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History
in a Pecan Shell
The
town was originally named Nickelville when it was settled in
the 1870s and was situated half a mile south of the current center.
When the railroad (The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe) came through in
1886 – the town moved and changed their name to Wylie – after the
railroad’s right-of-way agent.
That same year the town incorporated and was granted a post office.
In 1888 a second railroad - the St. Louis Southwestern Railway reached
Wylie.
Wylie had a population of 400 in 1890 and it nearly doubled to 773
in 1900.
Dairy farming was responsible for helping Wylie grow during the Great
Depression. The population was 914 in 1940.
Following World
War II the population continued to increase doubling to 1,804
by the 1960 census. In the next twenty years the population doubled
again. Wylie has now spread into Rockwall
and Dallas counties.
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Photographer's
Note:
Downtown Wylie
Wylie has one of the best preserved old business districts around.
It's in almost perfect condition and looks like just about every building
is occupied. I think its so well preserved because it was pretty much
the only business area in Wylie until relatively recently. The area
had two fires in 1998 and the reconstructed buildings were made to
resemble the original structures according to the City Of Wylie. The
multiple dates indicate the date of original construction and the
reconstruction date.
Two murals in downtown Wylie. They don't agree on the founding date!
- Mike
Price, November 29, 2007 |
| 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
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