| CensusDiggins.com | Texas Genealogy Resources: | |
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| CensusDiggins.com | Texas Genealogy Resources: | |
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Arlington - (still exists) This large bustling city of today is located 14 miles east of Fort Worth. The first name was Haytersville and was named for Andrew S. Hayter who was an early settler and Presbyterian Minister. It was renamed Arlington in honor of Robert E. Lee's home in Virginia. James Ditto was the first justice of peace and owned the first store. In 1892 a mineral well was dug in the center of town and was famous for it's therapeutic value. The well was a town landmark until the 1950's when it was covered up. In 1895, W. M. Trimble and L. M. Hammond started Arlington College. They operated it until 1900. This college had many different names and is known today as The University of Texas at Arlington.
Avondale - Town was founded in 1882 when the Fort Worth and Denver Railroads went through there. It was located on the Avondale-Haslet road 14 miles northeast of Fort Worth. In 1935, there was one store a filling station and a school with 3 teachers and 36 students.
Azle - (still exists) It was first settled in 1872 and named Obar. Dr. James Azle Stewart donated land for the Ash Creek Baptist Church and the Azle School in 1876. At that time, the town was renamed Azle. Comanche Indians were active in this area for many years. There were several scalpings and killings up until 1878.
Bear Creek - Bear Creek was 15 miles southwest of Fort Worth on McDaniel Road and west of Hwy 377.
Bedford - (still exists) Bedford, located 13 miles northeast of Fort Worth was one of Tarrant County's leading towns. It boasted a sawmill, several cotton gins and almost a dozen businesses. Education was important in this community. There was a school with 4 teachers and 130 students. Bedford Male and Female Academy (a literary school) with almost 100 students was considered a most important school in Tarrant County in 1935. When railroads made their debut, Bedford was passed up and the town declined for many years. The oldest cemetery (Bedford Cemetery) in Tarrant County is located in Bedford. Today it is once again a thriving community.
Belt Junction - Located in Southwest Fort Worth just inside the city limits.
Benbrook - (still exists) The home of many influential people in the 1930's, it is one of the oldest communities in Tarrant County but was incorporated much later than most present day cities and towns. Many beautiful homes were built there in early days. Elliott Roosevelt (son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt), Ellison Harding (president of the Fort Worth National Bank), and Ed Sproles (head of the Texas Motor Truck Transport Co) were among the people who made this community their home. It was located nine miles southwest of Fort Worth and was founded in 1877 by the Texas & Pacific Railroad. Population in 1935 was 161.
Bethel - This small community was located eight miles south of Fort Worth on the Katy Railroad, at Sycamore School Road.
Birdville - This community was first settled in the spring of 1840. Captain Jonathan bird along with 20 Texas Rangers from Lamar and Red River Counties were sent by Sam Houston to establish a fort to make the area a safe place for settlers. They were commanded to guard the area from Indian attacks. The fort was established about 12 miles southeast of Birdville and six miles north of Arlington on the North bank of the Trinity River where Calloway's Lake is now located. The fort was a wooden blockhouse with trenches.
1841 saw the battle of Village Creek. General Tarrant led military forces against the Indians in the Arlington are. A treaty was signed at Bird's Fort September 29, 1843 with the chiefs of nine tribes. A few years later, the fort was abandoned. The community grew with many settlers from Peter's Colony.
**For more on this subject, see Birdville Historical Society:
Birds - Within SW Fort Worth city limits.
Bisbee - Located on Old Mansfield Road, 13 miles southeast of fort Worth on the Southern Pacific Railroad, it had a population of 30 in 1935. The largest business was the Mudd Brothers peanut farm.
Blue Mound - This community was located 13 miles north of Fort Worth and was founded by the Santa Fe Railroad in 1882. It got it's name from a large hill about a mile from the railroad siding. The hill was the highest point for miles and was used as a lookout point by pioneers and Indians. From a distance, the hill looked blue.
Boss - Located in the far SW corner of Tarrant County.
Brambleton - Founded by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1883, it was located eight miles southeast of Fort Worth.
Bransford - Community was situated 12 miles northeast of Fort Worth. It was a railroad town founded in 1888. It was on the Cotton Belt Railroad line. Andy Felps Nursery was well known there.
Brier - Located 20 miles northeast of Fort Worth and seven miles north of Azle, on the Azle-Boyd Road near the Parker County line, it boasted one school and store.
Britton - (still exists) This community is half in Tarrant and half in Ellis County. It's location is 21 miles southeast of Fort Worth. It is another railroad town, founded by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1883. In the 1930's, Britton had a cotton gin and four other businesses. At that time, it was home to a four-teacher school with 110 students.
Chapin - This community had 25 voters in 1935. It was located on Mary's Creek, ten miles west of Fort Worth near present day Benbrook. It was known as a dairy center.
