[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 74 (Thursday, May 23, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E760]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      CELEBRATING THE CENTENNIAL OF THE CITY OF CARROLLTON, TEXAS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KENNY MARCHANT

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 23, 2013

  Mr. MARCHANT. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize and celebrate 
the centennial of the City of Carrollton, Texas, which sits fourteen 
miles north of downtown Dallas at the intersection of Collin, Dallas, 
and Denton counties. The rich history of Carrollton is a quintessential 
American story.
  Long before it was the city that it is today, the region around 
Carrollton was home to Wichita natives as well as the French and 
Spanish who sought to claim east Texas. The modern history of 
Carrollton began in the 1840s when Sam Houston, president of the 
Republic of Texas, made an agreement with the Peters Colony Company to 
offer free land to new settlers. The Larner, Myers, Nix, Witt, Lee, 
Rainwater, and Perry families were among the original founders who came 
to the area--some from Carrollton, Illinois, from which Carrollton, 
Texas, may have gotten its name. Families from England, including 
Jackson, Furneaux, Morgan, and Rowe also settled in the area.
  In 1846, the first Baptist church was established in Carrollton and 
ten years later the Union Baptist Church opened the first community 
school. Small homes and businesses began to grow in this rural 
environment and in 1878 the railroad arrived, with the Dallas and 
Wichita line being the first of three that would eventually intersect 
and form a hub in the community. That same year, on May 16, 
Carrollton's first Post Office opened, giving the unincorporated town 
its name. Built on grain and gravel industries, Carrollton had a 
population of 150 by 1885 and the town square began to take shape in 
1901 after land purchases by George and J.S. Myers.
  The City of Carrollton was incorporated one hundred years ago, on 
June 14, 1913, by a vote of 52 to 23. The City Council was elected the 
next month and William Forest Vinson was elected as the first Mayor, 
though he actually declined to serve and the first mayorship was held 
by Junius Tribble ``J.T.'' Rhoton. In the following decades, Carrollton 
would grow into a thriving and modern city. Yet a simple gazebo, built 
in 1921, would become the landmark and centerpiece of the town square. 
In the 1920s, a volunteer fire department was established and the 
police department followed by the 1940s. Bringing a distinct attitude 
to the area around that time was ``Colonel'' C.W. Josey, an oilman who 
bought expansive land in Carrollton on which he hosted annual rodeos as 
well as elaborate parties. Carrollton was also the first city in Dallas 
County to integrate its schools, in 1963.
  Carrollton has truly blossomed into a prosperous and exemplary city. 
From a population of 1,610 in 1950, it has now grown to over 121,150 
residents, with the most rapid growth occurring in the 1970s and 1980s. 
The city features thirty-five schools, two libraries, the Baylor 
Medical Center hospital which covers 36 specialties, two other long-
term acute care hospitals, and over 1,200 acres of park land. True to 
the railroad heritage that first brought new life to Carrollton, the 
city is now connected to the DART commuter system. Landmarks today 
include the Plaza Theater and the A.W. Perry Homestead Museum. 
Carrollton's vibrant success is evident in its strong education system 
and quality of life. The city has been ranked twelfth in Forbes 
Magazine's ``America's 25 Best Places to Move'', as well as fifteenth 
in MONEY Magazine's ``Best Places to Live'' in 2008. Just this month, 
Carrollton was also named one of the top ten ``Best Texas Cities for 
Young Families'' by a financial website, based on its public education, 
affordability, and opportunity for growth.
  I am proud to say that the Marchant family has been an important part 
of Carrollton's story. It was my privilege to serve on the city council 
for four years and then as Mayor from 1984 to 1986. Ronnie Marchant was 
a member of the city council for several years. The present Mayor is 
Matthew Marchant, who also served several terms on the city council and 
as Mayor Pro Tempore. Nothing in those roles, however, can compare to 
the character and qualities that the people of Carrollton have brought 
to it for over a century and that will propel it into the future.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 24th Congressional District of Texas, I 
ask all my distinguished colleagues to join me in recognizing the one 
hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of the City of Carrollton, 
Texas.

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