Red Oak, Texas

Everything Red Oak is known for

1 song mention this city 1 artist from here

Music in Red Oak

Songs About Red Oak

the interstate 35 waltz
garret t. capps & justin boyd
10%

Artists From Red Oak

C
Cherilyn Johnston
country Pop: 1

Rivers & Roads in Song near Red Oak

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Red Oak.

Interstate 45 2 songs Interstate 20 10 songs Trinity River 8 songs Chisholm Trail 4 songs Texas State Highway 199 8 songs Interstate 35 27 songs

History of Red Oak

Pecan Hill, TX RoadyGoat

Pecan Hill, cradled up here at 453 feet, always felt a little different. You can feel it in the way the breeze moves through the pecan trees that gave the place its name. Founded in the late 1800s, it was always a farming community, mostly cotton at first. FM 878, that's the road that ties it all together, bringing folks in and out. But life wasn't always easy. The Great Depression hit hard, especially for the cotton farmers. There was a real struggle then, a change in the air as folks had to adapt. But Pecan Hill held on. The land’s always been good for pecans, and that's what a lot of folks turned to. There's a quiet pride here, a connection to the soil. There's even a local story about a time capsule buried under the old oak tree, a secret history waiting to be unearthed. It’s a peaceful place now, but you can still feel the echoes of the past if you listen close.

Pecan Hill, TX RoadyGoat

Pecan Hill is a community in Texas.

Pecan Hill, TX RoadyGoat

Pecan Hill isn’t just another dot on the Texas map. It’s a place where the land itself whispers stories. You feel it as you drive in on FM 878 – a sense of peace settling over you, different from the flatter farmland all around. That’s because Pecan Hill actually sits a bit higher, around 450 feet, giving it a subtle prominence. Those gentle slopes, and the rich soil, made it perfect for pecan orchards, of course, and cotton fields, ever since the late 1800s. That's how it got its name, and how it sustained itself for generations. Agriculture still defines the place, though the Great Depression hit cotton farming hard, and things have changed. Some folks come to Pecan Hill now looking for that quiet rural life, a slower pace. Others are drawn by the legend of the time capsule buried under the old oak – everyone has their own theory about what’s inside. But if you ask a local why people really end up staying, they'll tell you it’s about the community, the shared history. It's a sense of connection to something real, something lasting, a feeling you just can't find in Dallas, even if the Cowboys *did* lose that Super Bowl.

Higgins, Michael Francis

1927

Michael Francis (Pinky) Higgins, baseball player, was born on May 27, 1909, in Red Oak, Texas, to Michael Francis and Mattie (Orr) Higgins. He grew up in Red Oak, where he is said to have earned his nickname when, confined to bed because of illness, he showed up for a sandlot football game wearing his clothing over pink nightclothes. He entered the University of Texas in the spring of 1927 and there played halfback on the football team of 1928. He played on the Texas baseball team during the 1928, 1929, and 1930 seasons, during which time he was all-conference third baseman. He was captain of the University of Texas team that won the Southwest Conference championship in 1930. He left the university in June of 1930 and signed with the Philadelphia Athletics for what was then a monumental bonus, $5,000. In 1938 Higgins established an American League and major league record by tallying twelve consecutive hits. In the 1940 World Series, he set three fielding records in addition to posting a .333 batting average. His lifetime average was .292. Higgins played for the Philadelphia Athletics, the Boston Red Sox, and the Detroit Tigers and set four batting and fielding records. He retired from playing in 1946 and became a manager in the Boston farm system. He became the Boston Red Sox manager in 1955 and pulled the team to fourth place in the league, thirty games above their 1954 showing, a feat that earned him manager-of-the-year honors. He managed the team for five years and later returned for two more years on the field before moving into the front office for Boston. He later joined the Houston Astros as a scout. He was elected to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1965. He died on March 21, 1969, in Dallas, having served thirty-nine years in major league baseball as a player, manager, and scout. He was survived by his wife, Hazel, whom he had married in 1935. They had three children. Higgins was buried at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Dallas.

Tsha Handbook →

Parsons' Cavalry C.S.A.

1861

Originally comprised of men from Ellis and surrounding counties. Organized for Civil War service at Rockett's Spring (4 mi. E. of this site), Sept. 1861, unit was trained and commanded by Col. William H Parsons, Mexican War veteran, colorful duelist, editor, merchant, and lawyer. In a confederate brigade, this unit was joined with 12th, 19th, and 21st Texas Cavalry regiments, Morgan's Battalion and Pratt's Battery, to scout and fight in Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Indian Territory. It was famous for attacks on federal ironclad ships, Red River campaign, 1864.