Colleyville - This present day incorporated city is composed of several small vanished communities. They include Glade, Glenhope, Bransford, Old Union, Pleasant Glade, Pleasant Run and Red Rock. If one visits there, they will find many of these names on street signs today.
Crowley - (Still Exists) This town was named after an engineer for the Santa Fe Railroad. It was founded in 1882. Population in 1935 was 290. At that time, there were 7 businesses.
Dido - Dido was founded sometime before 1875. This makes it one of the older communities in Tarrant County. It is 13 miles north of Azle Avenue on Dido-Newark Road. In 1935, it had a school with one teacher and 36 students. See Saginaw below.
Doland - Location was south of Fort Worth.
Englewood -Was located southeast of Fort Worth.
Euless - (Still Exists) City was named after Adam Euless. Adam Euless was an early settler in the area and owned a vast amount of land there.
Everman - (Still Exists) Everman is an incorporated residential community on the southern edge of Fort Worth near U.S. Highway 820 in southeastern Tarrant County. Members of the KiowaApache and Wichita tribes inhabited the area until the arrival of AngloAmericans in the early to middle 1850s. A hamlet named Oak Grove existed in the area for several years. Upon the arrival of the International-Great Northern Railroad in 1904, a more established community developed and was named for an engineer of the railroad, John W. Everman. In 1905 postal service to the settlement began, and in 1906 Everman established an independent school district. In 1917 the community was one of three sites selected to serve as a flight training school for the Canadian Royal Flying Corps and the United States Signal Corps, Aviation Section. Barron Field, just outside the city, stimulated the local economy and increased population growth. By the mid-1920s Everman had eight businesses and an estimated population of 138. In 1976 the Barron Munitions Building, which after the war had served as a schoolhouse for African-American schoolchildren, was awarded a Texas Historical Commission marker. In the mid-1950s the community had a population of 450. After the nearby Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport was constructed, the number of residents at Everman increased to more than 5,000 by the mid-1970s. Everman adopted the council-manager form of city government in 1986. In the early 1990s the community had an estimated 5,701 residents. "From The Texas Handbook Online."
Florence - This community was located 16 miles northwest of Fort worth on eroded sandy loam. Farmers raised corn and peanuts there. In 1935, the population was 20.
Frisco Junction - A community located in West Fort Worth.
Garden of Eden - This community was an important truck farm center in 1935. It was located four miles southeast of Fort worth. It boasted many acres of irrigated land.
Gertie - Located on black land that grew fine cotton, Gertie was 20 miles southeast of Fort Worth. It had a two teacher school with 67 students in 1935.
Grace Chapel - This community was settled by many families from Arkansas and was located on Arkansas Lane, 14 miles east of Fort Worth. In 1935, there was a population of 40. They grew cotton and corn.
Haltom City - (area still exists) This community was founded in 1932, when attempts were made to move Birdville to the junction of Texas Highway 10 and Texas 121. G. W. Haltom (known for Haltom Jewelers) built a recreation center, park and several buildings out of native stone. The attempt to move Birdville failed. The location of this community is 5 miles northeast of Fort Worth and had a population of 40 in 1935.
Hodge - Was located in Central Tarrant County but at the north edge of Fort Worth city limits.
Hurst - (still exists) The Rock Island Railroad came through this area in 1903, forming the town. This was a very, very small community in the 1930's. Named after the Hurst family who were prominent landowners in the area, there were only about 20 people and 2 businesses there in 1935.
Iona - Located on the Southwest Tarrant County line.
Jamestown - Located in east Fort Worth.
Jellico - Located at the intersection of FM 1709 and 1938 near the present day location of Southlake. Founded by Robert Wilson in 1881.
Lindberg - Lindberg was nine miles southeast of Fort Worth on the Poly Road. Truck farming was the principal occupation.
Isham Chapel - This community was nine miles east of Fort Worth on the Hurst - East Randol Mill Road.
Mansfield - (Still exists) This town was named after Captain Julian Field and R. S. Mann. It was incorporated in 1889. In 1935, the population was 635. At that time, there was a bank and 37 other businesses. Mansfield College was considered one of the best schools in North Texas.
Minter's Chapel - Some of the best cotton in Tarrant County was grown in Minter's Chapel. The community was located 16 miles northeast of Fort Worth.
Moselle - Founded by the Santa Fe Railroad in 1882, it was nine miles south of Fort Worth. Moselle had a population of 40 in 1935.
Muriel - Located North of Euless.
New Hope - Located near Bedford.
Ney, Mara - Near Southeast Fort Worth city limits.
Niles City - A very small city located on the North side of Fort Worth in the stockyards area. It was one of the richest towns in the region. If you have visited the famous stockyards, where the fat stock show and rodeo are held each year or the famous honky tonk called Billy Bob's, you have been in what was once Niles City.
