History of Wylie Beats in the Heart of Downtown
Trade Days in Wylie
by Judy Truesdell
t was Friday night, July 13, 1923. Wylie citizens had gathered on Ballard Avenue to visit and shop for groceries and dry goods. Suddenly, at 7:40 p.m., streetlights blazed; electricity had come to town. Did the shoppers cheer? Or did they shield their eyes from the harsh glare? Walking along Ballard today, if you squint your eyes as those long-ago shoppers may have, it’s not hard to imagine the street as a dirt road with horses tied to hitching posts. A sense of history has been painstakingly maintained in downtown Wylie in the names on the buildings, the careful color and material regulations of the Downtown Historic District, and events hosted by the City of Wylie and the Downtown Merchants
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Association, celebrations that continue to draw people to the city’s heart, still a thriving downtown area. It’s impossible to turn back the clock and trace the history of downtown Wylie without a nod to the railroad. When the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railroad Company finalized plans for its tracks in this part of Collin County, visitors and railroad workers came to town, and businesses moved in to accommodate them. The town of Wylie officially incorporated Nov. 8, 1887, and the area became even more active when the second rail line, St. Louis and Southwestern (Cotton Belt) arrived on the west side. One of the first businesses downtown, Brown and Burns Mercantile, entered into an agreement with the Cotton Belt to provide groceries
Cotton Gin
Housewrights Hardware Store 6 |
Johnston Clothing Manufacturing Co.
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