Early in the twentieth century developers began to realize the land value of Clarksville, which lay near growing downtown Austin. Austin city policy aimed to concentrate the local black population in the east, and pressured black communities in west Austin, such as Clarksville and Wheatsville, to move. In 1918 the Austin school board closed the Clarksville school. Clarksville residents were later forced to use city services in east Austin or none at all. The 1928 master plan of the city of Austin recommended “that all the facilities and conveniences be provided the Negroes in this district, as an incentive to draw the Negro population to this area.” Most Clarksville residents endured the lack of services, however, and refused to move. The community did experience two small emigrations to California, the first during World War I and the second in 1943. Clarksville maintained its school, which enrolled sixty-nine students in 1924, sixty-six in 1934, and seventy in 1940. Sometime in the 1960s the school building was moved to O. Henry Junior High School. The Sweet Home Baptist Church was rebuilt for a third time in 1935.

Until 1930 Clarksville residents used kerosene lamps, and the community remained surrounded by woods. In later years Clarksville began to feel the pressure of Austin’s expanding White community, which filled the surrounding area with spacious, middle-class homes. In 1968 Clarksville residents unsuccessfully protested a state and local plan to build a highway along the Missouri Pacific Railroad, which extended along the western boundary of Clarksville. The completed MoPac Expressway cut through the community, causing twenty-six families to be relocated. Twenty-three families left of their own accord. The number of homes in Clarksville decreased from 162 in 1970 to less than 100 in 1976.

In the 1870s, Clarksville was outside of Austin proper. But the city grew and white neighborhoods expanded around Clarksville. White Austinites pressured Black residents of West Austin to move to the segregated east side of town. First, this took the form of withholding public services from the neighborhood—paved streets, lighting, sewer systems. Then in 1971, construction of the Mopac Expressway destroyed a third of Clarksville’s homes. It wasn’t until 1976 that the city approved the use of $100,000 from a federal housing and community-development grant to permanently pave Clarksville’s dirt streets, improve drainage, and expand the neighborhood playground, and extend another $100,000 was designated for housing rehabilitation. In this same year a new development plan to connect I-35 and MoPac, creating a thoroughfare that would run through the neighborhood, was defeated by residents and their supporters. Things seemed to be looking up for the neighborhood—the area was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, which would provide protection from demolitions like the MoPac project.

But residents of Clarksville had always been resilient. Community activists obtained federal grants started an affordable housing program and got Clarksville listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Clarksville Community Development Corporation preserves the neighborhood’s history and keeps its present thriving. They established the community garden just visible behind the Haskell House.

Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church is located at 1725 West 11th Street in the heart of Clarksville. The church was established not long after Clarksville was settled and was immediately the cornerstone of the community and an important part of its social life.

Initially, the residents of Clarksville held their prayer and fellowship meetings in the home of Edwin and Mary Smith, which is now known as the Haskell House. In July 1882, church members paid $50 cash to purchase the land where the church now sits. Early services were held at that location under a brush arbor, but eventually, residents had the funds they needed to construct a church building. Jacob Fontaine, who began the Gold Dollar, Austin’s first Black newspaper, was the church’s first minister.

The building, which now houses the church, was constructed in 1935. It is actually the third building at that location. Interestingly, the first two churches faced east, but the third faces north. Sweet Home continues to hold worship services every Sunday starting at 11 AM. The current pastor is Reverend Steve Manning. The church also hosts the popular annual Peace Through Pie event on Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday.

Among Clarksville’s residents was Elias Mayes, born Feb 15, 1831, who served in the Texas House of Representatives for the 16th Session from January 1879 to January 1881; and again in the 21st Session from January 1889 to January 1891 representing Brazos County. He built his Clarksville home at 1620 West 10th Street on land purchased from Charles Clark in 1884.