Farmers Branch, Texas: The City in a Park

Farmers Branch is a suburb of Dallas that isn't very far from my house. It's a very low-key city. You don't hear about them in the news. It's like you wouldn't even know it's there unless you drove through on your way to some place else. But, that wasn't always the case.

Farmers Branch was part of the "Peters Colony", which was a section of land granted by the Republic of Texas to "Empresarios" who were then charged with settling the land. The first settlers, Thomas Keenan, Isaac Webb and William Cochran, came in 1842. But the Texian Land and Emigration Company advertised this community as far away as Europe.

The community was originally called Mustang Branch for the mustang grapes that grew along the creek but William Cochran eventually changed the name to Farmers Branch after all the rich farmland.

Another of the original settlers was Dr. Samuel Gilbert. Dr. Gilbert came to Texas about 1850. He settled first in Cass county and in 1852 married Julia Ann Ritchie (d.1881). Gilbert purchased 275 acres of land at this site about 1855 and by 1857 had this native limestone house constructed. In addition to his medical practice, Dr. Gilbert operated a farm here, growing vegetable crops and raising livestock. A respected community leader, he helped outfit a local militia unit during the civil war and in later years held a number of local public offices. The house remained in the Gilbert family until 1937. 

In 1874 Dr. Gilbert was instrumental in bringing rail service to the Farmers Branch community when he sold part of his property to the Dallas & Wichita Railroad for a right-of-way through the area. Around 1877, the D&W built this depot in Farmers Branch located near the intersection of Valley View Lane and Denton Drive where the first railroad line reached the Farmers Branch and Carrollton area.  In 1881, Jay Gould and the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad purchased the rail line, which runs from Dallas to Denton. The Interurban Railway electrified the line in 1924 and until 1931 ran as many as 50 scheduled trains per day.

I mentioned Isaac Webb as one of the original settlers. Webb's Chapel was a Methodist church established in 1845. Isaac was also the first postmaster for Farmers Branch. His daughter, Nancy, married Warren Taliaferro, a civil war veteran from Missouri, and they had a general store. W. Taliaferro and Sons opened its doors in 1901 and was located at the corner of Bee and Valley View Lane. The store was open until Taliaferro's death in 1929.

There was another General Store called Corbit's that was located at the corner of Valley View Lane and Elder Streets. They sold mostly groceries and even had a "meat cooler" where they stored meat that had been freshly butchered.

Valley View Lane was the "Main Street" of Farmers Branch.

In the 1930s, the gas station became an integral part of the landscape and our lives. By 1933, there were over 24 million registered automobiles in the United States, and stations became more complicated and sophisticated in design. A Texaco Gas Station was the first such business in the Farmers Branch area in the 1930s. Arthur Raymond "Ray" and Ina Millaway owned a Texaco Gas Station and a café right next door to each other in downtown Farmers Branch. Ina ran the café for over ten years. Ray was also one of the City's first councilmen. Descendants of this family are still in Farmers Branch.

Bill Dodson and his wife moved to Farmers Branch in the 1930's and commissioned contractor Ross Faulkner to design this house to Maude's specifications. It was completed in 1937. In January 1946, Bill learned the city of Dallas, with city limits then 12 miles distant, planned to annex the Farmers Branch community. He and his neighbors circulated a petition for a local incorporation election. Citizens voted approval, an in April, they elected Dodson the first mayor. 

These days, the original settlers would probably not recognize the place. 

Several companies, such as OxyChem, Celanese Corporation and Eyemart Express, have made Farmers Branch their home. The biggest employers of the city are, surprisingly, the IRS, a company called Feizy and another company called Anserteam, LLC. Coca Cola Enterprises has a presence here as well.

Farmers Branch is called the "City in a Park" because there are over 30 parks and gardens in the city. People come from all over to take advantage of the parks and walking trails. This is the Rose Garden of Farmers Branch.

If you're interested in the history of Farmers Branch, go to the Farmers Branch Historical Park at 2450 Farmers Branch Lane. It's a cool park that has all the historical buildings shown in the photos. Their website has tons of information. The park itself is free but I think if you want to go into the buildings as part of a tour, you have to pay. Check the website.