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FORNEY, TEXAS
"Antique Capital
of Texas"
Kaufman County,
North Central
Texas
32°45'5" N, 96°28'2" W (32.751521, -96.467225)
U.S. Hwy 80
NW of Kaufman the county seat
20 Miles E of Dallas
11 Miles W of Terrell
4 Miles SE of Lake Ray Hubbard
Population: 27,236 Est. (2019)
14,661 (2010) 5,588 (2000)
Forney, Texas Area Hotels › Dallas
Hotels |
Mural of Old
Forney
Click on image to see full mural
Photo
courtesy Clint
Skinner, October 2021 |
History in
a Pecan Shell
By 1870 settlement
had begun in earnest. Storekeeper John C. McKellar opened the first
store in the community that had been using the name Brooklyn, Texas.
In 1873 residents applied for a post office under the name Brooklyn
but it was rejected because Shelby Countians had thought of it first.
Also in 1873, the county seat of Kaufman,
and the nearby town of Cedar Grove showed no interest in receiving
a railroad connection from the Texas and Pacific Railroad, so the
railroad came knocking at Forney's door.
In need of a new name for their post office and to curry favor with
the railroad, Brooklynites honored John W. Forney by naming the community
after him. Forney was the railroad's civil engineer and the one who
decided where the rails would be laid. The community led a tranquil
life throughout the decades, gaining population over time. The 1960
census reported 3,000, just before work started on the Forney Reservoir
(later renamed Lake Ray Hubbard).
The 1980 census reported a population of 2,483 which increased to
just over 4,000 for the 1990 census. It rose to 5,588 for the 2000
count, and 14,661 in 2010. |
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Mural of Old
Forney full view
Click on image to enlarge
Photo
courtesy Clint
Skinner, October 2021 |
Historical Marker:
Corner of Main and Bois d'Arc Sts., Forney
Forney
A Native American
trail, sometimes referred to as the Kickapoo Trace, and early Anglo-American
roads traversed this area prior to the settlement of the pioneer families
of Isaac Briscoe and Jacob Sheltman in the mid-1840s. By 1871 a village
called Brooklyn, which included a combined school, church, and lodge
building, general store, saloon, and blacksmith shop, was established
about one mile south of here. Brooklyn's business and housing activity
shifted here after the Texas & Pacific Railroad extended its line
through this area in 1873. A post office opened in 1873 and the town
was renamed Forney for noted railroad official John W. Forney. By
1891 Forney had become a bustling town with more than 50 business
establishments including a bank, opera house, and two hotels. Ranch
and farm produce, including cotton, Bois d'Arc wood products, and
the area's nationally recognized blackland prairie hay were shipped
by rail at Forney and the town prospered. In the 1920s U.S. Highway
80 (The Dixie Highway) and an interurban railroad came through the
town. Beginning with the Great Depression Forney's agricultural economy
declined for several decades. Eventually Forney experienced a revival
of growth as a bedroom community of Dallas,
Texas.
1994 |
 |
J.A, Loyd General
Mercantile
Photo
courtesy Clint
Skinner, October 2021 |
FISD Administation
Building
Photo
courtesy Clint
Skinner, October 2021 |
Historical Marker:
600 S. Bois d'Arc St., Forney
Forney Independent
School District
Public education
began in Forney (then named Brooklyn) about 1868 when a 16' x 16'
room was built, serving as both a schoolhouse and Union church. Forney
School District No. 9, formed in 1876, was part of a county-wide school
system. In 1889 the first structure was replaced by a 2-story wooden
school building. In 1899 the Forney Independent School District was
formed. An imposing brick and stone building superseded the wooden
structure in 1903. The present edifice was erected in 1938 by a WPA
grant. Recent activities included the restoration of the 1938 Forney
High School building.
1994 |
 |
Historical Marker:
600 S. Bois d'Arc St., Forney
Forney High
School Building
Forney's first
schoolhouse was built here about 1868, and its first general store
was built nearby by pioneer settler John C. McKellar in 1871. This
building was erected by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in
1938-39. Designed by WPA architect Hoke Smith, the Spanish Colonial
revival style structure features a tile roof, multi-light windows,
buff brick, and wrought iron and cast stone details. A high school
was housed here until 1974 and a middle school until 1993. |
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Historical Marker:
Corner of Bois d'Arc and Brooks St., Forney
First Presbyterian
Church of Forney
This church was
created by the merger of two congregations. Before the town of Brooklyn
was renamed Forney, the Brooklyn Church of the Presbytery of Bacon
of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church was organized in 1872. A second
congregation, the Forney Presbyterian Church U.S. (Southern), began
in 1883, and built a sanctuary on this site. Following the merger
in 1919, the name was changed to First Presbyterian Church of Forney.
A new red brick structure was dedicated in October, 1925, and the
church continues to be a vital part of the Forney community.
1986 |
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Historical Marker:
201 W. Broad St. (Old U.S. 80 and FM 688), Forney
The Forney
Messenger
The Forney Messenger
is the oldest newspaper in continuous operation in Forney. Founded
in 1896 by M. J. Cox, the first issue was printed on April 16 and
contained a personal column, school news, a local church directory,
and news from surrounding communities. In 1919 the Messenger was merged
with the Forney News and was known as the Forney News and Messenger
until 1921, when it again became the Forney Messenger. For many years
the Messenger has provided residents of Forney and the surrounding
area with news of local interest.
Texas Sesquicentennial, 1836 - 1986 |
Forney Jackrabbit
Stadium
Photo
courtesy Clint
Skinner, October 2021 |
Historical Marker:
306 S. Bois d'Arc St., Forney
Dick P. Moore
House
Built in 1910,
this home dates from a period of economic boom enjoyed by the town
of Forney from 1873 until 1929. It was constructed for Georgia native
Dick Parmenas Moore (1869-1943), a merchant who owned a large amount
of cotton acreage in the area. His wife, Nancy (Pinkard), resided
here until her death in 1958. The American four-square style house
features Classical Revival influences in the porch details.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1985 |
Spellman Museum
of Forney History
Photo
courtesy Clint
Skinner, October 2021 |
Historical Marker:
on Old U.S. 80 (FM 688) near intersection with FM 740. Marker is at
entrance to cemetery, Forney
Hillcrest
Cemetery
The grave of M.
Elizabeth Collins (1813-1867), the earliest marked in this burial
ground, predates the settlement of Forney. In 1880 the site was platted
and formally set aside as a public cemetery for the growing railroad
town. It was later enlarged through additions of adjoining land. Early
efforts to provide maintenance for the cemetery included a brief experiment
which allowed sheep to graze on the grounds. Burials in Hillcrest
Cemetery include those of pioneer area settlers, prominent community
leaders, and five known veterans of the Civil War. |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
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