Roanoke, Texas, Denton County. (original) (raw)

History in a Pecan Shell

The first settlement began in 1847 when 20 families from Missouri moved here at the confluence of Henriette and Denton Creeks.

Louis and Charles Medlin were the leaders of the group and the community was first known as Medlin Center. Plagued by high water from the overflowing creeks, the community located on higher ground in 1879 where it underwent a change of name.

It was then known as either Garden Center or Garden Valley. The Texas and Pacific railroad arrived and bypassed the town, resulting in the formation of Roanoke or Rawranoke - two spellings but both named for the city in Virginia.

The town of Elizabethtown, which had also been bypassed, brought its post office to Roanoke along with most of its people. By the time of the 1890 census, Roanoke had a respectable 350 residents, nearly all of them from the bypassed towns.

Roanoke, with its instantly inherited businesses, was practically guaranteed success. By 1914 the Roanoke population was nearing 500 and the town had its own newspaper, a bank and a grain elevator.

In 1940, the year Texas shifted from a rural majority to a urban majority, Roanoke was still fifteen residents shy of reaching 500. The early 1960s showed a small increase to 585 but it was the 1980s when commuters from Dallas and Ft. Worth saw it as a refuge from big city woes. In 2010 the population was nearing 6,000.

Roanoke, Texas Forum

Subject: another missing town

"I remember in the late 60' early 70's when Flower Mound was created because of annexation fear from Irving annexing what is now Valley Ranch and Las Colinas. My Grandfather (Cecil T. Minshew) was an original ombudsman in Flower Mound for the Roanoke Hills Area and he also ran the Water Supply from the mid 60's until about 1982. The first Police officer/Chief was George Flores. Most of the population was west of the "All in One"convenience store and Gas station at Shiloh Rd. and FM 1171. The police station and fire dept. were originally in the little strip of offices and there always seemed to be a restaurant in there as well (at one time it was a Dairy Queen) in the 70's. and Roanoke Hills was the western border of Flower Mound. the town is divided with most of the students went to Lewisville ISD if they lived east of what is now the Vineyards Housing Development (formerly known as Brock's Pasture. E.C. Brock's father had Leased the farm and E.C. was born there and raised his kids there until about 1982, and Roanoke/Northwest ISD. If you were in the Brock Family or Roanoke Hills you went to Roanoke Elementary or Northwest Jr. and Sr. High School. Just a short way north of the "All in One" about two miles was Bartonville. At some point in the early 80's they extended 1171 past 377 to I-35W, and Flower Mound annexed most of that over around the north side Aerovalley Airport to I-35W. " - Stephen G. Masten, Lewisville, Texas, July 25, 2014

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