HISTORY
The city of Benbrook, which for this
narrative includes the neighborhoods of West Park, Rolling Hills,
Lakeside and Timbercreek, lies about ten miles Southwest of the Fort
Worth Central Business District and stretches along either side of
highways 377, I-20 and Loop 820. It had its beginning 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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SCHOOLS
Elementary Westpark Elementary, 10117 Westpark Dr., 817-249-7150
Benbrook Elementary, 800 Mercedes, 817-249-7100
Middle Wm. Monnig Middle School, 3136 Bigham Blvd., 817-377-7250
High School Western Hills High School, 3600 Boston, 817-560-5600
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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. 377 S.
Nearest Mall: Ridgmar Mall, Hulen Mall
Nearest Park: Dutch Branch Park, Pecan Valley Park, Clear Fork Park, Benbrook Lake
City Council District Number: At large
School District Number: 6
Voting Precinct Number: 1208, 4021, 1302, 1206, depending on location of house.
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