HISTORY
North Benbrook, the part of the city of
Benbrook that extends north along Loop 820 up into and almost surrounded
by Fort Worth, lies about nine miles west of the Fort Worth Central Business
District. Benbrook had its beginning, as did most of Tarrant County, as
part of the Peters Colony.
W. S. Peters, a Kentucky businessman, was
invited to Texas in 1841 by Sam Houston when Texas was a Republic. The
Peters Colony land covered all of what became Tarrant County. Indians
inhabited the land, and the first white settlers began coming to the present
Benbrook area as early as 1854.
Among the first settlers were Edward and
Nancy Wilburn, who helped build the first church, school and meeting hall,
all in one building. During the Civil War, the building was neglected and
became uninhabitable. In 1880, Marinda, the daughter of the Wilburns, and
her husband, John Snyder, donated five acres at the intersection of today's
Mercedes and Winscott Plover Rd. for use as a school, it becoming known as
the Marinda School, and the neighborhood around it became known as Marinda.
In 1874, James M. Benbrook arrived from Illinois.
He was instrumental in getting a railroad depot built in Marinda. The depot
was named Benbrook in his honor and by 1884, the community and school were called
Benbrook. About 20 families lived there at the turn of the century.
Another early settler was Winfield Scott, who
later owned Thistle Hill, the cattle baron mansion in Fort Worth. Scott owned
12,000 acres in Benbrook. His ranch house was on Winscott-Plover Rd., named
for him, south of today's lake. Another famous resident was Elliott Roosevelt,
who lived on a 1,300 acre ranch on Dutch Branch. His father, President F. D.
Roosevelt, visited him several times during World War II.
During World War I, an airfield was built in
Benbrook, in today's Lakeside addition. First called Taliafero Field, it was
soon renamed Carruthers Field. Capt. Vernon Castle, an internationally known
dancer, was a flying instructor and was killed in a training accident at the field.
Benbrook's population remained around 40 until
World War II, when workers came to work at the "bomber plant", Convair, later
known as General Dynamics and now Lockheed Martin. The population steadily
grew during this time.
After the big flood in 1949, Benbrook finally
incorporated and the Corps of Engineers began building Benbrook Lake as a
flood control project and recreation area.
Benbrook today has about 26,000 residents,
most of whom work in Fort Worth. It has a mayor, city council, fire department,
police department and its own water and sewer systems, and considerable pride in
the community.
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OTHER INFORMATION
Nearest Fire Station: 528 Mercedes, 817-249-1727, emergencies: 911
Nearest Medical Facilities: Baylor All Saints Hospital City View, 7104 Oakmont Blvd., 817-346-5700
Nearest Post Office: Benbrook Station, 9500 Hwy. 377 S, 817-249-3070
Nearest Grocery Shopping: Hwy. 80, Hwy. 377 S.
Nearest Mall: Ridgmar Mall
City Council District Number: At large
School District Number: 6
Voting Precinct Number: 4009, 4337
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