After its founding in 1836, Houston’s original charter initially divided the city into four geographical areas called “wards,” and later into six. The city had local significance due to its proximity to the Port of Galveston and only grew in importance throughout the Civil War. After the Confederacy lost the war and Reconstruction began, communities of freed slaves, called “freedmen towns” were established across the South. Multiple locations in Houston were also settled by freed slaves and their children.