Annie Hagen

Who was Annie Hagen?

Annie Hagen (1863 – 1927) was a nurse, midwife, and property owner who had built quite the reputation as a medical professional. Mrs. Hagen spent a significant portion of her time training and teaching aspiring, Black nurses and also helped create the first Black nursing school in Houston.

Annie owned 3 pieces of land here during her lifetime, including her Freedmen’s Town home and a rental property at 609 and 611 Hobson, respectively. Hobson Street no longer exists as it was wiped out, along with half of Freedmen’s Town, for the construction of I-45. However, I’ve included maps below to give you an idea of where it once stood.

Newspaper Clippings

Mrs. Hagen lost one of her cows in January of 1914. She put out a “Lost and Found” ad in the Houston Chronicle that ran every day from January 20th to January 25th.

In September of 1917, Annie Hagen put out yet another Lost & Found ad. This time, it was for $86 that was presumably lost in front of the State Bank. Interestingly enough, it reads as if she saw someone pick it up and hoped the ad would catch their attention.

Marriage and Death

Annie was married to a Charles Hagen (1870 – 1927) who hailed from the US Virgin Islands. She and Charles passed away within months of each other, with her husband passing from prostate cancer in January and Annie succumbing to a stroke in July.