Westheimer, a prosperous German Jewish immigrant and flour salesman who had settled in Houston in 1859. He purchased a farm west of Houston's city limits at the time, where Lamar High School and St. John's School are currently located. Having built a school on his land for his 16 children, other local children were invited to join the school, as a public school system was not established in the area. The road that led to his property was known as "the road to Westheimer's place" and wound through what would later be Neartown and River Oaks. In 1895, Westheimer allowed Harris County to build a right-of-way for a road stretching from Houston to Columbus and Sealy; this road became Westheimer Road. References Roads in Houston