MAKING A MUNICIPALITY

Preston Hollow’s turbulent beginning

Story by JACK DRAKE

“In retrospect, I had the best of several worlds [growing up in Preston Hollow],” recalls Elizabeth Dickey Mills, daughter of Travis Dickey, founder of the largest barbecue franchise in the world, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit. Like many families in the 1930s and ‘40s, the Dickeys decided to move from the bustling City of Dallas to tranquil, less restrictive properties of many acres in “the country.”

This idea of tranquility and separation is how Preston Hollow came into being in the first place. The area originally consisted of farmland owned by families, like the Howells/Wrights, Meaders and Livelys, who were granted the land not long after Texas obtained statehood.

Around 1910, the St. Louis and Southwestern Railway, also known as The Cotton Belt, constructed their rail corridor through the neighborhood and opened a track switching area and “flag station,” named after the Meaders family.

This added great potential to the otherwise isolated area. In addition to a new rail station that would lead commuters to Downtown Dallas, this area consisted of many brooks, spring-fed ponds, hills and large trees. These topographic features were noticed by real estate developer and business owner Ira Pleasant DeLoache in 1922 during a flight over the area. Two years later, he purchased his first 56 acres in the area with hundreds more to follow. DeLoache did not intend to use the land for farming, rather he jumped on a design trend that was sweeping the country – country estates. Acreage was subdivided into lots beginning in the late 1920s, and the first home associated with the development was constructed in 1928, with others following in 1929 and 1930.

These early homes were smaller and sparse. The residents in the area, then informally known as The Preston Road District, fought for running water, so the Dallas County Preston Road Freshwater Supply District was created and constructed from 1930-1931. Aside from this, and schooling provided by Walnut Hill School and the Vickery Independent School District to the east, there were no other municipal-type services in the area for almost a decade.

Growth, however, was strong during the 1930s, with hundreds of new families and homes coming to Preston Hollow, ranging from small ranch-style houses to large, monumental estates owned by some of the most prominent individuals in the Dallas area. The lull of rural country living located just minutes from the city attracted the attention of wealthy investors, developers and business owners seeking the long blocks bordered with hackberry, oak and pecan trees that transported residents to another time and place.

Nature was not the only pull leading them to Preston Hollow. Preston Hollow’s lack of municipal resources meant low taxes, so the rising costs of the City of Dallas pushed many of those residents to the coun try. The many new homes of the 1930s made the area increasingly dense and commercial businesses, like a barbecue restaurant, drive-in movie theater and a filling station began popping up in 1938.

The need for change and a push towards incorporation

Many residents began to fear the possibility of losing that sense of tranquility. Road traffic increased, and so did noise. For those who escaped from Dallas to this area to leave behind such nuisances, this was not a welcome change. Other than the water district in 1930, any sort of coordinated municipal efforts in the area had been tough to complete. A good example was in April 1936, when Ira DeLoache sent a letter to residents attempting to raise money for a traffic light at Preston and Northwest Highway, costing a total of $500 ($11,234.96 in 2024).

“The danger of a loss of a member of one of our families … should warrant our contributing to this fund without hesitancy,” DeLoache says in a letter written on April 22, 1936 to Preston Road District property owners.

He also mentioned that it would curb speeding and raise property values. That argument was not convincing enough, as he had to send a follow up letter in May stating they had only raised half the funds and he specifically requested a $5 check ($112.35 in 2024) for maintenance and utility costs. This struggle would serve as a major preview for what would happen a few years later. If anything was going to be done regarding establishing any municipality, it would take a very courageous and very wise group of people. Luckily, Preston Hollow had such a group.

