Page 175 - Haltom City Budget FY21

CITY OF HALTOM CITY aNNUAL BUDGET, FY2021 SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

Haltom City, whose municipal boundaries include Street-Denton Highway; Loop 452-Grapevine
the first Tarrant County seat of Birdville, is located Highway 26; and Northeast Loop 820. The historic
near the geographic center of the county. Haltom name of Birdville is carried on in the names of two
City's land area extends three to six miles northeast churches, a cemetery, two roads, an independent
of downtown Fort Worth. It is surrounded on the school district, and in the memories of its residents.
northwest, west, and south by Fort Worth city limits;
on the east by Richland Hills and North Richland
Hills; and on the northeast by Watauga. It is bisected
by Big and Little Fossil Creeks and borders the
Trinity River flood plain on the south. The city is
situated in an area which was once rolling grassland.

Established from a ranching and farming community,
Haltom Village was founded in 1932 and named to
honor G. W. Haltom (1872-1944), a Fort Worth jeweler
whose family ranch holdings comprised much of the
new area. Gradual growth was due in part to Haltom's
Meadow Oaks Corporation and the bisection of the
village by major new highways affording easier access
to Fort Worth, northeastern Tarrant County and Dallas.
Also in 1932, the routing of State Highways 10 (E. First encroachment into the Birdville vicinity
Belknap Street) and 121 one-quarter mile south of the occurred as early as the spring of 1840, when
old Birdville business district presented local business Captain Jonathan Bird and 20 three-month service
leaders with a momentous decision regarding the future Texas Rangers from Lamar and Red River Counties
of their businesses and property investments. Most were sent into the frontier by General Sam Houston.
businesses chose to relocate, in order to take advantage Their mission was to establish a fort, make the
of greater convenience and accessibility for customers, area safe for settlement, and guard the area from
increased traffic flow, and a chance to build anew. Indian attacks to the north and west. Bird's Fort was
situated about twelve miles southeast of Birdville and
six miles north of Arlington on the north bank of the
Trinity where Calloway's Lake is located. In 1841,
Haltom City was originally incorporated on August General Edward H. Tarrant led a successful militia
22, 1944. On July 3, 1950 Haltom City and the force against an Indian encampment at present-day
City of Oak Knoll consolidated under the name of Arlington in the Battle of Village Creek. Such action
Haltom City. Since 1950 the City has gradually served notice to hostile tribes along the frontier that
expanded, annexing Garden of Eden, Meadow a peace treaty was advisable. General Houston,
Oaks, East Ridge and, in 1955, unincorporated Indian Commissioners and several early settlers and
portions of Birdville. Haltom City elected Home trappers signed and witnessed a treaty at Bird's Fort
Rule Charter with a city manager, mayor and on September 29, 1843, with the chiefs of nine tribes.
council form of government on October 10, 1955. Soon after this, the fort was abandoned. Settlements
gravitated around a few homesteads,water sources
The City purchased the complete water systems and trading posts. On June 6, 1849, Camp Worth
(3,975 customer accounts) serving the entire City on was established by General Ripley A. Arnold and
August 21, 1952 and has provided water and sewer his troops nine miles west of Birdville on a bluff
services since that time. Today the city is traversed overlooking the confluence of the West Fork and
by five major roads: State Highway 121-Airport the Clear Fork of the Trinity River. Named to honor
Freeway; State Highway 183-Northeast 28th Brigadier General William Jennings Worth, the new
Street-Midway Road; U. S. Highway 377-E Belknap outpost offered welcome protection to fledgling
settlements around Birdville and Denton until

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