Renner, Dallas facts for kids
Renner is an area within the city of Dallas, Texas, United States. It's located in parts of Collin County and Denton County. Renner used to be its own small community, covering about 10 square miles. It was also home to a special farm research center.
The Dallas Police Department's North Central Division helps keep Renner safe. Their main office is on McCallum Boulevard.
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History of Renner
Renner got its name from John A. Renner. He helped build towns along the Cotton Belt train line. Renner got its own post office in 1888. A man named George Renner was the postmaster in Collin County that same year.
Telephone service came to Renner in 1898. Renner officially became a town in 1954. Later, in 1977, it became part of Dallas.
Most of Renner's homes were in a small area near McCallum Boulevard and the train tracks. But its farm areas stretched north towards Plano and east to include a farm research station. This station is now part of the University of Texas at Dallas. Renner also had some land south of McCallum Boulevard. Even land as far west as Josey Lane was once part of Renner. Before Dallas took over, some of Renner's farm fields were planned for new houses.
The City of Dallas has plans to improve the Renner area. They want to use the old train tracks for a new light rail system.
AT&T's phone system for Renner used to serve the community. For example, the phone number "733" was once known as "Renner 3" or "RE3."
Why Renner Joined Dallas
Even in the 1940s, people noticed differences in services between Collin County and Dallas County. Joining Dallas was thought about back then too. But it became a big problem in the 1970s. Renner had trouble with its water system and didn't have enough money. They even had to let go of most of their small police force.
By 1976, the Texas Department of Health said Renner's drinking water was not safe. The police force was gone because of money problems. More than half the people in Renner signed a paper asking to join Dallas. There were plans in 1971 to join Richardson, but Renner ended up joining Dallas in 1977.
The last mayor of Renner was Harvey Miles. He was elected in a close vote where both he and his opponent got 77 votes. Miles gave the keys to the Renner town hall to Dallas City Manager George Schrader on April 4, 1977. After this, Dallas started making Renner part of its city. The process was finished by 1983. Dallas voters also approved the annexation.
Many streets in Renner had to be renamed. This was so they wouldn't have the same names as streets already in Dallas. About 36 streets got new names. For example, "Frank Jackson" and "Dickerson" were named after important early families. "First Street" and "Second Street" became "Ronnie" and "Newt" after Ronald and Newton Hartline. Another street was removed to make McCallum Boulevard bigger.
Renner's Leaders
Before Renner became part of Dallas, these people served as mayor:
- J.T. Wells - 1954
- D.E. Wilson - 1957-1960
- Newton Lucky Hartline
- John T. McCool - around 1964-1971
- Connie Armstrong - 1971-1975
- Ronald Lloyd Hartline - 1975-1976
- Harvey Miles - 1976-1977
Schools in Renner
Today, parts of Renner are in different school districts. These include the Plano Independent School District, Richardson Independent School District, and Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District.
When Renner joined Dallas, there were no schools left in the area. A school was built in Renner in 1888. It was at the corner of Coit and Renner Roads. But it closed 31 years later. That old school building was moved to the Historical Park in Downtown Dallas.
The Dallas Public Library has a branch called the Renner Frankford Branch Library.
Frankford: A Nearby Community
The area that Renner covered also included the old town of Frankford.
Frankford was about nine miles northwest of Richardson. It was in the very southwestern part of Collin County. People started settling here around a campsite. This spot was on the Shawnee Trail near a small spring. In the 1850s and 1860s, it was a place for cowboys and travelers to stop and get water.
After the Civil War, a small town grew up nearby. A post office opened in Frankford on May 11, 1880. By 1890, about 83 people lived there. It had a mill for grinding grain, a cotton gin, a blacksmith shop, two general stores, and three churches.
However, the St. Louis Southwestern Railway train line did not go through Frankford in the late 1880s. Because of this, many people moved to other towns like Addison and Plano. The Frankford post office closed in 1904. One of its church buildings was moved to Addison in 1907. Another church continued until 1924. By the mid-1930s, Frankford was no longer shown on maps.
In 1963, the Frankford Church building was fixed up. The Frankford Cemetery Association helped with this. The Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion started worshipping there. Dallas took over the area in 1975. In 1990, children living there went to Plano schools. Today, all that remains of the old community is the Frankford Church and Cemetery.
Frankford was first called Draketown. In 1886, its name was changed from Pauline to Frankford.
