White Settlement

White Settlement is an incorporated residential community just off Interstate Highway 820 at the western edge of Fort Worth in west central Tarrant County. In the early 1850s the name White Settlement referred to the small number of isolated farms and one or two trading posts that were scattered west of Fort Worth, reaching to the Parker county line through hostile Indian territory. In the later part of the 1850s an organized community named White Settlement gradually developed around the homesteads of three brothers from Tennesseeā€”Elijah, David, and Joseph Farmer. The Farmers were joined by Kentuckian Paul Isbell, who moved to the area with his slaves. In 1860 Isbell played a prominent role in the hanging of two men that he believed were responsible for organizing a slave insurrection. After the Civil War White Settlement remained a frontier outpost, but once the threat of Indian attack was removed, it began to grow. It had a post office from 1866 until sometime in the 1870s. In the 1880s the community was bypassed by the railroads. White Settlement began an extended period of growth in the early 1940s, and by the mid-1950s its population had reached 10,000. The town incorporated in 1941. Among the catalysts for this growth were the establishment of Carswell Air Force Base, activated by the United States Army in July 1942; the development of industry in Fort Worth; and the construction of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. This growth spurred the development of a number of bedroom communities near Dallas and Fort Worth, among them White Settlement. In 1990 the population of White Settlement peaked at 15,472; in 2000 the community had 14,831 inhabitants.

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David Minor | © 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

White Settlement is part of or belongs to the following places:

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

White Settlement is classified as a Town

Location

Latitude: 32.75538140
Longitude: -97.46042100

Has Post Office

Yes

Is Incorporated

Yes

Population Count, 2021 View more »

18,084