Jack Johnson Park and Historical Marker

Jack Johnson Park and Historical Marker at Old Central

Jack Johnson Park, dedicated on November 13, 2012, is located at 2601 Avenue M, Galveston, Texas, near the Old Central Cultural Center. It honors John Arthur “Jack” Johnson, born in Galveston in 1878, who became the first African American World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, holding the title from 1908 to 1915.

Johnson rose from a challenging childhood on Galveston Island to boxing fame, initially winning the Negro Heavyweight Championship in 1903. He defeated Tommy Burns in 1908 to claim the world title and later silenced critics by beating James J. Jeffries in the 1910 "Fight of the Century." His unapologetic lifestyle and defiance of racial norms made him both a controversial and trailblazing figure.

Despite being targeted by the U.S. government under the Mann Act, leading to years in exile, Johnson continued to fight internationally. He lost his title to Jess Willard in 1915, served a prison sentence in 1920, and later lived as an entertainer and exhibition fighter. Johnson died in a car accident in 1946 at age 68. His legacy endures as a symbol of resistance to racial injustice.