Garland

Downtown Garland is on State highways 66 and 78, fifteen miles northeast of downtown Dallas in northeastern Dallas County. Duck Creek runs through the city, and Lake Ray Hubbard lies on its eastern border.

Garland got its start as a neutral location between the two rival communities of Duck Creek and Embree. One of the original settlements of the Peters Colony, Duck Creek acquired a post office in 1854. In 1886 both the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe and the Dallas and Greenville railways bypassed Duck Creek. Two new communities were established near the junction of the railroads: Embree, a mile to the east of Duck Creek along the Santa Fe line, and another community named Duck Creek, a mile northeast along the Dallas and Greenville line, soon to be sold to the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway. In early 1887 much of the business district of “Old” Duck Creek was consumed by fire, and the post office was moved to Embree. Embree then set out to incorporate but was accused of illegally counting a portion of Duck Creek’s population in order to meet the minimum population required for incorporation. The fight escalated into the courts. In late 1887 Congressman Joseph Abbott settled the issue by creating the town of Garland between the two cities and establishing the post office there. The new town was named for Augustus H. Garland, U. S. attorney general under Grover Cleveland. Local legend holds that the residents of Duck Creek and Embree agreed to the new name because the attorney general had never been to Texas, and nobody knew who he was.

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Lisa C. Maxwell, Don Baynham | © TSHA

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Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.

Belongs to

Garland is part of or belongs to the following places:

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Garland is classified as a Town

Associated Names

  • (Duck Creek)
  • (Embree)

Location

Latitude: 32.90999720
Longitude: -96.63044300

Has Post Office

Yes

Is Incorporated

Yes

Population Count, 2021 View more »

242,035

Place Type Population (Year/Source) Currently Exists
College or University Yes

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