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ROCKWALL, TEXAS
Rockwall
County Seat,
Central Texas North
32° 55' 52" N, 96° 27' 35" W (32.931111, -96.459722)
Intersection of State Hwys 66 and 205
(Just N of I-30 / US 67)
Overlooking Lake Ray Hubbard
23 miles E of Dallas
Population: 45,888 Est. (2019)
37,490 (2010) 17,976 (2000) 10,486 (1990)
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"The famous
"rock wall" for which our town is named."
- Carolyn Holt, Museum Curator
Photo courtesy Rockwall Historical Foundation Museum |
Situated
on a hill with a commanding view of the lake and distant Dallas
(actually Rowlett and Mesquite)
it's a shame that there's not more of Rockwall.
History in a Pecan Shell
Once a part of Kaufman
County, the land was originally settled by the Boydstun family
of Illinois in the 1840s. In 1852 Elijah Elgin donated forty acres
to establish a town.
The name comes from the 1851 discovery of a rock outcropping that
appears (to some) to have been constructed by man.
The town formally came into being on April 17, 1854, the same year
a post office opened.
The split with Kaufman
County came in 1873 when the state legislature declared it separate
and naturally Rockwall became the county seat.
In 1886 the Missouri, Kansas and Texas railroad arrived and the economy
responded accordingly. Farmers and merchants from Blackland and Heath,
Texas moved into Rockwall raising the population to nearly 1,000 in
1890.
In 1893 Wells College opened and the population continued to grow.
The Great Depression saw a slight decline, but after WWII
it again increased.
In 1970 it was more than 3,000, but compared to neighboring Dallas
it was still a small town. That changed with the construction of Lake
Ray Hubbard. By the 1990s it reported a count of 10,486 to census
enumerators. |
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Looking west
at Lake Ray Hubbard from a hill in Rockwall
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, June 2007 |
Rockwall, Texas
Landmarks / Attractions
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A portion of
the subterranean rock wall, for which the county is named, sits in
front of the courthouse.
Photo courtesy Terry
Jeanson, June 2007 |
"The size
of the stones, the regular lines in which they are laid, and the mortar
between them are shown in this photo. This excavation was made by
a Mr. Sanders of Fort
Worth in 1949."
Courtesy Rockwall Historical Foundation Museum |
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Former County
Jail, located on the top floor of the former courthouse
Photo courtesy Dylan Gielow, October 2014
More Texas Jails
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Historic Rockwall
County Courtroom
in the Art Deco Courthouse on the square
Photo courtesy Dylan Gielow, October 2014
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Rockwall's MKT
Depot, built 1925, now a dentist office
Photo courtesy Dylan Gielow, October 2014
More Texas
Depots
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Former First
Baptist Church
Photo courtesy Dylan Gielow, October 2014
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Historical Marker
(at the corner of S. Goliad and Boydstun Street, Rockwall)
First Baptist
Church of Rockwall
Organized in 1852
by Elder John R. Briscoe and Elder M. Glover in the home of J. C.
Williams, this was originally called New Hope Baptist Church,
as Rockwall was not founded until 1854. Charter members: Hester, Isaac,
James, Mildred, and Persila Briscoe; Felitha, Martha and Rosana Jones;
Hannah Thompson; J. C. and Nancy Williams. First regular pastor was
the Rev. H. E. Calahan. After years in homes, schoolhouses, and a
Masonic hall, the congregation occupied a building of its own in 1876;
present sanctuary, 1970. This is the oldest congregation in the Dallas
Baptist Association.
(1976) |
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Former First
Methodist Church, built in 1912
Photo
courtesy Dylan Gielow, October 2014
More Texas Churches
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Historical Marker
(at the intersection of S. Goliad and Damascus Streets, Rockwall)
First United
Methodist Church of Rockwall
This congregation
developed from early worship services conducted by area pioneers in
the home of Mrs. Hugh Shaw. The church was formally organized in 1856,
several years prior to the formation of Rockwall
County. Constituted with less than twenty members under the direction
of the Rev. J. A. Scruggs, the small fellowship met in the local Masonic
lodge building until the first sanctuary was constructed at 102 North
Fannin Street in 1874. The one-room frame structure featured a belfry
and a tall steeple. During its first three decades, the First Methodist
Church of Rockwall shared its ministers with other pioneer area Methodist
churches. By 1887, however, membership in the First Methodist Church
had grown such that the Rev. James McDugald was appointed to serve
as the congregation's first full-time pastor. To accommodate the membership's
continued growth, additional facilities were later built, and the
church relocated to this site in 1981. For more than 100 years, the
First United Methodist Church of Rockwall has sponsored many active
organizations in its congregation which have provided great service
and leadership to the community of Rockwall. Many descendants of the
original fellowship continue to worship here.
(1983) |
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Former Magnolia
Station, now last barbers on the square
Photo courtesy Dylan Gielow, October 2014
More Texas
Gas Stations
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"The U.S.S.
Rockwall, a transport battleship, that served in the Pacific during
WWII."
- Carolyn Holt, Museum Curator
Photo courtesy Rockwall Historical Foundation Museum |
| 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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