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History in
a Pecan Shell
White Settlement dates to the 1850s, shortly after the establishment
of Fort Worth (November 1849) and the creation of Tarrant County.
The name comes from the fact that there were no Indians living in
the immediate vicinity. At that time there were only one or two
trading posts and scattered farms that extended across hostile territory
from Fort Worth to the Parker County line. The road leading into
Parker County was known as the White Settlement Road.
An organized
community developed around the homesteads of the three Farmer Brothers
from Tennessee. John Farmer had his first cabin burned by hostile
Indians. The Farmer Brothers were later joined by a fellow Tennesseean
named Paul Isbell who provided a footnote in Texas history by playing
a prominent role in the hanging of two men believed to be organizing
a rebellion of slaves in 1860.
Other settlers came from Kentucky in 1854 in a ten wagon “train,”
settling on the creek known as Framer’s Branch.
After the Civil
War the town remained a frontier outpost, but when the threat of
Indian attack was removed, it grew. The town was granted a post
office in 1866 which closed sometime in the 1870s. In the 1880s
the town was bypassed by the railroads
and growth remained slow until WWII when Carswell Air Force Base
was built (1942) and nearby aircraft plants employeed thousands.
White Settlement incorporated in 1950.
The White Settlement Museum
8320 Hanon Drive 817.246.9719
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