DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm going to give you every word of it. Pull over if you have to — this one's got more layers than a Texas onion. The community of Birdville — named for a pioneer by the name of Jonathan Bird — became the very first seat of Tarrant County back in 1851.
First seat. The whole county doing its official business right there. Now, nothing lasts forever in Texas politics, and sure enough, an election in 1856 changed the county seat over to Fort Worth.
Just like that, Birdville had to hand over the gavel. But here's the thing about a community with roots — it doesn't dry up and blow away just because the courthouse moves down the road. Right there on a rise they called Birdville Hill, a man named Professor William E.
Hudson was running a school. He called it Birdville Academy, and he opened its doors in 1858. Word spread fast.
Students came riding in from Tarrant County, Dallas County, Parker County, and Denton County. Four counties' worth of young people finding their way to this one hill. The school started as a single one-room wooden building, which tells you something about ambition — that's a modest beginning for something that had a whole lot of growing left to do.
And grow it did. The building got bigger, the student population got bigger, and by 1919 the need for additional room had become undeniable. A bond election was held, and it authorized the erection of a new brick building right next to the original school site.
They weren't abandoning the hill. They were building on it. In 1926, the Birdville Independent School District was formally incorporated, and more facilities were added to the property in the years that followed.
Then in 1961, Birdville High School was renamed Haltom High — and here's why: a second high school, Richland High, had been opened, and they needed to distinguish one from the other. The name Birdville moved off the high school, but it never moved off the land. The school district still sits on that original Birdville School site, its facilities now spread throughout Haltom City — and it still carries the Birdville name.
Jonathan Bird probably couldn't have drawn that map if he'd tried. But his name is still on the door.
What the marker says
The community of Birdville, named for pioneer Jonathan Bird, became the first seat of Tarrant County in 1851. It continued to hold that position until 1856, when an election changed the county seat to Fort Worth. Located within the community, on this site known as Birdville Hill, was a school operated by Professor William E. Hudson. Named Birdville Academy, the school opened in 1858 and attracted students from Tarrant, Dallas, Parker, and Denton Counties. The school grew quickly from a one-room wooden building to larger facilities serving an increasing student population. By 1919 the need for additional room resulted in a bond election which authorized the erection of a new brick building adjacent to the original school site. In 1926 the Birdville Independent School District was incorporated, and additional school facilities were added to the property in later years. In 1961 Birdville High School was renamed Haltom High after a second high school, Richland High, was opened. Still occupying the original Birdville School site, the school district now includes facilities throughout Haltom City and retains the Birdville name.