Gerrit Van Ginkel was an investor who specialized in creating street car systems. He was born December 11, 1849 in the Netherlands. He came with his parents to the United States around 1855. By 1860 they had settled in Pella, Iowa. The family consisted of his father (a laborer), his mother, Gerritt and four other…
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by Dustin Durrett Julien Reverchon was born on August 3, 1837, in Diémoz, France, to Jacques Maximilien and Florine (Pete) Reverchon. He grew up alongside his brothers, Elisée and Paul-Alphonse, in a household that nurtured curiosity about the natural world. From a young age, Julien displayed a passion for botany, and together with his brother…
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By Brian Gunn Two prisoners were shot down, one fatally, and a Sheriff’s Deputy slain in a fierce shoot-out as the result of an attempted escape at the Dallas County Jail. Prisoners C.E. Gaines and Sidney “Pete” Welk attempted to overpower night guard Deputy Willis Champion, but a spectacular firefight ensued that left both prisoners…
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Dallas County Pioneer Association is easy to follow. We know not everyone uses each media outlet so we try to post on a variety of them. Here is our current lineup. Facebook – request membership and answer a couple of questions X Tumblr Instagram LinkedIn Our newest offering is LinkedIn. The others have been going…
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John Henry “Doc” Holliday was born August 14, 1851 in Griffin, Georgia to Henry Burroughs and Alice Jane McKey Holliday. He was an educated man, having first studied at Valdosta Institute in Valdosta, Georgia. He learned to shoot firearms and play cards when he was still a youth. It is generally thought that he lived…
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On Sunday, May 25, 2025 at the Merrill Cemetery in Dallas, Dallas County, Texas the Craig Austin Rowley Chapter, The Society of the War of 1812 in the State of Texas, the John Cavet Chapter of the United States Daughters of 1812 and the Collin McKinney Chapter of Daughters of the Republic of Texas honored…
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Transcribed from the Dallas Weekly Herald issue of August 28, 1875: Get future posts by email.
The Wilson Building, located at 1623 Main Street, is one of the most beautiful structures still standing in downtown Dallas. It was built in 1903 by John B. Wilson. The building was designed by the firm of Sanguinet & Staats, a large firm out of Fort Worth. Carl Staats of that firm was the designer…
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By Brian Gunn When W. H. Flippen arrived in Dallas in 1880, he quickly became a force in the city’s financial landscape. Teaming up with French emigrant J. Bertrand Adoue and Galveston banker Joseph Lobit, Flippen cofounded the banking firm of Flippen, Adoue & Lobit. The trio commissioned noted architect James Flanders to design their…
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The Freedmens town movement involved the establishment of communities by formerly enslaved African Americans in the United States, mostly organized after the Civil War and emancipation in 1865. These settlements, often called “Freedmen’s Towns” or “Freedom Colonies,” were created as areas where African Americans could live independently, build self-sufficient communities, and exercise newfound independence away…
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