Pershing - Located in Southwest Fort Worth.
Pleasant Glade - There was a population of 75 in 1935. Location of this community was 19 miles from Fort Worth on the Grapevine-Arlington Road. This community was known as the center of the Tarrant County cantaloupe district. Charles Hall founded the first county co-operative marketing association in 1927 to market cantaloupes and tomatoes. This association shipped the produce all over the southwest.
Pleasant Run - Location was 13 miles northeast of Fort Worth. It was primarily a dairy farming community. Population in 1935 was about 50.
Polytechnic Heights - Located on the east side of Fort Worth. Known as Poly and was named after the college located there. The first high school was built in 1907 and served Fort Worth as well as the Poly area. The one located there now was built in 1937 .
Primrose - Known for the cattle switch located on the Corn Ranch, it was located 11 miles southwest of Fort Worth near present day Benbrook. Railroad that ran through was The Frisco Railway. Population in 1935 was 20.
Rendon - (still exists) Located on the Rendon-Bloodworth School Road about 13 miles southeast of Fort worth, this community had a population of 118 in 1935. Area is home to many gophers. It was a well known manufacturer of "Moonshine" before 1935. The Sloan Vineyards were one of the Rendon's main attractions at one time.
Rock Creek - This dairy community was located 13 miles southwest of Fort Worth. Well known for the Less Armstrong Dairy.
Saginaw - (Still exists) In 1848, David Thurmond came to this area from Virginia and is the first
documented settler in the area that came to be known as Dido in approximately 1858.
There are two stories on the origination of the name Dido.
One story is that K. M. VanZandt was trying to train a frisky mare on his family
ranch. Mr. VanZandt complained that the mare kept "cutting up Dido" and
the name stuck. The other story is that an itinerant teacher, well versed in ancient
mythology, named the settlement Dido after the legendary Queen Dido, the queen and
founder of the city of Carthage, North Africa.
In 1882, Jarvis J. Green came to the area from Pontiac,
Michigan with plans to develop land and sell a portion of it to others. His original
intention was to rename the area Pontiac, after his home city, but the U.S. Mail service
rejected the idea due to its similarity to the already named Pontotoc, Mason County,
Texas. Green's daughter, Ella, suggested the name Saginaw, as she was fond of the city
from her native state of Michigan. The name was accepted and has remained as Saginaw
since. Written and submitted by...Kelly Taft Krause
Smithfield - Located northeast of Fort Worth was first named Zion for the Methodist Church. In 1876, Smithfield had a Masonic Lodge and several businesses. It was renamed for Eli Smith who donated several acres of land for a church and cemetery. There were several major fires in 1890 and again in 1929. Several stores and businesses were lost.
Spring Garden - North of present day Bedford. Established by Samuel Whitton in 1854.
Swestern - Located near Birdville.
Swope - Located near present day Arlington.
Sylvania - Located west of Polytechnic.
Tremble - Inside the West Fort Worth City Limits.
Van Zandt - Located near early day Dido and present day Saginaw.
Watauga - (still exists) Town was named for the Watauga Indians. It is located east of Fort Worth. In 1935, the town had 2 stores, and a school with 3 teachers and 53 students.
Wayside - This was a ranching community with a population of about 30 people in 1935. Location was four miles northwest of Fort Worth.
Webb - In 1935, this community had 92 voters, a school with 3 teachers and 105 students, a cotton gin and 2 stores. It was located 17 miles southeast of Fort Worth and was formerly known as Bowman Spring.
Wheatland - This community was located seven miles west of Fort Worth near present day Benbrook. It had a population of 40 in 1935 and 1 school. Wheatland, as the name indicates was known as a wheat growing center.
White's Chapel - The community was located 16 miles northeast of Fort Worth. Population in 1935 was 40. One of the oldest cemeteries in Tarrant County was located there. A road exists today called White's Chapel Road, named for this area which is located in present day Southlake. See White's Chapel History. Wait for the page to load and click on "History".
White Settlement - (established it's own government in 1941) This is one of the oldest towns in Tarrant County. Located 7 miles west of Fort Worth. The name was given to this community by Indians because of the "white" people who settled there. Population in 1935 was 240 and there was a school with 143 pupils. See White Settlement Historical Museum.
I have completed this list of the places I know. The list is not "perfect" and some of these places may still exist but I am not an expert on this subject. I have simply tried to give you some areas that are not on maps today and a little history on some that are. If you know of other vanished towns or communities of Tarrant County, TX, or facts or family names of the communities already listed, please let me know so I can add it to this list. I wish to thank J. Paul Davidson for his contributions to this list of vanished towns in Tarrant County, Texas.
