ALLEN
Daily Courier Gazette, October 1, 1946
Centennial Edition
History of Allen
By Dorothy Cain and Margie Boyd
In 1873 a block of land located on the Texas Electric and Southern Pacific Railway, eight miles south of McKinney, was purchased from Abraham Rine by the H. and T. C. Railroad. On February 7, 1876, the railroad deeded to the town of Allen, the streets. The town was named for the contractor who built the railroad.
The little city of Allen was furnished with plenty of excitement back in the old days with Indian massacres, not to mention the train robberies in the late 70's and early 80's, staged by the Sam Bass gang in the most accepted wild west style.
The town's location is ideal from a scenic standpoint. The first school was in the northeast part of town on Cottonwood Creek. Today there is a first class school, fully affiliated, housed in a modern brick building with a separate gymnasium, and furnishes adequate transportation with two school buses for Allen and the surrounding districts. Mr. W. H. Moseley is now superintendent. A first class accredited colored school is operated with Mrs. Clara Coleman teacher.
Allen is the center of a rich farming country and is one of the best grain and cotton markets in North Texas.
The city possesses an artesian well, which supplies excellent water. The Texas Power and Light System, the Lone Star Natural Gas Line, and the V. E. Tucker Telephone Exchange.
In the early years there was a First National Bank, capitalized at $50,000. Since liquidation of the bank, we are provided with an exchange, conducted by A. C. Story, which furnished a banking system for the farmers and business men.
D. K. Stacy and Carl Marion operate the two gin companies, and O. E. Lynge and Stacy Grain and Lumber Company. W. P. Bolin and T. H. Cundiff are returned veterans and owners of the two grocery stores. V. F. Hefner, H. J. Cuffman and John Holt are owners of the three garages. The remaining businesses are H. J. Laird's barber shop, Mrs. R. D. Davis' dress shop; Perry's drug store, owned by M. O. Perry, practicing physician; Mrs. Bill Marion's cafe, Mrs. G. P. Berry's Dry Goods store, R. L. Smith's Feed, Seed and Ice Company, Mrs. Ella Garrison's Laundry and the local post office with Viola Rose serving as post-mistress. Allen has three churches: The Baptist, Rev. James Cooper; the Christian, Dr. Clifford S. Weaver, pastor and the Methodist, Rev. C. C. Cearly, pastor.
The Texas Electric Railway and the Southern Pacific Railroad furnish a source of transportation for the residents who commute to work in McKinney and Dallas and who desire to ship any farm products or equipment. The U. S. Highway 5 is located about one mile east of the city and gives a convenient outlet for all motorists.
The present population is approximately 500.
Historical marker,1998.
ALLEN
FERTILE LAND AND PLENTIFUL WATER DREW SETTLERS TO THIS
AREA FROM AS EARLY AS THE 1840S. THIS PART OF COLLIN COUNTY
WAS WELL POPULATED BY 1876 WHEN THE HOUSTON AND TEXAS
CENTRAL RAILROAD BUILT A WATER SUPPLY STOP ON COTTONWOOD
CREEK NEAR THIS SITE. THE RAILROAD STOP AND NEWLY CREATED
TOWN LOTS ESTABLISHED A CENTER OF COMMERCE FOR LOCAL FARMERS
AND THEIR FAMILIES AND PROVIDED BETTER EQUIPMENT AND BROADER
MARKETS FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION. THE SURROUNDING OPEN
PRAIRIE SOON WAS DEVELOPED INTO SMALL FAMILY FARMS.
THE HOUSTON AND TEXAS CENTRAL RAILROAD FILED DOCUMENTS TO
CREATE THE TOWN OF ALLEN FROM THE JAMES L. READ SURVEY IN
1876. THE VILLAGE WAS NAMED FOR EBENEZER ALLEN, A FORMER
REPUBLIC AND STATE OF TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL AND A FOUNDER
OF THE HOUSTON AND TEXAS CENTRAL RAILROAD. A DRY GOODS
STORE, BARBER SHOP, AND SCHOOL SOON OPENED IN THE RAPIDLY
GROWING TOWN. SAM BASS REPORTEDLY LED AN OUTLAW GANG THAT
ROBBED THE ALLEN DEPOT ON FEBRUARY 22, 1878. THIS WAS PROBABLY
THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL TRAIN ROBBERY IN TEXAS.
BY 1884 THE TOWN OF ALLEN HAD THREE CHURCHES, A FLOUR MILL,
AND A POPULATION OF 350. IN 1908 THE TEXAS TRACTION COMPANY
BUILT AN ELECTRIC RAILWAY THROUGH TOWN, CALLING IT THE INTERURBAN.
THE CITIZENRY NUMBERED 550 BY 1915. ALLEN WAS INCORPORATED
IN 1953 WITH 400 RESIDENTS. ELECTRIC RAILWAY SERVICE ENDED
IN 1948 BUT RAILWAY FREIGHT SERVICE CONTINUED. STRONG
ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE DALLAS-FORT WORTH AREA HELPED THE
TOWN’S POPULATION GROW TO INCLUDE MORE THAN 19,000 CITIZENS
IN THE 1990S.
Allen Baptist Church
Allen Christian Church
Allen Cemetery
Allen Station
Communities Index
- Recommended citation:
- "Allen
- Collin County Communities," Collin County, Texas History and Genealogy
Webpage by Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries, Inc., <http://www.geocities/genfriendsghl>
[Accessed Fri February 13 13:37:28 US/Central 2004 ].
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