The History of Willow Park...
The history of the area where the
City of Willow Park sits can be traced through records and books back to
Parker County’s creation in 1856. Isaac Parker of
Tarrant County and Jefferson Weatherford of Dallas County enacted legislation
to form the 576,000 acres into a county because an increasing number of
settlers had begun to farm the fertile soils of the Clear Fork Branch of the
Trinity River and ranch the rolling plains. The Butterfield
Stageline ran through the area, and local ranchers could easily herd
their stock northeastward to the nearby Chisholm
Trail. Weatherford was the terminal for several stage coach lines
during the 1870's and one was held up by the notorious Sam Bass gang en route
to Ft. Worth at a spot near Mary's Creek.
The area was ripe for settlements in the
late 1850’s and 1860’s even though the western part of the county was
still suffering an occasional Comanche or Kiowa raid. The area west from
Weatherford was not proclaimed “free from hostile Indians” by the Governor
until 1877. Evidence of such brutality lies in our own Willow
Springs Cemetery located on the north service road at Exit 415 of I-20.
The oldest tombstone in the cemetery tells the fatal outcome of
Martha Sherman, wife of Ezra Sherman, killed by the Comanche Indians in 1860 near the
Palo Pinto and Parker county line, and “buried here because there was a
church nearby.”
The church being referred to was
Elm Grove (also called Ellum, Alum Grove) and was begun by Simeon Wright,
Rev. B. A. Kemp, and Rev. J. W. Chalk in May, 1854. It was later named Willow
Springs after the springs themselves which were located on property east of
the cemetery. Unfortunately the springs were extremely disturbed by the
construction of Interstate 20. The Willow Springs school was located south of
the cemetery a couple of miles away.
As the area grew, new roads were developed
to facilitate settlers and by the turn of the century the county was becoming
substantially populated. Memories of settlers in our area are conjured up when
we see their names on tombstones in
Willow Springs Cemetary or in the legal
descriptions of deed records. Names such as
Yeary, Mirike,
Froman, Teater,
Blackwell,
Tinsley,
Fox,
Robertson, Carr, McCarver, Headley,
and Williams, among others, hold places of honor in our history.
By 1925 the area which is now Willow Park
was sparsely populated with farms and ranches and a pastoral scene for
travelers going east or west on the newly completed
Bankhead
Highway. The remnants of that highway are, generally speaking, the
southern boundary of much of today’s City of Willow Park. With the
improvement of, increasing need for, and popularity of automobile, truck, and
bus travel, Bankhead Highway was eventually out-dated and was replaced by the
new double-lane
U.S. Highway 80 which was constructed a bit farther to the
north. It was completed by 1940 and soon after, a lovely roadside park --
complete with native Willow trees and a
pond to overlook -- was constructed
for weary travelers and Sunday picnickers. It was not until 1968 that
Interstate 20 blasted its way through the established town of Willow Park,
Texas, and obliterated the picturesque roadside park.
The town, however, retains its memory through the name, Willow Park, and the
pond is still visible north of the interstate highway.
The City was incorporated in 1963 by
petition of 32 resident voters. Many new people had moved to the area, first
known as El Chico Ranch Estates, shortly after the completion of the
Weatherford Reservoir in 1956-57. The $2,000,000 project had added further
allure to a beautiful area, tantalizingly close both to the larger city of Ft.
Worth and the county seat with its historic square, Weatherford. For many of
the employees of Convair (General Dynamics,
Lockheed-Martin) and military
officers of the adjoining air force base, the area was perfect for raising
children in a country atmosphere. Both the Aledo
Independent School District and Weatherford
Independent School District were (and still are) academically
attractive as well, so a good education was easily accessible.
El Chico Ranch
Estates, north and south of
U.S. Highway 80, was the first area to be developed before the city’s
incorporation. The previous ranch owners (O.P. Leonard,
Sr., sons Bob and Paul, Jr., and sons-in-law James Anthony and Leland Hodges,
DBA - Republic Land Company) sold the property to developers Curby
and Vera Haynes Mirike, who developed the area keeping an eye toward
separating commercial from residential areas. As well, a new subdivision --
Hillcrest-- was developed in 1965, near the privately owned
Parker County
airport. By the time the town commission was granted in October 1963, at least
200-300 residents had laid down roots and formed this fledgling community. By
election, the City of Willow Park had reached its goal of “cityhood” with
45 total votes cast (29 for, 12 against, and 4 void). The first mayor was J.D.
