Log Cabin in Peter�s Colony
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This is OUR Neighborhood
Farmers Branch was settled in 1842 by Thomas Keenan and his wife Sarah. The area was called Mustang, as part of Peter's Colony but later changed to Farmers Branch due to the rich soil and flourishing crops. The settlement originally included all the land between White Rock Creek on the east, the Elm Fork of the Trinity on the West, the Dallas County Line on the north and Cedar Springs on the South.
John Keenan was the first child born in Farmers Branch but died two months later. He is buried in the Keenan Cemetery located on Valley View Lane, part of the original Keenan land. Farmers Branch was widely advertised both in the East and in Europe. During the years 1845-1850 it was the best known of all of the Texas settlements. The settlers were for the most part fairly well educated.
Picture from 1900.
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Present day structure.
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A blacksmith shop and gristmill started in 1845 by the Rev. William Bowles, a Baptist Minister. The same year Isaac Webb, donated land for Webb's Chapel Methodist Church which also served as the first school in the county. Mr. Webb also served as the first postmaster when the Farmers Branch Post Office was established in 1848.
Picture of restored Gilbert homestead.
Other early settlers include Dr. Samuel Gilbert and his wife Julia. The couple lived with Isaac Webb until their home was completed in a grove of stately post oak trees. The Gilbert House consists of two foot thick limestone walls and chestnut plank floors. The Gilbert House is located in the Farmers Branch Historical Park and is the oldest rock structure in Dallas County that is still on its original foundation.
In 1874, to assure that railroads would come to Farmers Branch, Dr. Gilbert and other local settlers sold right-of-way through their land. Around 1877, the Dallas and Wichita Railroad built a depot. This original depot has been restored and relocated to the Farmers Branch Historical Park.
The City was incorporated in 1946 with an election on February 23th. The population was 800 that year and has grown to over 27,000 today.Farmers Branch is still growing at a very respectable pace and is the home for five Fortune 500 companies. Our city is also a great place where families can enjoy boththe ammenities of a larger city and get that smalltown feeling. Come to Farmers Branch, we like it here.
Home to 2,600 companies and 86 corporate headquarters, including i2 Technologies, Inc., Occidental Chemical and Dallas Semiconductor, Farmers Branch is a dynamic powerhouse in the north Dallas section of the Metroplex.
Community Links
 The City of Farmers Branch
School Information
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