Kellyville

Kellyville, four miles west of Jefferson in Marion County, was the site of one of the state's first heavy industry experiments, the Kelly Foundry, Furnace, and Plow Company. Kellyville was originally called Four-Mile Branch and was a popular campsite for wagoners in transit between Jefferson and other communities throughout northeast and north central Texas. In 1848 Zachariah Lockett and John A. Stewart established a small foundry and furnace at Four-Mile Branch, at which they manufactured plows, repaired wagons, and made spare parts for other agricultural equipment. George Addison Kelly joined the firm in 1852 as foreman of the company's operation. Kelly became a partner in the firm in 1858 and established himself as sole owner by 1860.

Four-Mile Branch became known in local parlance as Kellyville during this two-year period, though official records listed its name as Kellysville. Although its growth was interrupted by the Civil War, the company produced ammunition and farming implements for the Confederacy, and a considerable community of employees grew up near the ironworks.