St. Clair and the two elected commissioners were
W.
E. “Tony” Self and T.W. Grubbs.
Monthly meetings were held at the “Clubhouse”
at 201 Ranch House Rd. (The clubhouse has a history of its own since its
erection in the mid-1930’s, but it is now a private residence.)
City leaders
met in this location until land was given by the Leonard family in February
1971 for a combined City Hall and Fire Department Building which still stands
on the corner of Stagecoach Road and Ranch House Road. The first meeting in
the new
“Municipal Building” was held on 15 November 1971.
Although Mayor St. Clair served the City for
six or so months, he soon resigned for health reasons and was followed by
Mayor G. Wayne Stevens who served for the next
five years. During his tenure, Mayor Stevens and Commissioners Self and J.
C. Gilliland led the City through the delicate steps necessary to
become a well-organized and carefully planned community. Other pioneers of
this time period were as follows:
Town Marshall:
Claude
F. Mason (appointed 1964)
Town Secretary:
Mary Ann Boubel (1963-1966)
H. G. Knutson
(1966-1968)
Edna Grace (1968-1970)
Town Inspector and Engineer:
Ralph E. Darling
(appointed 1965)
Planning and Zoning Commission: (appointed 1969)
Alvist
(Al) V. Rice, Bob Phillips, Gene Ward, J. C.
Gilliland, and Michael G. Lee
By 1970, the Federal Census reported 230
people living in the City. The Republic Land Company soon began developing
the area overlooking Weatherford Lake known as
Laguna Vista and other realtors
descended on the fertile land -- fertile for residential sales and no longer
for agricultural use. Mayor Ralph Darling was appointed to finish out G. W.
Stevens’ term after he resigned due to time conflicts with his job. By April
1970, Z.C. Baker had been elected to serve on
the council with Tony Self, who by then had served since the City’s
incorporation.
Willow Park grew greatly during the
1970’s. Businesses cropped up and Squaw Creek Golf
Course was completed giving General Dynamics employees and area
residents a beautiful new coarse close to Ft. Worth.
William
M. Grace was appointed the first Fire Marshall, and
Ronald J. Muncy served as Fire Chief. The first fire truck was a 1953
Ford -- one water tank on its back -- named
“Old Whitey”. The Ladies
Auxiliary members raised money for the department through dinners and chili
suppers, and often fought fires themselves while the men were at their own
jobs during the day. Squaw Creek Estates was developed as another picturesque
subdivision overlooking General Dynamics golf course and reservoir and lots
sold rapidly. Buena Vista Estates subdivision was established near Laguna
Vista Estates in 1976. The
Willow Park Church of Christ
was founded in May of 1975 when O. P. Leonard donated a corner lot on Ranch
House Rd. near the Municipal Building. By September of 1979, a small group of
Baptists formed the First Baptist Church which
later built on land adjacent to the Church of Christ. By late 1979,
Trinity
Bible Church came into being and later in the early 1980’s bought
property on Interstate 20 and built their church. Soon after, they added their
school which now encompasses grades K-12.
By 1980, the census reported 1,113 residents
within the City limits and needs for water and services increased. Jesse and
Joy Lee, Roy and Jan Lynch, Bill Bowden and others were having a field day
developing land, selling lots, and building houses. Willow Wood Subdivision
was developed and Don Dickerson sold his water company to the City of Willow
Park. During the same decade Willow Park residents voted to buy Tarrant
Utility Co. from the Leonard family and the town became more independent from
outside pressure. The churches begun in the 70’s continued to grow and
others were established.
