Historical Markers in Dallas, Texas

La Reunion · 1924

Site of the French Colony La Reunion, settled 1854. Placed by Jane Douglas Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. April 10, 1924

Cedar Springs · 1936

CEDAR SPRINGS Earliest known historic site in Dallas County Visited in 1840 by Colonel Wm. G. Cooke's preliminary exploration for a route between Austin and Red River. A community also called Cedar Springs, established…

Colonel William G. Cooke · 1936

To the memory of Colonel William G. Cooke and forty other members of the Regular Army, Republic of Texas, who camped in this vicinity in October, 1840 while locating the Central National Highway. The importance of this…

Dallas County · 1936

Dallas County The unincorporated town of Dallas was designated as a post office by the Republic of Texas in 1843. The County of Dallas was created by the first Legislature of Texas on March 30, 1846 from portions of…

Caruth House · 1962

John Neely Bryan Cabin · 1962

Dallas Historical Plaza at Elm, Market & Main, Dallas

Millermore · 1962

William Brown Miller (1807 - 1899) moved from Missouri to Texas in 1847 with his family. In 1855-62 he built this house on his farm east of Dallas. His twelfth child, Minera (1865 - 1960), inherited the house and named…

The Hord Log Cabin · 1962

First permanent structure built on the west side of the Trinity River in Dallas, this cabin of hand-hewn logs was erected in 1845 by Judge William H. Hord (d. 1901), Dallas County Judge, 1848-50, who brought his family…

General Richard M. Gano (C.S.A.) · 1963

Organized Tarrant County Grapevine Volunteers known as Gano's Squadron. Entered 2nd Kentucky Cavalry, C.S.A. in Tennessee. In Morgan's 1st and 2nd Kentucky raids. Made Colonel in command of 7th Kentucky Cavalry. Fought…

Texas Women in the Civil War, A Tribute to · 1964

Civilian duties of 90,000 Texas men fighting for the Confederacy fell to wives back home in land of few factories and an enemy blockade that cut down on imports. Women had to run businesses and farms for their absent…

Buckner Log Cabin · 1965

Dr. R. C. Buckner was born in this Madisonville, Tenn., cabin, Jan. 3, 1833. He moved to Texas, 1859. In 1879, founded Buckner Home. Original quarters cared for 8 children. After his death, April 9, 1919, work continued…

Miller Log Cabin · 1965

Built 1847 of cedar logs hewn by hand adzes, pegged in place and caulked with clay. Floored with hand-hewn cedar boards. Chimney stones were quarried near Mountain Creek. First Texas home of Wm. B. Miller (1807 - 1899),…

Texas' First Airmail and Passenger Service · 1965

Love Field witnessed two "firsts" in Texas aviation history. National Air Transport (later became United Air Lines) on May 12, 1926, inaugurated first airmail service in Texas, and on Sept. 1, 1927, flew the first…

Wheatland Methodist Church · 1965

Founded in 1847, year after Texas joined the United States. Known as the oldest Methodist church west of Trinity River. Built on present site, 1859. Enlarged building, 1912, adding steeple, stained glass windows. RTHL -…

Oath of Office of President Johnson · 1966

Near this point on November 22, 1963, Vice-President Lyndon Baines Johnson took the oath of office as 36th President of the United States. He is the first Texan to hold the office of President. The ceremony was held in…

California Crossing · 1967

CALIFORNIA CROSSING (Some Five Hundred Feet North) Here thousands of 49'ers crossed Trinity River in heroic trek west--following California Gold discovery. Crossing was in shallow part of stream on Southern…

Caruth Pioneer Cemetery · 1967

Established early 1860s by William and Mattie Worthington Caruth, pioneer settlers.Across road was old Caruth Chapel where circuit-riding preachers officiated at baptisms, marriages and funerals for Caruth Plantation…

Alexander Mansion · 1968

Setting for glittering social life in early 20th century. Built 1906 on most remote edge of Dallas by a businessman, C.H. Alexander, at a cost of $125,000. Acquired 1930 by the Dallas Woman's Forum; Restored and…

Browder Springs · 1968

Named for Browder family originally owning this site. Springs played key role in founding of Dallas and were principal source of water before a pumping system with city mains was installed. During drouth of 1909-10,…

Central National Road · 1968

During the early days of the Republic of Texas, settlers and pioneers coming from the United States entered Texas by crossing the Red River in northwest Red River County. On the north side of that crossing was the…

Cherokees in Dallas · 1968

Ninety Cherokee Indians, led by Chief Bowles, immigrated to this area from Arkansas Territory in 1819, but were driven out 2 years later by hostile Indians who resented the intrusion. Remnants of group signed Treaty of…

First Baptist Church · 1968

(The First Baptist Church in Dallas) Organized 1868; first building (1871) on this site was one-room frame structure, which members financed by weaving rugs, making hominy, preserves, and cheese to sell at fairs near…

