Handley, Fort Worth, Texas facts for kids
Handley was once a small town in Tarrant County, Texas, USA. It's located between Fort Worth and Arlington along Highway 180. Today, Handley is a part of the larger city of Fort Worth. It also includes the Central Handley Historic District, which is a special area with old buildings.
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The Story of Handley: How It Began
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Handley started in 1885. It was founded by the Texas & Pacific Railroad company. The town was named after Major James Madison Handley. He was a retired soldier from Georgia. Major Handley created a large farm, sometimes called a plantation, about seven miles from the center of Fort Worth. A small community began to grow around his farm.
In 1901, Handley was still quite small. It had only 12 houses and about 80 people living there.
Handley Grows with a Fun Resort
Handley really started to grow when a company called the Northern Texas Traction Company bought land there. They built a fun holiday resort called Lake Erie. The company made a lake and added many exciting things. There was a roller skating rink, a dance hall, and a restaurant. They even had rides on a pier over the water! This resort helped the town become more popular.
Fast Travel: The Interurban Streetcar
In 1902, the Northern Texas Traction Company built an electric streetcar line. This line connected the city of Dallas to the east with Fort Worth to the west. Handley was right in the middle! At first, the streetcars moved slowly, about 8 miles per hour in 1905. But by 1923, they were much faster, reaching speeds of 65 miles per hour. This made it easy for people to travel between cities and visit Handley.
Becoming Part of Fort Worth
In 1946, the city of Fort Worth grew bigger. It officially took over Handley as one of its communities. This meant Handley was no longer an independent town. At that time, Handley had about 2,500 people. Fort Worth was much larger, with over 100,000 residents.
Handley Today: A Historic Community
After many years, a group called The Historic Handley Development Corporation (HHDC) is working to bring Handley back to life. The famous "Lake Erie" resort is gone now. It's part of the northern side of Lake Arlington. The old streetcar lines also disappeared a long time ago. The power station that belonged to the Traction Company is now run by a different company called Exelon.
Today, Handley is a neighborhood with many old one and two-story homes. These homes are surrounded by trees. The neighborhood is bordered by Meadowbrook Drive to the north, Hitson Lane to the east, Lancaster Avenue to the south, and Loop 820 to the west.
Every year, the HHDC hosts a fun event called the Handley Street Fest and Car Show. It takes place on the second Saturday of October.
The HHDC is also working on something exciting: the Historic Handley Railroad Museum. It will be located at the corner of Handley Drive and East Lancaster Avenue. They already have a restored Union Pacific Caboose, which is the last car on a train. They hope to add more train cars soon. The museum will show many interesting pieces of railroad history.
