Oct 15, 2012

Preston Hollow History

 
Preston Hollow is a large prestigious neighborhood located in North Dallas. The boundaries are no longer exact ( click here to read about that) but consist of areas between Northwest Hwy and Royal Lane.

Preston Hollow got its original name from Preston Road - the major road that passed through town. Preston Road was originally an Indian trail. The actual road was built in 1843 by Republic of Texas soldiers. It started near present day Oklahoma where emigrants from the north crossed the Red River. It ended near the settlement of Cedar Springs, now a part of downtown Dallas. Cattlemen knew it as part of the Shawnee Trail. Today Preston Road dissects the Preston Hollow neighborhood and it the center of Dallas' famous Golden Corridor.

Originally Preston Hollow was a rural area of mostly farms and fields. Many of the streets in Preston Hollow are named for the first settlers like farmer Jessie W. Meaders and real estate developer Ira Deloache. Some of our roads were named for large landholders like Al Joyce, and the families of Stichter, Caruth and Lobello.

Ebby's Little White House at the corner of Northwest Highway and Preston Road was originally part of the Deloache family estate. At one time, it housed Ira Deloache's real estate office, then later served as town hall during the time Preston Hollow was an incorporated town. Today it stands as a thriving business and embraces our neighborhood history.

In the early '30's, most of Preston Hollow was still farms, pastures or cotton fields. The streets were all dirt or gravel and there were no telephone lines or town water - only wells. Because curbs and sidewalks had to be paid for by the residents, most roads didn't have them and still don't today.

In 1939 Preston Hollow incorporated as a tax-free township. Joe E. Lawther was elected to the as the first unpaid mayor. The town consisted of about 1200 acres with 800 residents. The town limits began at Northwest Highway on the south but dipped down to include parts of Bluffview. The eastern boundary ran between Preston and Hillcrest Roads. The northern boundary was roughly in the areas of Park Lane and Walnut Hill. And the western boundaries extended to around Inwood Road.

As the businesses along Northwest Highway grew, residents became concerned with the nighttime noise and lights of drive-in restaurants. Preston Hollow residents went so far as to contend that the businesses were creating a public nuisance that destroyed their peace and jeopardized their property values.

In 1945 Preston Hollow petitioned the city of Dallas for annexation and residents voted to consolidate the town of Preston Hollow with the City of Dallas. More than 60 years later, Preston Hollow still retains much of its peace and charm. [where: 75230]

2 comments:

Randy P said...

Great post, thanks for sharing. Really interesting to hear about Preston Hollow's rich history.

I'm a local resident in the area an specialize in car window tinting Bedford TX for a living. Hope you'll check out my window tinting blog and leave some feedback.

Unknown said...

I'm originally from Texas but I wasn't aware of how much history was behind Preston Hollow. I opened up window tinting Casselberry Fl. Let me know what you think!