James W. Latimer (Weck) · 1968

(1783 - 1860) Latimer was born in New London, Conn. Moved to Texas, with family, in 1833. Founder and editor first newspaper in Dallas, 1849. Known originally as "The Cedar Snag" then as "Dallas Herald." Incorporated…

John C. McCoy · 1968

(1819 - 1887) Practiced law in Kentucky before coming to Texas in 1845. Was agent for Peters' Colony located in Dallas and adjacent counties. First attorney to practice law here. He founded bar association; fought in…

Site of First Ferry and Bridge · 1968

(About 300 feet West) First ferry on the Trinity River at Dallas was started here, 1842, by John Neely Bryan (1810 - 1877), the founder of Dallas. Alexander Cockrell (1820 - 1858), early builder and developer, replaced…

Near Homesite of Belle Boyd · 1969

(1844 - 1900) Famous as a Confederate spy during the Civil War, Marie Isabella Boyd resided at a stately colonial mansion near this site in the 1880s. One of the most effective of spies, the slender, blonde girl was…

State Fair of Texas · 1969

Founded in 1886, the State Fair of Texas now ranks as the most largely attended State Fair in the U.S. It was begun as a private, nonprofit corporation for civic purposes by Capt. W. H. Gaston and other pioneer business…

Cochran Chapel Methodist Church · 1970

On first Dallas County site deeded (1856) for a Methodist church. Donor was a widow, Nancy Jane Cochran. First edifice (30' x 40') was built by church men, of lumber hauled by wagons from Jefferson (150 mi. E), and…

Giving Community Thanks · 1971

Thanksgiving is man's response to his Creator. In an unusual early expression of interfaith good will, a rabbi, a priest, and Protestant ministers started in 1907 at Bush Temple in Dallas a community worship service of…

Old Cumberland Hill School · 1971

Old Cumberland Hill School One of the first brick schools in Dallas system, this Victorian building was constructed in 1888 on the site of a pre-Civil War school organized by Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Dallas. In…

Steel Dust · 1971

19th century Texas frontier champion who became foundation sire for the most popular quarter horse strain of the 20th century. A Virginia type horse foaled by a Kentucky thoroughbred mare, Steel Dust was brought in 1844…

Pleasant Mound "Public" Cemetery · 1972

In 1640-acre survey of James Jackson Beeman (1816-88), uncle by marriage of John Neely Bryan, first settler in Dallas. Beeman came here from Illinois in 1840, helped cut first road in Trinity bottoms; name Turtle Creek,…

Western Heights Church of Christ · 1972

Founded 1872 after Brig. Gen. Richard M. Gano (1830 - 1913) preached at request of Maj. B. F. Robinson, a Civil War comrade, to settlers from De Soto, Eagle Ford, Jimtown, Lisbon, and Wheatland, making 50 converts.…

Alexander Cockrell_Sarah Horton Cockrell · 1973

Alexander Cockrell (June 8, 1820 - April 3, 1858) Sarah Horton Cockrell (Jan. 13, 1819 - April 26, 1892) Alexander Cockrell came to Dallas area in 1845. After serving in the war with Mexico (1846-47), he filed on 640…

Bilbo Jitney Line, Headquarters Site · 1974

In 1915, when public transportation was non-existent in the western part of Dallas, Victor Clifford Bilbo (1894 - 1968) began operating a jitney (small bus) line from downtown to Cement City, Gates, Sowers, Irving, and…

La Reunion Cemetery · 1974

Burial place of French, Belgian, and Swiss settlers brought here 1855-58 by company for European American colonization in Texas. This site was on road from La Reunion to Willow Fish Traps set by the colonists in the…

Oaklawn United Methodist Church · 1974

An Oak Lawn settler, the Rev. Marcus H. Cullum (1822 - 1885), preached in a grove on Turtle Creek until citizens built a school-church house here on site given by the Dickason-Sale family. At opening of that building,…

General Richard M. Gano House · 1975

J. T. Morehead built this dogtrot cabin near Grapevine in Tarrant County in 1854. Later two rooms and a loft were added and the logs covered with siding. In 1857 the property was sold to R. M. Gano (1830 - 1913), a…

Lisbon Cemetery · 1975

In 1870 Samuel Sloan (1811-92) and E. A. Gracey (1837 - 1915) donated five acres of land near the center of the pioneer town of Lisbon, now part of Dallas, as a church and cemetery site. The oldest known grave is that…

F.A. Brown Farm Home · 1976

F. A. Brown Farm Home Situated on the Peters Colony headright granted to Calvin G. Cole in 1854, this frame Victorian farmhouse was built before 1885, when Francis Asbury Brown (1836 - 1922) purchased it along with 200…

Frank Reagh · 1976

Artist Frank Reagh (1860-1945), who immortalized the Texas longhorn, began sketching and studying his favorite subject in 1876 when he and his parents, George W. and Clarinda Reaugh, moved from Illinois to Kaufman…

