Charles Henry Milby

The life and career of Charles H. Milby is a fundamental part of the history of Harris County and the East End. Mr. Milby was known for his integrity, vision, and great regard for the community. He left a legacy that remains a part of Houston to this day. the Milby family has contributed to the common good of Texas for over a century and a half.

Charles H. Milby was born in Indianola, Texas on August 29, 1852, the seventh and youngest child of William P. and Mary Y. Milby. Charles’ father, Mr. William, was a member of the Texas Congress from 1842 to 1844. He was educated in the public county schools and came to Houston as a very young man in 1872. In 1873, he moved to Harrisburg where he became manager of a general store. In 1879, he married Miss Maggie Grant Tod, the daughter of a Texas Navy Commodore. The Milby’s lived at 614 Broadway. Charles and Maggie Milby had a son and a daughter, John and Mary Josephine.

In 1879, Charles Milby and Andrew Dow formed a long partnership that would last over 35 years, as the firm of Milby and Dow. Both men were genuine entrepreneurs who, over time, were involved in a number of business ventures, such as a brickyard, coal ventures, real estate, and banking. Mr. Milby organized the Milby Hotel Company and in 1910 built the Milby Hotel, of which he was the sole owner.

Mr. Milby was always concerned about improving his community’s economy and welfare. He served as a member of the original committee that presented the U.S. Federal Government with the idea of a deep-water port for Houston. He helped secure the right-of-way for many parts of the present Houston Ship Channel and lived to see its completion and operation. Charles H. Milby died on July 19, 1925, while on vacation in Colorado Springs. His widow lived at the family home at 614 Broadway until she passed away in 1941. She had faithfully taught Sunday school all her life. Mr. and Mrs. Milby’s son and daughter, Mr. John Milby and Mrs. George Hamman, both continued the family tradition of service to the community. In 1926, Charles H. Milby High School was named in honor of Mr. Milby and his contributions to the area.

How Milby High School Got Its Name

March 28, 1926, was an important date for Charles H. Milby Senior High School. On that date, 212 students and 13 teachers marched down Broadway from the old Harrisburg High School to 1601 Broadway to occupy Milby’s classrooms for the first time.

When Milby was originally being built, the community expected it to be called Harrisburg High School; however, since the towns of Magnolia Park and Park Place were in the district, there were objections. On September 23, 1925, a controversy arose over the naming of a new Senior High School under construction at 1601 Broadway.

The new school was to become part of the Houston ISD since Harrisburg ISD had decided to consolidate with Houston. One faction on the School Board wanted to name the new school “San Jacinto Senior High School,” and another faction wanted the name to be “Harrisburg Senior High School.” The president of the school board, Mr. James S. Deady, was about to break the tie in favor of “Harrisburg Senior High School” when a suggestion was made that the new school be named after the late Mr. Charles H. Milby, who had contributed so much to the Harrisburg area. The vote was unanimous for this suggestion since everyone had so much respect for Mr. Milby. He was a man of excellent character, and it would be especially appropriate to use his name for an institution where young people could gain knowledge and be taught the elements of good citizenship and character.

In the summer of 1925, W. I. Stevenson was hired as principal of Milby. At that time, J. O. Webb was superintendent of the Harrisburg District, which later joined the city of Houston. In the fall of 1925, the new building at Milby was not finished, so Stevenson became principal of Harrisburg Elementary and Harrisburg High School combined. At mid-term, T. L. Barnhouse, who later became principal of Deady Junior High School, took over the duties at Harrisburg Elementary.

Mr. Stevenson and the 13 teachers who made the trip down Broadway to Milby in 1926 served the school long and faithfully. In fact, when the silver anniversary was celebrated in 1950, there were still four of those teachers remaining at Milby, and Mr. Stevenson served as the principal until June 1960.

School Songs

Onward Milby, Onward Milby,
Onward Milby High.
We are for you,
And we’ll never
Let your spirit die.
Rah, rah, rah! (Yell)
Every place that we will go,
We’ll let you colors fly.
We’re for you Milby,
Onward Milby High.

Fair Milby, Fair Milby,
Your sun shall ever rise
In glory and beauty
Throughout our Texas Skies.
Together we’ll honor
And praise your noble name,
And fight for those golden buffaloes
Thundering o’er the plain.

Charlie Buffalo, you’re my guy.
Charlie Buffalo, how I sigh.
When I see a Romeo in gold and blue,
Charlie Buffalo, it’s you.
I’m a buffalo from the zoo.
I’m a buffalo, tried and true,
My pa was a buffalo, my ma was too.
So I’m a buffalo, MOO MOO!

Milby Alumni Historical Time Line

On February 7, 1995, a meeting of alumni was held to form a Milby Alumni Association. The “Milby Alumni Association” name was chosen, and it was decided to pursue an alumni association first and then file for a “Friends of Milby High School Foundation” at a later date. Current rosters of all classes were needed to start the process. An agreement was reached with Bernard C. Harris Publishing Company, Inc. to work on an alumni directory for the period 1926 to 1995. Planning for the 70th Anniversary celebration in 1996 was also started.

In August 1995, the “Milby High School Alumni & Friends Foundation” was formed. Bylaws were approved in September 1995; articles of incorporation were created and were approved by the State of Texas in November 1995. The Foundation was approved as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization in August 1998. The State of Texas granted tax-exempt status in September 1998.

The 70^th Anniversary Celebration was held in early October 1996. The “Milby Anniversary Alumni Association” was formed to plan the 2001 75th Anniversary events along with the creation of the Milbyalum.org website in 2000. The Anniversary celebration was held on June 2, 2001. The “Wall of Honor” was created as a tribute to those Milby Alumni who gave their lives on the field of battle for our country and was dedicated on Veterans Day weekend in November 2001. A Milby High School “Hall of Honor” celebration was held December 4, 2001, to induct a group of distinguished alumni into the first “Class of Honorees”.

In 2002 the establishment of the Milby Alumni Association membership began to collect funds for various alumni projects and to maintain the alumni website, publish the alumni newsletter, and maintain the alumni database.

During the spring of 2003, the School established the Milby Alumni Room for meetings and other events. During the summer of 2003, the installation of the new fence was done in the front of the school. In August of 2003, the Alumni Foundation had the 23-foot-long Display Case installed with its dedication in September. The New Electronic Marquee was installed in September, and the Milby Pond for the Science Club was financed by the Alumni in October. The Ground Breaking Ceremony for the fundraising project “The Alumni Plaza – Walk of Memories” was held in December 2003 to round out the year’s activities.

In December of 2004, Phase One of the Alumni Plaza was completed as the fundraising project continued. Phase Two was completed in February 2006. Formal dedication of the Alumni Plaza was held October 28, 2006, during the 80th Anniversary Celebration. Phase Three was completed with the installation of the New Focal Point Sculpture of Charlie on August 24, 2007, along with the dedication of the New Oil and Gas Academe at Milby.

Between March to April 2010 began the process of creating a new website on a new server to start May 1, 2010.