Texas Historical Marker #06920
Wheeler School. Kentuckian William J. (Uncle Billy) Wheeler came to this part of Texas soon after the end of the Civil War. In 1870 he deeded land to the Houston and Texas Central Railway for the townsite that became the city of Richardson and for the railroad right-of-way. In 1880 Wheeler provided a public school just northwest of this site for Richardson area children. After the Wheeler Schoolhouse burned in 1900, classes moved into a new, two-story, four-room, structure on this site. By this time the Richardson Independent School District had been created. In 1914 the frame schoolhouse was replaced with a two-story, red brick structure. The eight-room schoolhouse was staffed by five teachers. In 1927 two wings were added to house the increased enrollment brought about by the consolidation of the Richardson and Addison High schools. Further consolidation of surrounding common school districts in the 1930s and a population boom in the 1950s expanded school enrollment and created the need for other facilities. The red brick schoolhouse served only elementary grades from 1952 until 1960, when it began to serve as the district administration building. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986 #6920
400 S. Greenville Ave., Richardson, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #06850
Richardson. The town of Richardson can trace its beginning to an earlier community in this area named Breckenridge. Founded in the 1840s by settlers from Kentucky, Tennessee, and other southern states, Breckenridge was located south of present Richardson. In 1873 the Houston and Texas Central Railroad was built through Dallas County, bypassing the town of Breckenridge. The citizens moved north to the rail line and named their new town in honor of railroad contractor E. H. Richardson. Land for a townsite was donated by William J. Wheeler and Bernard Reilly. The new town grew quickly. With its main street facing the railroad tracks, it soon boasted homes, businesses, churches, and schools. By the 1890s Richardson was an important shipping point for area grain and cotton. The town was incorporated in 1925 and Thomas F. McKamy was elected Mayor. The 1930 U. S. Census showed a population of 629. Following World War II, the town's economic base changed from agriculture to electronics and manufacturing. Experiencing rapid growth after the 1950s, Richardson's population had passed 75,000 by 1990. #6850
411 S. Arapaho, Richardson, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #06738
Hill-Robberson House. Early Richardson settler A. H. Hill built this home about 1887 at 206 Sherman Street, on what had been railroad property. In 1902 it was purchased by Margaret A. Robberson for her daughter Virginia Bell Robberson (1870 - 1940). Known as "Miss Belle," Virginia taught school in the home for almost 40 years. The Victorian-style residence, which features a distinctive gabled roof and Gingerbread ornamentation, was moved to this site in 1979. RTHL - 1982 #6738
?, Richardson, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #06713
Floyd Pioneer Cemetery. In June 1855, John B. Floyd (1808 - 1879) of Kentucky bought 900 acres of land that included this tract. Later that year he settled here with his family. In the 1860s he set aside this acre for a family cemetery. Early burials included strangers' children who died of diphtheria, and a bandit killed at Floyd's Inn. Mrs. A. Broad (d. 1873) has the earliest marked grave. Floyd and his wife Julia Ann (d. 1894) are buried here. Their heirs sold the land in 1910, retaining control of the cemetery. Since 1924, Restland Memorial Park has adjoined the pioneer cemetery. #6713
?, Richardson, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #06708
First United Methodist Church of Richardson. Organized as the Methodist Episcopal Church, south of Richardson, Texas. In 1886, the church was first served by circuit-riding preacher Thomas Jefferson Milam (1843 - 1917). For the first twelve years, services were held in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. In 1898, the congregation bought one acre of land on Greenville Avenue from the Houston and Texas Central Railroad, and a white frame church was built. A parsonage was added in 1912, and a pump organ was purchased in 1916. As membership increased, the small church proved inadequate, and final services were held there in April 1924. A new red brick building was opened in 1925, and the congregation became a full station of the Methodist Church in 1932. The church purchased this site in 1954. A fellowship hall, serving as a temporary sanctuary, and a 22-room educational building were opened on April 13, 1958. A new educational building was erected in July 1960, and the sanctuary and administrative offices were dedicated on September 13, 1964. An activities building was completed in 1972. With the 1968 merger of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the name was changed to First United Methodist Church. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986 #6708
503 N. Central Expressway, Richardson, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #06704
First Presbyterian Church of Richardson. Organized on August 21, 1870, by the Rev. George L. Blewett (1821 - 1884) and twenty charter members, this church began as the Trinity Congregation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Early worship services were held in the home of George Henry Blewett (son of the congregation's founder), who also donated land for the congregation's first sanctuary, a one-room frame structure. The church became known as the Richardson Presbyterian Church in 1909, and in 1910 relocated to a new sanctuary at Polk Street and Greenville Avenue. Additions were made to the building as the congregation grew, and in 1954 this site was acquired for a new church complex. A sanctuary completed in 1957 was replaced by a larger facility in 1988. Since 1983 the congregation has been known as First Presbyterian Church of Richardson. Throughout its history this church has served the community with a variety of religious, educational, and outreach programs. A Sunday School program begun in 1880 has grown to serve church members of all ages. Outreach efforts include involvement in community projects such as blood drives, medical clinics, and food and clothing pantries for the needy. #6704
319 La Salle, Richardson, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #06694
First Baptist Church of Richardson. Founded in 1865 with nineteen charter members, this congregation began as Mt. Calvary Baptist Church. Early worship services were held in the Elm Grove Schoolhouse. The Rev. J. J. Butler was called as first pastor of the congregation. William Huffhines, a charter member of the church and an early Dallas County pioneer, donated two acres of land for a sanctuary. Also located on the land was Mt. Calvary Cemetery. A frame sanctuary was built in 1868 and the congregation continued to meet there until 1885, when they voted to move five miles north to the new town of Richardson. Philemon W. and Mary Huffhines gave land at the corner of Greenville Avenue and Phillips Street for a sanctuary, which was completed in February 1886. After it was destroyed in a storm in 1909, a new brick structure was completed on the same site in 1910. The brick building was replaced in 1953, and one year later the congregation voted to change its name to First Baptist Church of Richardson. Over the years, First Baptist Church has served the community with a varietyof outreach programs. This site was acquired in 1976, and a new sanctuary was dedicated in February 1987. #6694
1001 N. Central Expressway (US 75), Richardson, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #06597
Blewett Cemetery. Established for family and community burials by the Rev. George L. Blewett, this cemetery was first used in 1855 after the death of his daughter Ann. A Cumberland Presbyterian minister, Blewett had come to Texas in 1853 with his family and other pioneers from Kentucky. Nine of the Blewett children are buried here, as are George (d. 1884) and his wife, Nancy (d. 1903). The Blewett Cemetery was for many years associated with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and until the mid-1920s was one of the primary burial grounds for the Richardson community. 1985 #6597
?, Richardson, TX, United States