DUANE
Duane's take
Here's what the official marker has to say, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, some towns get their names from grand gestures — battles won, rivers forded, legends carved in stone. And then there's Euless, Texas, which got its name from a post office that, by the marker's own admission, was mistakenly named.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The story of how that mistake stuck to a town is really the story of one man, and that man was Elisha Adam Euless. Born in 1848, he made his way down to Texas from Bedford County, Tennessee in 1867 — part of that long tide of folks who came looking for a fresh start on different ground.
He put down roots in Tarrant County, and in July of 1870, he married Judy Ann Trigg, herself a Tennessee native. So in a way, they brought a little piece of home with them and planted it right here in North Texas. Euless got to farming, bought land in 1871, and by 1876 his neighbors thought enough of him to elect him Tarrant County constable.
A man building a reputation, piece by piece. Then in March of 1879, he made a purchase that would change things considerably. He bought 170 acres from his mother-in-law, Mary Ann Trigg, in a stretch of land known as Woodlawn.
Now those 170 acres came with something already on them — a two-story grange hall, built in 1877. And that building was doing a lot of work for the community. First floor: a school, and a meeting place for the local Methodist and Presbyterian churches.
Second floor: the grange. One building, carrying the weight of an entire community's civic and spiritual life. Euless kept farming — cotton and corn, and considerable amounts of both, the marker says.
Then in 1881 he bought 80 more acres, this time on a piece of land where a cotton gin stood. A grange hall drawing the community in, a cotton gin processing what they grew — and right around those two anchors, a community began to take shape. That community came to be called Euless.
And in 1886, a post office opened there — mistakenly named Euless, the marker tells us, plain as you please. Mistakenly. Nobody explains exactly what the intended name was supposed to be, but the name Euless is what went on the sign, and the name Euless is what stayed.
The man himself kept rising. In 1892, he was elected Tarrant County sheriff, and he served two full terms — right through 1896. During that time, a new courthouse was completed in 1895, and Elisha Adam Euless was the first sheriff to occupy it.
Think about that. The building was brand new, the office still smelled like fresh lumber, and he was the one who walked in first and hung his hat. After his time as sheriff, he returned to the town of Euless for a spell, then moved back to Fort Worth.
He died there in 1911, and was buried in the Oakwood Cemetery. The man who farmed and served and bought land and kept the peace — his name is on a town, put there by accident, and it's been there ever since. Some legacies are carved in marble.
This one was stamped on an envelope.
What the marker says
Elisha Adam Euless (1848-1911) migrated to Texas in 1867 from Bedford county, Tennessee and settled in Tarrant county. In July 1870 Euless married Judy Ann Trigg, also a Tennessee native. He began farming and bought land in 1871. Euless was elected a Tarrant county constable in 1876. In March 1879 Euless purchased 170 acres in the area known as Woodlawn from his mother-in-law, Mary Ann Trigg. The land included a two-story grange hall built in 1877. The first floor was used as a community school and by the local Methodist and Presbyterian churches. The grange used the top floor. Euless prospered as a farmer and produced considerable amounts of cotton and corn. In 1881 he bought 80 acres where a cotton gin stood. The community that grew around the cotton gin and the grange hall came to be called Euless. A post office, mistakenly named Euless, opened there in 1886. Euless was elected Tarrant county sheriff for two terms, serving from 1892 to 1896. He was the first sheriff to occupy the courthouse completed in 1895. He later returned to the town of Euless, then moved back to Fort Worth where he died in 1911 and was buried in the Oakwood Cemetery. (1996)