Greenwood Cemetery · 1976

Greenwood Cemetery was part of a Republic of Texas grant, called the John Grigsby League, given for service in the Battle of San Jacinto. W. H. Gaston, pioneer Dallas banker, acquired title to the site in 1874, after…

Old City Park · 1976

Indian tribes were once attracted to this park site by a series of natural springs, which became known as Browder Springs after Edward C. Browder (1825 - 1875) acquired the property in 1845. The springs figured in…

Site of Scyene Meeting Place · 1976

In the 1840s, settlers held public meetings under a tree at this site. Beginning in the 1850s, several successive 2-story frame buildings stood here and housed Masonic Lodge, church, elections, and social activities.…

W. P. Cochran Homeplace · 1976

W. P. Cochran Homeplace Once surrounded by cultivated fields, this residence was built for William P. Cochran (1841 - 1906), whose father bought the land in 1851 and whose mother Nancy Jane Cochran donated a portion of…

Old Red Courthouse · 1977

Designated as public land in John Neely Bryan's 1844 city plat, this was the site of a log courthouse built after Dallas County was created in 1846. When Dallas won election as permanent county seat in 1850, Bryan…

Scyene Road, Old · 1977

Once a buffalo trail, Scyene Road was one of the earliest roads in Dallas County. It linked the community of Scyene with Dallas, one day's journey by wagon to the west, and with Jefferson and Shreveport to the east.…

St. Matthew's Cathedral · 1977

The Rev. George Rottenstein held the first Episcopal service in Dallas in a storehouse on May 25, 1856, and organized this parish on St. Matthew's Day, Sept. 21, 1857. The Rt. Rev. Alexander Gregg, first bishop of…

Swiss Avenue · 1977

This wide boulevard was a muddy country lane in 1857, when Swiss immigrant Henri Boll named it in honor of his native land. Swiss Avenue was lengthened and paved as part of Munger Place, an exclusive 140-acre…

Dallas City Hall, 1914-1978 · 1978

In May 1910 Dallas officials determined that the City Hall, then situated on the northwest corner of Commerce and Akard Streets, had become too small to serve adequately the city's population of over 90,000. They sold…

Dallas Scottish Rite Temple · 1978

Dallas Scottish Rite Temple Samuel P. Cochran (1855 - 1936), a prominent Mason and community leader, headed the committee that initiated plans for this building in 1902. Masonic officials assembled for the cornerstone…

Governor W. Lee O'Daniel · 1978

(March 11, 1890 - May 11, 1969) Born in Ohio, Wilbert Lee O'Daniel moved to Texas in 1925. A flour mill executive, he pioneered in radio advertising and country music. His "Hillbilly Boys" theme song resulted in his…

John Neely Bryan, 1810-1877 and Margaret Beeman Bryan, 1825-1919 · 1978

In 1839 Tennessee lawyer John Neely Bryan chose this high bluff and shallow ford on the Trinity River as site for a trading post. Finding Indians scarce when he returned in 1841, he platted a town, installed a ferry,…

Mount Calvary Cemetery · 1978

Pioneer settlers used this site for burials as early as the 1840s. The oldest known grave is that of Amanda L. Houx (1829 - 1847). In 1868 William Huffhines donated a two-acre tract, which included the early graves, to…

The Magnolia (Mobil) Building · 1978

Erected in 1921-22, this building housed the offices of Magnolia Petroleum Co., later Mobil Oil Co. It was designed by Sir Alfred C. Bossom (1881 - 1965), noted British architect, and built at a cost of $4 million. The…

Dallas Hall (SMU) · 1979

DALLAS HALL, SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY When Dallas was selected in 1911 as the site for a new Methodist university, local citizens pledged 622.5 acres of land and $300,000. In appreciation, the first building on…

Grace United Methodist Church · 1979

This congregation has grown from two earlier fellowships. In 1868 Joshua Addington started a Sunday School, the beginning of the Dallas City Mission. Later the Mission formed Floyd Street Church and in 1880 Haskell…

Hoblitzelle, Karl St. John · 1979

(October 22, 1879 - March 8, 1967) A young Missourian, Karl Hoblitzelle in 1904 helped produce the St. Louis World's Fair, where he gained respect for vaudeville. In 1905 he founded Interstate Amusement Company and…

The Louis Wagner Home · 1979

A German immigrant, Louis Wagner (1848 - 1909) became a successful Dallas businessman. In 1884 he and his wife Anna Pretz Wagner built this residence. She was the daughter of Jacob Pretz, an early settler of the Swiss…

The McNab Grocery · 1979

After the Civil War Ahab Bowen acquired this land, then an area of grape vineyards and small farms. In 1891 he sold the lot to J. B. Franklin, who erected this brick structure. James McNab (d. 1924) operated a…