Lewisville, Texas
Hugging on the southern shore of scenic Lewisville Lake, and conveniently located along the Interstate 35E and State Highway 121 corridors, Lewisville is within easy reach of nearly any recreational activity one can imagine. This is the city where residents from neighboring Flower Mound often go for a good time. Many family-friendly options are available within the city’s boundaries, ranging from fine and cultural arts to go-carts and bowling. Whether you want to stroll through central park off Edmonds, or enjoy the nightlife at one of many bars or pubs: Lewisville has something for people of all ages.
Lewisville as we know it today began in 1841, when a reservation of land was signed under an Empresario contract by the Republic of Texas. The idea was to introduce colonists to the area to keep the Indians away. Under the first of four contracts, W. S. Peters and 19 partners agreed to introduce 600 families in three years, to furnish each with seed, shot, and a cabin, and also to survey the land. Each family was to receive 640 acres of land free and each single man, 320 acres. Family growth was encouraged, especially with unhappy Indians launching raids on the inhabitants of their former land. Because of its success in opening a large area of the frontier and its later effect on Texas land and immigration policy, the law establishing this colony was one of the most important in the Republic. By the time of the incorporation election in 1925, the Lewisville community had grown to a population of about 850 residents and was served by five cotton gins and two saloons. The homes which were served with electricity were powered by individual “wind chargers”, a windmill type device that generated electricity for the typical bare light bulb hanging down in usually just a single room. Some homes also had a power plug to recharge the batteries that powered the radios of the era. W.W. Sherrill owned the water company that included a well, a “standpipe” or water tank, and the distribution system.
Like the neighboring Flower Mound, Lewisville proudly displays its colorful past. Main Street features “Old Town Lewisville”, which takes the visitor back to a different time period. Many of the surviving photos of Lewisville from that period show an elevated view of the north side of Main Street because the photos were taken from atop the “standpipe” which was located near the intersection of Poydras and Elm Streets. The limited water distribution system mostly provided water to faucets in front yards where residents filled their water buckets for use within the house. Although the community included a scattering of farm houses for a mile or more outside the “urbanized” Lewisville, most of the town was located roughly between Charles Street and Kealy Avenue and about a block north and south of Main Street. The former site of King’s Drug Store in the Lewisville Shopping Center was home of one of the cotton gins, and the shopping center parking lot was a corn field. Currently, the old town section of Lewisville offers shopping, casual dining, and entertainment. Be sure to watch the calendar for frequent concerts and special events.
Lewisville even has its own prehistoric site. During the construction of Lewisville Dam in 1950, a number of aboriginal artifacts were unearthed. Archeologists conducted several excavations until 1957 when the waters of the Garza-Little Elm Reservoir covered the site. Regardless, the discovery proved humans have been in the area for longer than anyone ever expected. The excavations revealed 21 hearths, vegetable matter, animal bone fragments and lignite (coal), which were used for fuel. Scientific radiocarbon dating techniques indicate the organic material is approximately 12,000 years old. The Lewisville Prehistoric Site discoveries are similar in age and content to findings at the Clovis site in New Mexico. If you keep your eyes open and search hard enough, there is an excellent chance you might unearth something interesting.
For the spiritually inclined, Lewisville is the subject of some strange ghost stories. It would be easy to dismiss them as hoaxes, except for the fact that the stories appear to remain the same no matter whom I speak with. The most notable of these ghost involves the local high school. Several friends of mine attended Lewisville High School, and none of them will set foot inside the building at night, much less by themselves. Rumor has it that at night a woman roams the hallways of the school in a bloody wedding dress. No one knows who she is, and since Lewisville High School was built in the late 1800’s, the ghost can span several generations. While I have not personally seen proof, there is allegedly a videotape of this ghost that was recorded by a janitor late one night. In this video, a woman in a bloody wedding dress appears seemingly out of nowhere, and then fades out as it walked past a group of lockers. Was she murdered on her wedding day? Perhaps a savvy ghost hunter would have some fun with this.
Praries and Lakes
Lewisville as we know it today began in 1841, when a reservation of land was signed under an Empresario contract by the Republic of Texas. The idea was to introduce colonists to the area to keep the Indians away. Under the first of four contracts, W. S. Peters and 19 partners agreed to introduce 600 families in three years, to furnish each with seed, shot, and a cabin, and also to survey the land. Each family was to receive 640 acres of land free and each single man, 320 acres. Family growth was encouraged, especially with unhappy Indians launching raids on the inhabitants of their former land. Because of its success in opening a large area of the frontier and its later effect on Texas land and immigration policy, the law establishing this colony was one of the most important in the Republic. By the time of the incorporation election in 1925, the Lewisville community had grown to a population of about 850 residents and was served by five cotton gins and two saloons. The homes which were served with electricity were powered by individual “wind chargers”, a windmill type device that generated electricity for the typical bare light bulb hanging down in usually just a single room. Some homes also had a power plug to recharge the batteries that powered the radios of the era. W.W. Sherrill owned the water company that included a well, a “standpipe” or water tank, and the distribution system.
Like the neighboring Flower Mound, Lewisville proudly displays its colorful past. Main Street features “Old Town Lewisville”, which takes the visitor back to a different time period. Many of the surviving photos of Lewisville from that period show an elevated view of the north side of Main Street because the photos were taken from atop the “standpipe” which was located near the intersection of Poydras and Elm Streets. The limited water distribution system mostly provided water to faucets in front yards where residents filled their water buckets for use within the house. Although the community included a scattering of farm houses for a mile or more outside the “urbanized” Lewisville, most of the town was located roughly between Charles Street and Kealy Avenue and about a block north and south of Main Street. The former site of King’s Drug Store in the Lewisville Shopping Center was home of one of the cotton gins, and the shopping center parking lot was a corn field. Currently, the old town section of Lewisville offers shopping, casual dining, and entertainment. Be sure to watch the calendar for frequent concerts and special events.
Lewisville even has its own prehistoric site. During the construction of Lewisville Dam in 1950, a number of aboriginal artifacts were unearthed. Archeologists conducted several excavations until 1957 when the waters of the Garza-Little Elm Reservoir covered the site. Regardless, the discovery proved humans have been in the area for longer than anyone ever expected. The excavations revealed 21 hearths, vegetable matter, animal bone fragments and lignite (coal), which were used for fuel. Scientific radiocarbon dating techniques indicate the organic material is approximately 12,000 years old. The Lewisville Prehistoric Site discoveries are similar in age and content to findings at the Clovis site in New Mexico. If you keep your eyes open and search hard enough, there is an excellent chance you might unearth something interesting.
For the spiritually inclined, Lewisville is the subject of some strange ghost stories. It would be easy to dismiss them as hoaxes, except for the fact that the stories appear to remain the same no matter whom I speak with. The most notable of these ghost involves the local high school. Several friends of mine attended Lewisville High School, and none of them will set foot inside the building at night, much less by themselves. Rumor has it that at night a woman roams the hallways of the school in a bloody wedding dress. No one knows who she is, and since Lewisville High School was built in the late 1800’s, the ghost can span several generations. While I have not personally seen proof, there is allegedly a videotape of this ghost that was recorded by a janitor late one night. In this video, a woman in a bloody wedding dress appears seemingly out of nowhere, and then fades out as it walked past a group of lockers. Was she murdered on her wedding day? Perhaps a savvy ghost hunter would have some fun with this.
Praries and Lakes
