Houston, Harris County
Dr. Benjamin Jesse Covington (c. 1871-1961), his wife Jennie Belle Murphy (1881-1966), and the stately home they built here in 1911 represented a level of achievement, dignity, and civic service matched by few African Americans in Houston during the first half of the 20th century. Born and reared on a farm in Falls County, Texas, Dr. Covington exhibited surgical skills on farm animals at an early age. He later attended Hearne Academy and Meharry Medical College to become a surgeon. After graduating in 1900 he began his medical practice in Wharton, Texas. He married Gonzales native Jennie Belle Murphy in 1902, and in 1903 they moved to Houston where Dr. Covington practiced medicine for 58 years. Dr. Covington, president of the Lone Star Medical Association in 1920, co-founded the Houston Negro Hospital in 1925. Mrs. Covington co-founded the Blue Triangle Branch, Y. W. C. A., and served as chair of the Texas State Commission on Race Relations. The Covingtons were active members of Antioch Baptist Church. During a period when local hotels were segregated, the Covingtons' home (razed in 1978) served as Houston's unofficial guest quarters for many prominent African American visitors including Booker T. Washington and eminent artists Marian Anderson and Roland Hayes. (1994)