The history of League City has been shaped by many influential people, including Alexander Winfield, one of the first African-Americans to settle in League City.
Winfield was born in Virginia and served in the Civil War as part of the Ohio Color Troops, before enlisting in the regular army in 1867. After leaving the service in 1870, he moved to Texas and spent time in San Antonio and Austin, before settling in La Grange. Winfield and his wife Rosie raised their ten children in La Grange from 1879-1902, before deciding to move to League City.
Descendants of the Winfield’s do not have a written or oral account of what brought Alexander and his family to League City, but documentation shows he had a connection with the Butlers, a prominent cattle ranching family in League City, and that he likely got involved in running cattle when he moved to Texas after leaving the army.
In 1902, Winfield purchased 40 acres of land in League City for $750 at 8 percent interest. He paid off the land in eight years, never missing payment. The tract of land is now Hobbs Road, and to this day, several members of the Winfield family continue to live along the road. In addition to purchasing the land, Winfield founded a church, Winfield Chapel, which eventually would merge with another congregation and become the Faith United Methodist Church in Dickinson.
Alexander died in 1915, but his surviving children and their descendants populate League City, Dickinson, and cities throughout the Bay Area. Alex’s daughter Lillie married Obie Hobbs, which Hobbs Road is officially named after.
On July 27, 2019 over 150 descendants of Alexander Winfield gathered at Walter Hall Park for a bi-annual family reunion. During the gathering, League City Mayor Pat Hallisey presented the Winfield family with a resolution acknowledging them as a founding family of League City.