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GRAPEVINE,
TEXAS
Tarrant
County,
Central Texas North
32°56'6"N 97°5'9"W (32.935025, -97.085784)
(Near) Highway 121
19 miles NW of Dallas
19 miles NE of Fort Worth
ZIP codes 76051, 76092, 76099
Area code(s) 214, 469, 972, 682, 817
Population: 55,281 Est. (2019)
46,334 (2010) 42,059 (2000) 29,2029 (1990)
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History in
a Pecan Shell
Grapevine settlement
dates back to the 1840s when settlers from Platte County Missouri
moved into the area.
Grapevine has previously been known as Cross Timbers, Grape Vine
Springs, Leonardville, Dunnville, and Grape Vine, until they settled
on the current name (pun intended) in 1914.
A Masonic lodge was established in 1866 and the Grapevine Masonic
Institute, was in operation from 1869 to 1886. The town had a population
of 800 by 1890 and the St. Louis Southwestern Railway arrived
sometime around 1900.
In 1914 Grapevine had 1,200 people but it dropped to just over 800
by 1925.
Today the proximity to DFW has increased the population to over 40,000.
Prior to the opening of the airport the town had fewer than 3,000
residents.
Considerable effort has been made to dress up downtown Grapevine and
with their restored depot-museum and pioneer cabin/park, Grapevine
has a distinctive charm that other Dallas
suburbs lack. |
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Grapevine Main
Street Station
Photo
courtesy Clint
Skinner, November 2021
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Great American
West Gallery
Photo
courtesy Clint
Skinner, April 2020
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Historical Marker:
Great American
West Gallery
Constructed in
1897, this building served as retail space until it was purchased
and remodeled by the Tarrant County State Bank in 1921. It became
the offices of the Grapevine Sun newspaper in 1947. Displaying classical
revival style elements, the brick structure features a central inset
entry, stepped parapet of brick with stone coping and detail, and
four classical pilasters supporting a dentilled cornice of stone.
Benjamin R. Wall (1876-1955) started the Grapevine Sun in 1895 at
the age of nineteen. It was sold in 1897 to James E. Keeling (1847-1925),
a native of England. His son took over as editor in 1912 and published
the paper with the help of his wife Grady. The weekly printed mostly
encouraging news for its readers. When Ed died in 1953, his daughter
Zena Keeling Oxford became editor and her husband Gene was typesetter.
The sale of The Sun following her death (1976) ended the family connection,
which lasted 80 years and spanned three generations. |
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Nash Farm
National Register of Historic Places
Photo
courtesy Clint
Skinner, April 2020
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Historical Marker:
Nash Farm
Established in
1859, the Nash Farm constitutes one of the last remaining agrarian
sites from the 19th century in North Texas in the region where there
was once a pervasive landscape of farmsteads. Thomas Jefferson Nash,
Elizabeth Mouser Nash, and their first three children migrated from
Kentucky to Texas in 1854, first settling in Dallas
and then moving within a few months to the Grapevine vacinity. They
were joined by Thomas' brother, William P. Nash. By 1859, they settled
permanently on this site. The original farm property consisted of
450 acres with a variety of crops and animals.
During the Civil War, Thomas and William left to serve with Confederate
troops. They left the farm in the care of Elizabeth and the children;
both survived the war and returned home to enlarge their farm holdings.
The Nash farmhouse, constructed in 1869, is a two-story I-house with
a one-story, attached partial width front porch. The property also
boasts a 1907 secondary gable-roofed wood frame tranverse barn, or
crib barn, a cemetery dating to 1878, and a brick cistern dressed
with a brick rim and decorated metal cistern draw.
In 1888, Thomas and Elizabeth gave land for right of way to the Cotton
Belt Railroad, which contributed to the economic development of the
Grapevine area. The farm remained in the Nash family until the 1920s.
Rehabilitation of the property in 2008 restored the farm and its historic
structures, preserving them for future generations. In 2010, the property
was listed in the National Register of Historic Places." |
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Historical Marker:
Torian Log
Cabin
This cabin of hand-hewn
logs was built along a creek at the edge of the cross timbers near
the pioneer community of Dove. It originally stood on a headright
settled in 1845 by Francis Throop, a Peters colonist from Missouri.
J. C. Wiley bought the property in 1868 to John R. Torian (1836-1909),
a farmer from Kentucky. Torian family members occupied the structure
until the 1940s. The cabin was moved about four miles to this site
in 1976. |
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1909 C.M.Millican
Blacksmithing
Photo
courtesy Clint
Skinner, April 2020
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Grapevine Heritage
Park Botanical Gardens
Photo
courtesy Clint
Skinner, April 2020
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Grapevine Heritage
Park Botanical Gardens
Photo
courtesy Clint
Skinner, April 2020
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First United
Methodist Church, Grapevine
Photo
courtesy Clint
Skinner, April 2020
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Historical Marker:
First United
Methodist Church
In 1854, Nathan
Hudgins, a circuit-riding lay preacher, purchased acreage located
in the middle of present-day Grapevine. Reverend Nathan Hudgins (also
known as El Nathan Hudgins) was born May 10, 1814, and came to Texas
in 1854 from Bellefonte, Alabama. The work of circuit rider was strenuous
and dangerous, and Hudgins began to conduct weekly and bi-weekly services
from his home. Seeking a more permanent church organization, Hudgings
arranged for the establishment of the Grapevine Methodist Episcopal
Church, South in 1866.
In 1872, E. N. Hudgins and Susan L. Hugins deeded two acres of land
for a place of worship for members of the Grapevine Methodist Episcopal
Church. The following year, a structure was erected , but damaged
by a windstorm in 1887. A new structure was built in 1901, complete
with a bell tower and a stained glass window in honor of Reverend
Hudgins who passed away that year.
As attendance increased, so did the need for larger facilities. Over
the years, multiple buildings were built, removed and/or renovated
to accommodate the growing congregation. In 1968, to reflect the merging
of the National Methodist Church and Evangelical United Brethren Church,
the name was changed to the First United Methodist Church, Grapevine.
Many ongoing ministries and community outreach programs solidify the
church as a faithful servant of the Grapevine Community, providing
service and love since Grapevine's establishment. |
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Historical Marker:
First Baptist
Church
Baptists in the
Grapevine Prairie area began meeting in their own homes as early as
1846. Worship services later were held in a log schoolhouse on what
is now Dooley Street in the community of Grapevine. On December 25,
1869, the pioneers gathered to form a Baptists church. The eighteen
charter members chose A. J. Hallford as their first pastor. The church's
first sanctuary was completed in 1871. Over the years, First Baptist
Church of Grapevine has grown steadily in membership and has provided
significant service and leadership to the community. |
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The
vintage Southern Pacific steam engine in Victoria is now in Grapevine
TE Photo |
Grapevine Tourist
Information
The Grapevine Convention
& Visitors Bureau
One Liberty Park Plaza Grapevine, Texas 76051
800-457-6338 817-410-3185
http://www.grapevinetexasusa.com/ |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
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