The Living Way
Ministries,
and Saint Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church were
established and gave even more opportunity for fellowship and worship in the
community. The latter added a small parochial school which serves the early
grades. Small businesses came into the area including a state-wide grocery
chain; medical and pharmaceutical services, television cable
services; filling
stations and convenience stores; laundry services; a restaurant; and two
banks. The Ladies Fire Auxiliary continued to raise money for the ever-growing
volunteer fire department.
Following the addition of five new
sub-divisions in the mid-80’s (Willow Crest and Northchase on Ranch House
Rd.; Willow Springs and Willow Springs Oaks on FM 1187 south of I-20 and the
Willow Springs Cemetery; and Pruitt-Cobb Subdivision on Crown Rd.) the
Willow
Park Women’s Club and the Willow Park Chamber of Commerce were created and
gave added opportunity for community involvement. The Extension Homemakers
Organization, begun in the 70’s added new members, and a local chapter of
Beta Sigma Phi cropped up for a while.
Rattlesnake Round-Ups in the canyons of
the community became activities of the past, and as the population of the City
more than doubled, a need for an official police department became evident.
The first Police Chief was David Carrothers, and a small department of
reserve officers soon gave the inhabitants round-the-clock protection. Several
lawsuits necessitated a City Attorney and the first, Henry Kerry of Ft. Worth,
was retained in 1983.
The 1990 Federal Census reported 2328
inhabitants of the City and was proof-positive of the more-than-double growth
of the 1980’s. The police force and fire departments began beefing up for
the opening of the new
Trinity Meadows Racetrack and emergency services were a
new focus for those departments. Although the race track flourished only for a
short period during the 1990’s, its creation spurred the citizens into
action and a Municipal Court was established with community member Glen Wilson
serving as the first Municipal Judge. Four new subdivisions were created;
Trinity Estates, Oak Manor, Ridgecrest Estates, and Ridge Haven Estates made
obvious impacts on the growth of the City, now covering over five square
miles. Big-name corporations such as, Texaco, Exxon, Fina,
Ramada Inn, Subway, Chicken Express, Popeye’s, and McDonald’s began
to appear and replace earlier businesses like Ralph’s, Bino’s, Thrift
Mart, and Fast ‘N Fair. Two new churches set down roots, Willow
Park Baptist Church, and
Cornerstone Assembly of
God, both on Ranch House Rd.
At last the little country town had been
discovered and national real estate organizations such as Century 21,
Coldwell-Banker, and Remax came to stake their claims. The video stores
competed and nationally known Winn-Dixie came to feed the growing community
and compete with the original grocery store which had by then been purchased
by a Texas chain, Brookshire Brothers. Several dentists, an optometrist, and
Campbell Health System reinforced the medical community and home-owned small
businesses continued to thrive. With this commercial growth, it became obvious
to far-sighted city leaders that a waste-water treatment plant was a necessity
and the sewer system for the commercial corridor was put into place in the
early 1990’s.
At the turn of the century, the 2000 Federal
Census for the Willow Park incorporated area was 2,849, but the figure
is distorted by the fact that nearby towns and unincorporated areas adjacent
to the City are blowing the lid off feasibility and traffic studies being
undertaken by private corporate entities and various state and federal
departments. Although the biggest problems being encountered by Willow Park
residents still remain (water and sewer provisions, and road conditions), the
new millennium is being met by groups and individuals determined to rectify
the situations expeditiously and correctly. Growth west of the Ft. Worth
metroplex area is a given and the release of the massive Walsh Ranch lands
which have served as a buffer from that growth in the past, will now insure
that fate. Currently planned for the immediate future is a new golf course
surrounded by estate homes as well as garden homes for empty-nesters and
retirees. As well, Crown Development Corp. has laid the groundwork for a large
commercial development on I-20 adjacent to the Clear Fork of the Trinity River
where not so long ago, pioneer neighbors hailed each other on their way to the
original Willow Springs Church. In two more years, Willow Park will celebrate
its fiftieth anniversary and with continued careful planning will be able to
weather the certain growth being thrust its way for the next fifty years.
Kay W. Davis
Willow Park Historian
March 15, 2001
c. 2001
Early Leaders
Extracted Council
Minutes
(March 1963 - December 1972)
Scrapbook Tidbits
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