Lancaster, Texas - Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas ..

Memorial and Biographical History of Dallas County, Texas ..

This is one of the largest and most interesting towns in the county. It is located fourteen miles south of the city of Dallas, on the banks of Ten-Mile creek, in one of the richest agricultural countries in the State. It has the advantage of two lines of railroad: the Missouri, Kansas & Texas, running from the city of Dallas by it to Hillsboro, joining the main line at that point, and a trunk line of the Houston & Texas Central Railroad, extending from Ilutvhins. These two lines have each a depot in the town, thereby giving easy access to the commercial world. It has twelve or fifteen business houses, representing all lines of merchandise. Some of the leading establishments are: W. P. Johnson, general merchandise ; J. II. Molfett, general

Lancaster has two roller mills and three cotton gins, which turn out the very best quality of work. The religious denominations, Methodist, Baptist, Christian and Presbyterian, are represented here. Each has a large and handsome church building, and large and flourishing congregations.

Lancaster boasts of two of the best schools of all the towns of its population in the State, namely, the Lancaster Masonic Institute and the Lancaster Female Institute. Each has a superior faculty, a high curriculum, and a very extensive patronage. They are institutions of whicii any town may well feel proud.

Lancaster is one among the oldest towns in tlie county, but had never made any rapid stride of improvement until a few years of late. It was incorporated in May, 1886, and since then has rapidly grown in every respect.

The following are the articles of incorporation in full, as made by the county judge on the minutes of the Commissioners' Court of Dallas county:

Whereas, on the 20th day of April, 1886, P. N. Taylor, J. W. Baskiu, J. A. Lindsey and more than twenty others, residents of the village of Lancaster, in Dallas county, Texas, tiled an application in the office of the county judge of said Dallas county, Texas, asking that an election be held to determine whether or not the town situated upon the land hereinafter described, to wit, the town of Lancaster, Dallas county, Texas, should be incorporated under the general laws of the State of Texas with the following limits, to wit: Beginning at a point 1,244^ yards south 45° east from the center of the public square in said town of Lancaster; thence north one mile, a stake. Thence west one mile, a stake; thence south one mile, a stake; thence east one mile, to the place of beginning, and

Whereas, on said 20tli day of April, 1886, an election was ordered by me for the above stated purpose, and J. A. Lindsey appointed to preside at the election, and

Whereas, on the 1st day of May, A. D. 1886, said election was duly held in accordance with the statute in such cases made and provided, and resulted in a majority of the qualified voters in said boundaries voting in said election to wit: Sixty voters in favor of incorporating said town of Lancaster, and no votes being cast in opposition thereto,

It is therefore ordered that the inhabitants of the town of Lancaster within the boundaries herein before described, be and the same are hereby incorporated under the provisions of Title No. 17, Chapter 2, of the Revised Statutes of the State of Texas.

And it is further ordered that an election be held in said town of Lancaster by the qualified voters residing within the corporate limits of the same, for the purpose of electing a mayor, a marshal and live aldermen for said town, on the 22d day of May, A. D. 1886, at the office of the justice of the peace in said town. J A. Lindsey is hereby appointed presidin:j; office to hold said election and make due returns thereof. Witness my hand this 5th day of May, 1886.

The first officers of the incorporated town, as above set out, according to the returns of the election ordered in said articles of incorporation, were: E. T. King, mayor; J. A. Lindsey, marshal; R. P. Henry, L. B. Howell, W. Y. Perry, A. H. Rawlins and J. W. George, aldermen.