About Keller, Texas
The Texas and Pacific Railroad between Fort Worth and Texarkana was completed in April 1881, and the first train ran on this track on May 9, 1881. With the advent of rail service, new villages were established all along the line. The Keller of today was one of them.
On July 19, 1881, H.W. Wood, a druggist of Tarrant County, set aside 40 acres out of the north end of the 62 acres deeded to him by A.C. Roberts (being a part of the Samuel Needham Survey) for a town site to be known as Athol, situated 14 miles northeast of Fort Worth. The land was dedicated to the public for street and alleyways, but title to the remainder of the 62 acres was held by Mr. Wood.
Settlers migrated to the new village, and before a year had passed the name of the town was changed from Athol to Keller, honoring John C. Keller, a foreman on the railroad. Streets were named and those in the original 40 acre site still carry the names given to them in 1881. Streets going north and south are Lamar, Main and Elm; those running east and west are Price, Taylor, Hill, Vine, Bates, Olive and Pecan.
With railroad service now available, Keller began to prosper as a trade center for the surrounding farm community. The first persons to engage in business after the railroad arrived were C.C. Nance, groceries and dry goods; J.F. Roberts, drugs; and Henry Cates, general merchandise. On February 17, 1899, the Keller Kourier, the local newspaper, published an article listing other Keller businesses that were located in the city; J.W. Smith, dry goods, clothing, shoes, etc., and in a separate building, farm implements; A.B. Cade, groceries and drugs; L.G. Hysmith "has in the Post Office building" confections, cigars and stationery; J.R. Wade, confectioneries, canned goods, cigars, tobacco, cigarettes and a barber shop; Cates, Allred and Crockett, blacksmithing businesses; T.M. Prewit, hardware and implement business established in 1885; Wallace and Seaton, drugs, patent medicine, toilet articles, wallpaper and harness shop; B. Laivose, dry goods, groceries, hardware, queensware, etc., (established in 1883); J.P. Ripy and Son, hardware implements, wagons, buggies, coffins, furniture and a lumber yard; B.E. Warron, livery business; Prescott and Huffins, barber shop; Fagan and Price, blacksmith and woodshop; J.H. Prewit, grocery, dry goods, drugs, meat market, food store and coal bin; Miss Jennie Presser, millinery, Kourier office; two hotels (The Keller House and McCarty Hotel); and three doctors (Drs. McCollough, Read and Reynolds). Dr. J.R. Wallace was one of the first settlers and had retired by this time. The depot agent was J.M. Puckett and section foreman on the railroad was G.R. Fowler.
The post office was established in 1886 when the post office at Double Springs, located about 5 miles northeast of Keller, was discontinued. Paper work for this change began about two years earlier and it is possible that at the time C.C. Nance moved to Keller and was serving as postmaster there for those years. In 1886, John H. Wallace was appointed postmaster.
In 1886, a Presbytery was formed with R.F. Moore representing the Baptist Church, S.M. Wilson the Presbyterian Church, and R. Whitley the Methodist Church. The purpose of the Presbytery was to purchase property from D.M. Hightower, on Vine Street, upon which to erect a building to be known as the Henderson Union Church (sometimes called Union Church and sometimes known as Community Church). On alternating Sundays, these congregations were charged with the responsibility of holding religious services. As the membership of each denomination grew, other properties were purchased by each church body and each located in its own building. The Baptist Church was the first to move in 1910. Shortly thereafter the Methodists moved. The Presbyterians purchased the original property for themselves and worshiped at this site in the original building until 1977. Church of the Vineyard is now there.
In the first years, the closest school to Keller stood on Bear Creek Road and Elaine Street. The building was erected by the Mount Gilead Baptist Church as a school reserving church privileges. It was a subscription school. The exact date when this was abandoned and a new building was erected at the southwest corner of Olive and Elm Streets in the town has not been verified. This was a frame structure and the building was torn down only about twenty years ago. By 1898, property was purchased on the corner of Price and College Streets. The school was moved to this new location, where the Keller Elementary School now stands. Keller had benefited not only from being situated on the Texas and Pacific Railroad - it had the advantage of U.S. Highway 377 which runs from Fort Worth to Denton. Keller was incorporated on February 20, 1958. The first elected officials were Joseph Knox, Mayor; Councilmen A.L. Pipkin, B.B. Stateham, L.D. Feaster, C.A. Anderson, Jr., and C.T. Lee; and Randall Simpson, City Secretary.
New residential development is expanding the city in all directions. The 1980 Census calculated Keller's population at 4,555; today, over 30,000 residents call Keller home. The city planned for its growth and has recently constructed a new town hall, municipal service center, recreation and aquatic center, and has expanded the police and municipal court facility. Keller Independent School District has 25 campuses serving more than 20,000 students. Enrollment in the school district has doubled during the past ten years and is expected to do the same during the next decade, making it the ninth-fastest growing school district in Texas.
---information obtained from >http://www.cityofkeller.com/
|
1-877-LOCATOR is operated by Licensed Real Estate Agents.