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History in
a Pecan Shell
Part of the Peter’s Colony in the 1840s, the center of town developed
around a grist mill built around 1849.
A right-of-way was given to the St. Louis, Arkansas and Texas Railroad
in 1888 and the railroads coal station became known as Noell Junction.
This new stop drew off population as well as businesses from the
community of Frankford.
Noell Junction received a St. Louis Southwestern Railway depot in
1902. The company ran a spur to Dallas
the following year – and installed a single coach train to transport
commuters to Dallas. This
abbreviated train discontinued service about the time the U.S. entered
WWI.
In 1904 a post office opened but to avoid misdirecting mail to an
already existing Noell, Texas, postal authorities asked for another
name to be submitted. Mr. Addison Robertson, the postmaster modestly
submitted his name – and the rest, as they say, is history.
The town was
soon platted and people started buying lots. The population was
a mere 75 people in 1914, but rather than an initial spurt of growth,
Addison experienced a decline to just 40 residents by the mid 1920s.
After WWII
the still tiny town of Addison was threatened with annexation by
Dallas. To avoid absorption
and maintain their independence the city incorporated in 1953. The
population was only 600 in the mid 1950s and the Addison Airport
was built in 1956.
From less than 600 people in 1970, it jumped to 5,550 by the next
census. Most of Dallas was still “Dry” in 1976. Addison voted “Wet”
to attract hotel and restaurant business. That act and a property-tax
rate only a fraction of Dallas.
The population in 1990 was nearing 9,000 and ten years later it
was over 14,000.
Addison has a mayor-city council government with a separate police
and fire department, although water comes from neighboring Dallas.
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