raised pears and other produce.

In 1903, the Houston Chamber of Commerce invited Seito Saibara, a former Japanese member of parliament and a Christian theologian, to come to Texas to teach rice farming. Rice at that time was emerging as an important cash crop. Saibara settled in Webster and established a small farming community of Japanese Christians. Saibara and his son Kiyoaki established the foundations of what became the rice industry of the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Dairies and livestock ranches developed in the town as well in the early 1900s. Petroleum was discovered at the Webster-Friendswood Oilfield in the 1930s, but the population remained small. The community was incorporated in 1958.

In 1961 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced that it was building the Manned Spacecraft Center (now known as the Johnson Space Center) nearby along the shores of Clear Lake. Growth and development quickly swept over the Clear Lake Area, and Webster’s population blossomed. Webster today has become a thriving bedroom community closely tied to the Clear Lake Area and its high-tech industry.

The city of Webster has two fire stations, Station #1 and Station #2, with the fire department offices in the second station. The city has its own police department.

Harris County Housing Authority (HCHA) operates Baybrook Park, a public housing complex for seniors, in the Webster city limits. It has 100 units.

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) operates its Webster Field Investigator Office and its Webster Driver’s License Office in a nearby area in Houston.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates the Webster District Parole Office in a nearby area in Houston.

The United States Postal Service Webster Post Office is located at 17077 North Texas Avenue. Some locations in the City of Houston have Webster mailing addresses.

The Baybrook Mall is located in the City of Houston. The mall is in proximity to Webster.

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Pupils in Webster attend schools in Clear Creek Independent School District. The community is divided between the Board of Trustees District 2 and the Board of Trustees District 4. They are represented by Win Weber and Stuart J. Stromeyer, respectively, as of 2008.

Most residents within the city limits are zoned to Margaret S. McWhirter Elementary School in Webster. The school occupies a 125,000-square-foot (11,600 m2) building that is one story tall. The current McWhirter campus held its groundbreaking in 2014, and opened in 2016. The re-dedication was held in March of that year. That year the Texas Education Agency (TEA) gave the school a grant allowing it to re-establish a full day PreKindergarten program.

Some residential sections of the city are served by Armand Bayou (Houston), Falcon Pass (Houston), League City (League City), and Whitcomb (Houston) elementary schools. Most residents are zoned to Clear Creek Intermediate School (League City). Some residents are zoned to Clear Lake, and Space Center intermediate schools, both in Clear Lake City and in Houston. Most residents are zoned to Clear Creek High School in League City, while Clear Lake High School in Clear Lake City, Houston, serves a small section.

P.H. Greene Elementary School, in an unincorporated area, serves areas outside of the city with Webster addresses.

History of schools

Webster Intermediate School formerly served the city but moved to an unincorporated area near Friendswood and was renamed Westbrook Intermediate School in spring 2005; As of 2016 Westbrook does not serve Webster.

Private Schools

Iman Academy Southeast Secondary School is in southeast Houston, northeast of Webster, off of Highway 3.

The Edgar A. Smith Family YMCA is located in Houston; it has a Webster mailing address.