Central Roanoke Historic District - Roanoke, TX
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member QuarrellaDeVil
N 32° 59.973 W 097° 13.718
14S E 665485 N 3652629
The Central Roanoke Historic District consists of seven contributing buildings in the 100 and 200 blocks of North Oak Street, Roanoke, TX.
Waymark Code: WMWEK3
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 08/23/2017
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Outspoken1
Views: 3

Coordinates are taken from in front of the old Silver Spur Saloon at 114 N Oak St, which is now home to the Roanoke Visitor Center and Museum, open Monday through Saturday from 11 AM to 7 PM. It's on the left, in the foreground, in the default gallery photo.

The National Register's Continuation Sheet (see Secondary Website 1) provides some good reading about Roanoke, and another valuable resource is "Roanoke", from Arcadia's Images of America Series, by Wanda Smith and Ann French Clark. Other than the old H.W. Jenkins Hardware building at 200 N Oak St, the other contributing buildings are in the 100 block of Oak St, including one -- the Old Continental State Bank building -- which is itself listed on the National Register. These buildings are noteworthy because of their association with the development and early history of the city, as well as for their architecture, and each has been waymarked separately.

A 2008 Texas Historical Marker provides some history:

In 1881, the Texas & Pacific Railroad came through here and established this community, named by a railroad surveyor from Roanoke, Virginia. Settlers lived in the area before the town was platted, arriving as early as 1847. Many of these residents relocated to Roanoke from nearby communities such as Garden Valley (originally Medlin Settlement) and Elizabethtown.

Situated halfway between Fort Worth and Denton, Roanoke served as a shipping hub for ranching and agriculture. There were a number of large ranches in the area, and the railroad allowed ranchers to ship cattle profitably to markets in the north. Roanoke’s stock pens held the cattle before they were shipped. Area farmers, many of whom had previously practiced subsistence farming, also made use of the railroad. Wheat and cotton were the primary crops.

Roanoke grew steadily throughout the 1800s. By 1890, the town had four churches, a school, a cotton gin and several businesses. By the early 1900s, Roanoke's economy diversified and the town boasted a newspaper, a bank, a grain elevator, and the Denton Oil and Gas Company. Early vital figures in the town included rancher Sam Reynolds, John (Bob) and Almeadia Jones, whose property was used as a stop on the Underground Railroad, and Hugh W. Jenkins, storeowner and Roanoke’s first mayor.

Transportation further developed when the Texas Highway Department completed the Northwest Highway in 1932. In 1939, the city received state and federal funds to construct U.S. Highway 377 along Front Street. Roanoke incorporated in 1933 and continued its steady growth throughout the 20th century. Today, Roanoke continues to be a community that treasures its rich historic heritage.

Street address:
100 and 200 Blocks of N Oak St
Roanoke, TX USA
76262


County / Borough / Parish: Denton

Year listed: 2008

Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering

Periods of significance: 1950-1974, 1925-1949, 1900-1924, 1875-1899

Historic function: Commerce/Trade, Government

Current function: Commerce/Trade

Privately owned?: yes

Primary Web Site: [Web Link]

Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]

Secondary Website 2: [Web Link]

Season start / Season finish: Not listed

Hours of operation: Not listed

National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.
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