Roanoke

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Roanoke, up there in Denton County. Now, before a single rail was laid, before a single surveyor squinted into the Texas sun, people were already putting down roots here. As early as 1847, settlers were living in this stretch of land halfway between Fort Worth and Denton.

Some came from nearby Garden Valley — which had started out as Medlin Settlement — and some rolled in from Elizabethtown. They were making a go of it the hard way, practicing subsistence farming, growing what they ate and eating what they grew. Life was modest.

Quiet, even. Then came 1881, and the Texas and Pacific Railroad came through, and nothing was ever quite the same. A surveyor with the railroad — a man from Roanoke, Virginia — gave this new community its name.

Just like that, a Virginia town's name landed in North Texas, planted right along the rail line. And the town that grew up around it wasted no time finding its purpose. Situated halfway between Fort Worth and Denton, Roanoke became a shipping hub.

The ranchers in the area — and there were a number of large ranches — now had a way to move their cattle profitably to markets in the north. Roanoke's stock pens held those cattle before they were shipped out. Farmers who had spent years just trying to feed their own families could now send wheat and cotton down the line and actually see a return.

The railroad didn't just connect Roanoke to the outside world. It changed what Roanoke could become. And Roanoke took full advantage.

By 1890, the town had four churches, a school, a cotton gin, and several businesses. That's not a frontier outpost anymore — that's a town finding its footing. Then roll into the early 1900s and the picture fills out even further: a newspaper, a bank, a grain elevator, and the Denton Oil and Gas Company.

An economy diversifying, branch by branch. Now, some of the people who shaped early Roanoke deserve to be called by name. Rancher Sam Reynolds was among the vital figures.

So were John — known as Bob — and Almedia Jones, whose property served as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Sit with that for a moment. Right here, in this ranching and farming community, that property was part of something much larger, much more urgent than cattle and cotton.

And then there was Hugh W. Jenkins, storeowner and Roanoke's first Mayor, the man who helped give the town its civic backbone. The 20th century brought new roads to go along with those old rails.

In 1932, the Texas Highway Department completed the Northwest Highway through the area. Then in 1939, the city received state and federal funds to build U.S. Highway 377 along Front Street.

Roanoke incorporated in 1933 and kept on growing, steady as it had always been. From a handful of settlers in 1847 to a railroad town to an incorporated city — Roanoke didn't arrive all at once. It built itself layer by layer, name by name, year by year.

And according to this marker, it's still a community that treasures every bit of that history. Some towns holler about their past. Roanoke, it seems, just keeps carrying it forward.

What the marker says

In 1881, the Texas & Pacific Railroad came through here and established this community, named by a railroad surveyor from Roanoke, Virginia. Settlers lived in the area before the town was platted, arriving as early as 1847. Many of these residents relocated to Roanoke from nearby communities such as Garden Valley (originally Medlin Settlement) and Elizabethtown. Situated halfway between Fort Worth and Denton, Roanoke served as a shipping hub for ranching and agriculture. There were a number of large ranches in the area, and the railroad allowed ranchers to ship cattle profitably to markets in the north. Roanoke’s stock pens held the cattle before they were shipped. Area farmers, many of whom had previously practiced subsistence farming, also made use of the railroad. Wheat and cotton were the primary crops. Roanoke grew steadily throughout the 1800s. By 1890, the town had four churches, a school, a cotton gin and several businesses. By the early 1900s, Roanoke’s economy diversified and the town boasted a newspaper, a bank , a grain elevator, and the Denton Oil and Gas Company. Early vital figures in the town included rancher Sam Reynolds, John (Bob) and Almedia Jones, whose property was used as a stop on the Underground Railroad, and Hugh W. Jenkins, storeowner and Roanoke’s first Mayor. Transportation further developed when the Texas Highway Department completed the Northwest Highway in 1932. In 1939, the city received state and federal funds to construct U.S. Highway 377 along Front Street. Roanoke incorporated in 1933 and continued its steady growth throughout the 20th century. Today, Roanoke continues to be a community that treasures its rich historic heritage. (2008)