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WILMER,
TEXASDallas County,
North Central Texas
Highway 45 / 75
14 miles SE of Dallas
Population:
3,393 (2000) 2,479 (1990)
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Wilmer water tower
Photo by John Troesser, May 2005 |
History
in a Pecan Shell
Settlement in what was to become Wilmer dates to the arrival of Andrew
K. Gray, which was sometime prior to 1850. When the railroad (the
Houston and Texas Central) made a stop here - the community was going
under the name Prairie Valley. Several dates are recorded for
the founding of the town - the earliest being 1876. The post office
was renamed in 1884 after A. J. Wilmer, a popular conductor on the
railroad. The 1890 census showed 100 Wilmerites living here and the
town had all the elements to insure a bright future. The population
doubled to 200 about the time the U.S. entered World War I.
Fire burned most of downtown Wilmer in 1929 and firemen couldn't draw
water fast enough to fight the blaze. Rebuilding was to the east -
along the highway leading to Dallas. After WWII, Wilmer incorporated
and the mayor was elected on the platform of installing a good water
system. The year was 1945 and the population was 450. By the late
40s - Wilmer's water system was still unresolved. Insurance companies
charged merchants and homeowners some of the highest rates in the
country. Wilmer and Hutchins consolidated their schools - with the
construction of a new building halfway between the two towns. A full
eighty-five percent of Wilmer's workforce commuted to nearby Dallas.
The population increased - but at a much slower rate than other Dallas
County towns. |
Wilmer,
Texas Forum
Wilmer,
Texas
Dear Texas Escapes, I was looking on your page on Wilmer and was
wondering if there is some way of finding out who the 100 people
were that lived in Wilmer at that time? I believe my GG Grandparents,
Greenville T. Little and his wife Elizabeth lived in Wilmer at that
time. Greenville T. Little opened one of the first merchandise stores
in Wilmer. My Great Grandparents, Judge Carson Little and Ella Anderson
Little also lived in Wilmer all of their lives. Carson was born
in Kentucky in 1869 and came to live in Texas when he was about
seven years old with his parents mentioned above. Then my paternal
grandparents also lived in Wilmer most of their lives and my grandfather,
Reuben S. Little was born in Wilmer and was mayor of Wilmer at one
time. I would love to find out more about [Wilmer's history] from
1880 through WWII and who all may have lived in Wilmer and who had
businesses there. My great Aunt, Lucille Matthews also ran a drug
store there many years ago and W.S. Little, my great uncle owned
a store in Wilmer also, My grandparents, Reuben and Zona Little
lived on Little Street that is named after them but I think it ran
down the side of their house. Their house may have faced Belt Line
Road, I think it is that runs through town. The old Little homestead
that belonged to Greenville T. Little was on that property that
my grandparents lived on. They used to live in his old house. Greenville
T. Little died in Nov. of 1902 while on his way to a hunting trip
in Wilmer when his horse that was pulling his buggy, was spooked
by pigs that crossed the road in front of him and the buggy overturned
killing Greenville T. Little. He is buried at the Edgewood Cemetery
in Lancaster along
with his wife Elizabeth Nickell Little. Elizabeth evidently belonged
to a group of ladies who quilted there in Wilmer in those early
days. They were charter members of the First Christian Church in
Wilmer and so was their son, Carson Little and his wife, Ella. Ella
was a member of the Woodmen of the World there in Wilmer also. I’d
love to know who all were members of the Woodmen of the World in
Wilmer back in those early days of the 1900’s. If anyone can share
more of Wilmer's history, I would be most appreciative. - Jane
Little McEndree, September 05, 2006
Anyone wishing to share information, memories or photos of Wilmer,
Texas, please contact
us.
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