Riceville

Riceville is on Bray's Bayou east of U.S. Highway 59 in southwest Houston in Harris County. It was founded by Leonard Rice in the 1850s and was originally a farming community. Its segregated school later became Braes Bayou Elementary. The community centered around the Riceville Mount Olive Baptist Church, constructed in 1889; the church later burned and was rebuilt. Like Bordersville and other Houston black neighborhoods, Riceville was annexed to the city in the late 1960s, but was little affected by urban development. As late as 1982 the community had no city services, no public water facilities, and no sanitary sewers. In 1990 Riceville was surrounded by commercial buildings and expensive homes and had fewer than 300 residents. Most community housing had been constructed between 1940 and 1954 and was in poor condition. The Riceville Cemetery remained at the site.