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History in
a Pecan Shell
The first settlement
began in 1847 when 20 families from Missouri moved here at the confluence
of Henriette and Denton Creeks.
Louis and Charles Medlin were the leaders of the group and the community
was first known as Medlin Center. Plagued by high water from
the overflowing creeks, the community located on higher ground in
1879 where it underwent a change of name.
It was then known as either Garden Center or Garden Valley.
The Texas and Pacific railroad arrived and bypassed the town, resulting
in the formation of Roanoke or Rawranoke - two spellings
but both named for the city in Virginia.
The town of Elizabethtown, which
had also been bypassed, brought its post office to Roanoke along with
most of its people. By the time of the 1890 census, Roanoke had a
respectable 350 residents, nearly all of them from the bypassed towns.
Roanoke, with its instantly inherited businesses, was practically
guaranteed success. By 1914 the Roanoke population was nearing 500
and the town had its own newspaper, a bank and a grain elevator.
In 1940, the year Texas shifted from a rural majority to a urban majority,
Roanoke was still fifteen residents shy of reaching 500. The early
1960s showed a small increase to 585 but it was the 1980s when commuters
from Dallas and Ft.
Worth saw it as a refuge from big city woes. In 2010 the population
was nearing 6,000. |
Roanoke, Texas
Forum
Subject: another
missing town
"I remember in the late 60' early 70's when Flower Mound was created
because of annexation fear from Irving
annexing what is now Valley Ranch and Las Colinas. My Grandfather
(Cecil T. Minshew) was an original ombudsman in Flower Mound for the
Roanoke Hills Area and he also ran the Water Supply from the mid 60's
until about 1982. The first Police officer/Chief was George Flores.
Most of the population was west of the "All in One"convenience store
and Gas station at Shiloh Rd. and FM 1171. The police station and
fire dept. were originally in the little strip of offices and there
always seemed to be a restaurant in there as well (at one time it
was a Dairy Queen) in the 70's. and Roanoke Hills was the western
border of Flower Mound. the town is divided with most of the students
went to Lewisville ISD if they
lived east of what is now the Vineyards Housing Development (formerly
known as Brock's Pasture. E.C. Brock's father had Leased the farm
and E.C. was born there and raised his kids there until about 1982,
and Roanoke/Northwest ISD. If you were in the Brock Family or Roanoke
Hills you went to Roanoke Elementary or Northwest Jr. and Sr. High
School. Just a short way north of the "All in One" about two miles
was Bartonville. At some point in the early 80's they extended 1171
past 377 to I-35W, and Flower Mound annexed most of that over around
the north side Aerovalley Airport to I-35W. " - Stephen G. Masten,
Lewisville, Texas, July 25, 2014 |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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