A History of Lancaster
Among the early settlers of Lancaster were Roderick
Rawlins, Abram "Honest A" Bledsoe, and Thomas McKee
Ellis. They were accompanied by sons-in-law Middleton Perry and
Jones Greene, who in 1844 brought with them the legendary quarter-mile
running horse Steel Dust, who would become one of the premier foundation
stallions when the Quarter Horse registry was begun nearly a century
later. Jack Batchler brought another horse of legend to Lancaster
in 1849 - Shiloh (also sometimes known as Old Shiloh) helped establish
many of the great bloodlines of the Texas strain of the Quarter Horse
breed.
The White Family Home
The White family of Tennessee move to Lancaster in late 1851 and became
prominent citizens, merchants, bankers, and philanthropists. Dr.
H. J. Moffett established his drugstore and practice in 1851, and his
descendants were equally industrious and well-known in the community.
The Moffett Hotel was a stop on the Fisher Sawyer stage coach
line. Photo circa 1850.
"A" Bledsoe is said to have initially surveyed and staked off
the town in 1852 on the 430-acre Rawlins survey, modeling it after his
hometown of Lancaster, KY. The city plan features a traffic circle
in the center of a square, with streets entering from the middle of each
side. In 1860 a post office was established in Lancaster.
With the advent of the Civil War, a Lancaster volunteer company was
raised and became part of the Fifth Texas Cavalry. A pistol
factory manufactured the Tucker-Sherrod Colt Dragoon, an exact copy of
the .44 caliber Colt Dragoon, for the use of the Confederate troops from
Texas. R. P. Henry, an engraver from France who came to the U.S.
as part of the La Reunion
settlement, worked at the
factory. After the Civil War ended, Henry established a general
store.
In 1885, the population of Lancaster was estimated to be 550. In 1887, the Lancaster Herald was established by Joe T. Green. The
Lancaster Tap Railroad, completed in 1890, connected Lancaster with the
Houston and Texas Central at Hutchins, south of Dallas. In 1905,
the H&TC bought the Lancaster Tap, which was finally abandoned in
1934.
Lancaster Dry Goods Store opened about 1882.
Another railroad, the Dallas and Waco, was built through Lancaster in
1888. In 1891, this railroad became part of the Missouri, Kansas
and Texas line, running from Dallas to the Gulf Coast of Texas. In
that same period, two roller mills and three cotton gins were
established. In addition, two academies, the Lancaster Masonic
Institute and the Lancaster Female Institute, opened.
By 1897, Lancaster had a public school that employed one teacher and
had an enrollment of 56 students. The city also had several
churches, including First
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ, established in 1846), First Presbyterian
(established in 1856), First Methodist (established in 1865), and First
Baptist (established in 1867). Lancaster also boasted a chapter of
the International Order of OddFellows and a Masonic Temple.
In 1898, White and Company Bank was founded on the west side of Town
Square. The bank building was severely damaged in 1994 by a
tornado that roared through town, destroying more than 200 homes and
making headlines across the nation. The White building was
restored, and was re-opened in 1998 as the headquarters for the
Lancaster Economic Development Corporation, which remains in occupancy
today.
At the brink of the 20th century, there were 1,115 residents inside
the Lancaster city limits, with hundreds more from the surrounding rural
area who worked, worshipped, went to school, made their purchases, and
found their entertainment in the city. In 1902, Dr. George Parks
became the first resident of Lancaster to own an automobile. The State created the
Lancaster Independent School District in 1905.
Electric home lighting came to Lancaster, in the form of the Texas Power
& Light Company, when the Interurban Electric Railway (Dallas to
Waco) was run through the city in 1911.
The Interurban on Dallas Avenue, shown next to the Head House.
An estimated 100 men from Lancaster and the surrounding area served
in World War I, many in the 359th Infantry, 90th Division. The town was hard hit by the Great Depression, and infamous bank
robbers Bonnie & Clyde took their own toll on the local economy
during a visit to the Henry Bank in 1933.
The R. P. Henry Bank opened in 1889 and was robbed by Clyde Barrow
in 1933.
Lancaster men once again registered for military service as 1940 drew
to a close, and World War II claimed the lives of many. After the
war, the town began to reflect the national trend toward urbanization,
and the population grew by leaps and bounds. Then, as now, more
people made their homes in Lancaster while earning their living outside
the town. In 1953, the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce was
established, and after more than 50 years continues to serve the
community. The Lancaster Historical Society is proud to be a
member of the Chamber of Commerce.
Information collected from various sources, including the memories
of members and archives of the Lancaster Historical Society, archived
clippings from the Lancaster Herald and the Dallas Daily Times Herald, the
Texas State Historical
Association, the Lancaster Genealogical
Society, the Northeast Texas
Railroad Station and Depot Archive, and the collections of Rice
University.