Historical Marker →

Ovilla, TX

1844

Ovilla, on upper Red Oak Creek in northern Ellis County, is the oldest town in the county. It began in 1844 as a fortified settlement and grew as settlers arrived in the area to attend brush arbor meetings of the Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church, which was started by Rev. Finis E. King in 1847. The church met in a brush arbor until 1853, when a log cabin, which served as both church and schoolhouse, was built. A frame church building was finished in 1872; in 1984 about 190 members still met in the structure, which had been enlarged and remodeled. The church was instrumental in moving Trinity University to Waxahachie in 1902 and in establishing a girls' school in the nearby town of Milford. Although Ovilla was a thriving farming community by the 1850s, it remained unnamed. Mrs. M. M. Molloy, wife of Rev. D. G. Molloy, formed the name from the Spanish word villa . Ovilla continued to grow and by the early 1900s had a post office, a bank, a cotton gin, a pharmacy, a blacksmith shop, and several dry-goods stores. Its post office closed in 1906. Fires in 1918 and 1926 destroyed most of the downtown buildings, and this destruction, together with the fact that Ovilla was bypassed by railroads and major highways, led to a decline in growth. As Dallas grew, however, and people started moving from the city to the suburbs, Ovilla once again began to grow. To escape annexation by DeSoto or any other neighboring city, the town of Ovilla was incorporated in 1963. In the first census after incorporation its population was 339; by 1980 it had risen to 1,067. Its 1984 population was estimated to be nearly 1,300. In 1990 it was 2,027 and the community had extended into Dallas County. The population reached 3,405 by 2000.

Tsha Handbook → · 4.9 mi away

Red Oak, TX

1844

Red Oak is on Interstate Highway 35 twenty miles south of Dallas in northern Ellis County. In 1844 James E. Patton and his family settled on Red Oak Creek a few miles southeast of Billingsley Fort, at the site of present Ovilla. The first post office came to the area in 1847 from Mitchell's Branch, two miles from the site of future Red Oak. The settlement was originally called Possum Trot because of the abundance of possums in the area. It was renamed Red Oak after Ellis County was formed in 1849 for the creek. Before the Civil War the principal crop of the local farmers was wheat. In the 1860s an increase in cotton production occurred because more slaves came to the area from other southern states. Cotton was still produced in 1988, although farming was not central to the local economy. James E. Patton also founded the first church in the area, the Shiloh congregation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, on July 25, 1847. Other churches, including the Baptist and the Methodist, were founded at cemeteries. In 1884 the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad reached Red Oak. The townspeople did not want the trains to disturb the tranquility of the community, so the tracks passed by a mile northwest. The line was finally finished in 1890, connecting Red Oak with Dallas and Waco. The town eventually moved out and centered along the railroad. Fires in 1909 and 1919 caused extensive damage first to the southern and later to the northern part of town. Red Oak was incorporated in 1949. The population was 350 in 1950 and 1,882 in 1980. In 1967 Red Oak was used as the site for three days of filming for the motion picture Bonnie and Clyde . A local woman, Mrs. Mabel Cavitt, made a brief appearance as Bonnie Parker's mother. In 1987 Red Oak had an estimated 2,425 residents, most of whom were commuters to Dallas or Fort Worth. In 1990 the population was 3,124. The population grew to 4,301 in 2000.

Tsha Handbook →

Fry - Butcher House

1882

Sam and Sarah Jane "Jennie" Fry purchased 150 arces here in 1882. Aided by noted local carpenter Lewis Butcher, the Frys built this farmhouse in 1883. The house is an excellent local example of the Queen Anne architectural style and features a gable roof, turned-wood porch posts, and jig-sawn brackets and porch friezes. The property eventually passed to George A. Butcher, Jennie's son from a previous marriage, and remained in the family until 1986.

Historical Marker →

Bells' Chapel Cemetery

1875

Founded 1875. Site for church cemetery was given on Dec. 27, 1875, by local landowners John and Elizabeth Gibbons. This tract and some later purchases were deeded to the Methodist Episcopal Church South. Church and cemetery were named in honor of confederate war veteran Jodie M. Bell, a church and civic leader in Rockett Community, and first person to be buried here, 1877. Red Oak Masonic Lodge No. 461, chartered in 1876, helped build 2-story chapel and meeting hall. The lodge moved to Red Oak in 1894.

Historical Marker →

Things to Do in Red Oak

historical 18.1 mi away
Dealey Plaza

On November 22 1963 President John F Kennedy rode through Dealey Plaza in an open Lincoln convertible and was shot from the sixth floor window of the Texas…
historical 18.1 mi away
The Sixth Floor Museum

Where Lee Harvey Oswald fired from. The JFK assassination site at Dealey Plaza.
quirky 18.3 mi away
Big Tex at the State Fair

A fifty-five-foot cowboy named Big Tex has welcomed visitors to the State Fair of Texas in Fair Park Dallas every fall since 1952. He booms howdy folks over a…
food 18.4 mi away
Pecan Lodge

Dallas' best BBQ. The beef rib alone is worth the drive.
spooky 21.1 mi away
Lady of White Rock Lake

Since the 1930s drivers along White Rock Lake report picking up a soaking-wet woman in a white dress. She asks for a ride home then vanishes leaving the seat…

Everything Near Red Oak

1092 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

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