The first public mention of any sort of plan for the future was contained in a 1938 neighborhood letter by DeLoache. He encouraged Preston Hollow residents to pay the Dallas County Poll Tax, which was required for anyone to vote in a municipal or county-level election. He drummed up support by reiterating the concerns of time, stating that “if we are to be in a position to protect our investments, our restrictions, keep our roads in repair and prevent our property from encroachments and unattractive developments, we must be in a position to vote when the time comes.” ed in the preservation, protection and orderly development of our community at minimum cost.” Their major plea to skeptical residents was that “no property in the proposed town is so remote as to escape suffering from deterioration in the general character of the community. The choice is between control or unregulated encroachments running wild.” in this area because such taxation was not desired.” They estimated that the existing tax of $3.40 per $100 property valuation ($76.00 for $2,246.99 in 2024) consisting of $0.77 for the state, $0.73 for the county, $1.00 for schooling and $0.90 for the water district, would rise to $4.90 ($110) total.

The “time coming” that Mr. DeLoache mentioned in the earlier letter was 1939, when plans for incorporation were announced and many pieces of literature began circulating, attempting to sway residents in either direction. While he never went on to serve in any official municipal capacity, DeLoache was the forefather of the incorporation movement. Another individual who spearheaded the movement was former City of Dallas Mayor Joseph Earl Lawther, who served during WWI.

Why Incorporate Preston Hollow also contained legal rebuttals to many of Lawther’s more technical talking points. The election on the issue originally scheduled for Oct. 14, 1939, was delayed a month to Nov. 18 for technical issues like an improperly drawn map. Possibilities of delaying it until 1940 because many people didn’t pay the 1938 poll tax (which allowed them to vote in 1939) were also discussed. Votes for incorporation won on Nov. 18, so an election with no opposition for city official positions was scheduled for Dec. 20, 1939.

One of the earlier residents of the area, he made headlines and brought attention to Preston Hollow when he built the eight-acre colonial property at 4952 Northwest Highway in 1931. Lawther’s expertise in municipal government shone through in his efforts to incorporate Preston Hollow. Questions & Answers on Incorporation was a major, in-depth leaflet compiled by Lawther and DeLoache alongside Fred Mellen, Clifton Dennard, B.F. Houston, Alex Weisberg and Raymond P. Locke. This group claimed through their slogan that they were “a committee of neighbors interest -

Key campaign points consisted of enhancing and stabilizing property values, preventing annexation without consent (from University Park, a common fear at the time), and creating actions for municipal services like garbage, police and fire. They argued this would take place at a moderate cost, as Preston Hollow would not be forced to build a sewer and maintain roads, and school and water prices would stay the same. That statement would haunt them.

Another pamphlet with a mockingly similar design, called Why Incorporate Preston Hollow , was in opposition. They informed readers that authors of the opposing view had no business interests and were mere homeowners, a jab at developer DeLoache. Their biggest talking point was that “municipal benefits are obtainable only by municipal taxation” and “many built their homes

On the ballot was:

• Mayor: Joe Lawther of 4952 Northwest Highway (1931-2006).

• Aldermen candida tes: Frank I. Brinegar of 8531 Jourdan Way (c.1934-c.2009), Albert E. Hammerstein of 5307 Deloache (1936c.2001), Gerald I. Soelter of 9101 Douglas (1935-present), and Jack Tolliver Martin of 6255 Woodland (1937-2014).

• Mayor Pro Tempore: William H. Clark of 9054 Briarwood (1938-present)

• Cit y Marshall: Herbert C. Otis of 5424 Deloache (c.1936-1997)

All of these city officials were elected and contributed “pro bono,” and most of them had day jobs. The city hall was established in Ira DeLoache’s real estate office (and later the headquarters of Ebby Halliday) at 5999 W Northwest Highway. Since over 100 homes per year were being built in the area, the officials got started addressing problems.

JACK DRAKE is a sophomore at The Ohio State University studying aviation management. The Preston Hollow-resident is known for publishing Preston Hollow: A Brief History. Drake is a member of Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church, a volunteer at Vickery Meadow Food Pantry and creator of Facebook group Preston Hollow History.