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History of Keller

Establishment of Keller

In the 1840s, Keller was part of the frontier of Peters Colony settlers because it is located in the western fringe of
the Eastern Cross Timbers in northeast Tarrant County. During that time, the area was settled by families from
Missouri, which built their homes near the head-waters of Big Bear Creek.
In 1881, The Texas and Pacific Railway located between Fort Worth and Texarkana was completed, and the first
train ran on this track in May 1881. With the arrival of the rail service, businesses and new villages were
established all along the line. The Keller we know today was one of those villages. In July 1881, A.C Roberts decided
to deed 62 acres of land to a Tarrant County pharmacist named H.W. Wood. This land later became a townsite
known as Athol. In just a year, settlers began to migrate to the new village, and the town’s name was changed
from Athol to Keller, in honor of John C. Keller, a man who worked as a foreman on the railroad.

In the 1940’s local business leaders and community leaders stepped up to drive forward the establishment of the
Keller Fire Department. The first fire hall was located on Lamar Street at Hill Street. The small, wood-framed
building was used for meetings and the fire trucks were stored in shops nearby. That hall was used until 1963,
when a new two-bay fire hall was built by the members on Main Street.

In 1983, Fire Station 1 was built on Price Street (now Keller Parkway) next to the Rural Water building. The station
itself consisted of four truck bays with personnel using the Rural Water building as an office and training room.
Fire Station 1 was closed in 1994 when Fire Stations 2 and 3 were built. A third station, Fire Station 4, was added
in 2009, later re-named Fire Station 1 due to its central location.

In the 1960's, as Keller began its rapid growth, the population of 1,350 residents demanded more professional
police protection. In the fall of 1968, the City Council adopted Ordinance 43 and on September 2nd, an official
Police Department was established.

Glenn Lightford was selected as the first Chief of Police. Chief Lightford had one full-time officer, K. D. Shotwell,
and one part-time officer, Louis Leroy Law, under his command. Through the years, the City added personnel and
equipment as needed to meet the demands of the city.

Keller Today

As the town developed, new residential sites slowly filled in the open spaces, to the point where Keller’s
neighboring towns no longer had the opportunity to expand its boundaries. The city has several facilities such as
the Keller Public Library, the Municipal Service Center on Bear Creek Parkway West, Keller Town Hall located on
Bear Creek Parkway, and the Keller Senior Activities Center situated on Johnson Road. Keller also has an award-
winning recreation and aquatic center called The Keller Pointe, which is located on Rufe Snow Drive. Keller has
also expanded and renovated its police facility, which includes the Regional Animal Adoption Center, a Regional
Jail, regional 911 dispatch center, and NETCOM that serves the cities of Colleyville, Keller, Westlake, Southlake,
and Roanoke.

Keller is a suburban city located in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex in Tarrant County. Keller is a mostly residential
area that has 300 acres of developed land dedicated to 11 park sites. Keller is considered the 74th most populated
city in Texas, with a recent estimate of 45,776 as of 2020.

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