In its 1976 book outlining the city's history, The Southside Place Bicentennial Committee says the site at that time was essentially a "soggy, barren field" with no trees or shrubs to add appeal. With its proximity to Houston and Bellaire - and the trolley line connecting the two cities - Crain visualized the land as an ideal spot for a new Houston subdivision filled with his company's factory-made houses. [...] to make the area more appealing to buyers, Crain built a park for his new neighborhood that year that included a playground and swimming pool. Holt, a Realtor with Greenwood King Properties, has been archiving historical photos, documents and artifacts for the city with fellow resident Kate McCormick. According to the book, not much happen on the land that became Southside Place from prehistoric times until it was included in a land grant to Texas settler Allen C. Reynolds in 1831. Crain planted the lots with Chinese tallow trees, newly introduced to the United States, at the recommendation of nearby Teas Nursery. Crain also planted Radiant Red rose bushes along the lots' street fronts, and larger lots received a chicken house and fig trees in the back. The Southside Place book says residents sometimes met the nearby trolley from Houston to Bellaire and gave the conductor their doctor's prescriptions and money. In 1931, residents recorded a charter, under the provisions of the Texas State Civil Code, establishing Southside Place as an incorporated community. Council members also established the city seal and ordered the construction of a city hall, which hosted its first City Council meeting in 1935. The city completed a new City Hall in 2010 and recently celebrated the 75th anniversary of its volunteer fire department.
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