History
In 1900 George Myers and his brother J.S. filed a plat for property on what would become the east and south sides of the Carrollton Town Square. Then in 1901, they filed a plat for property to the west, and the town square began to take shape. By 1913 the town square was the center of a thriving community. The Carrollton Mercantile Company, besides being a dry goods and general store, offered hearses for funerals – your choice of black or gray, with matching horses owned by Arch Fyke. With the convenience of being located near the railroads, Carrollton Town Square developed where it did because of its abundant water supply. A creek ran through the middle of the square. Eventually a pump was installed, and water was piped to stores and a few homes. The water works and a hand-pushed fire hose cart were concealed in the bottom of the bandstand that was erected in the middle of the town square where the current-day gazebo now stands.
Due to the efficient water supply in the area, Carrollton’s first ice wagon delivery business began in 1904 or 1905. There was one delivery of ice each week except when the weather grew hotter – then two deliveries a week were made. Ice tea was usually a Sunday treat along with homemade ice cream. Before ice was available, a family built shelving or boxes made of wood or brick for submerging in a spring or creek so the milk and butter would stay cool and fresh. If a spring or creek was not close, wet cloths were wrapped around the milk pails and butter dishes and placed into the windows so the breeze would keep the dampened cloths cool.
Perishable fruits and vegetables were canned, preserved, or pickled, and meat was cured with smoke or salt and kept hanging in a smokehouse.
The gazebo in the middle of current-day Carrollton Town Square was built in 1921. Concerts by the town band, speeches by political candidates, and Saturday dances provided entertainment on the square.
The first theater in Carrollton was an outdoor, makeshift screen stretched across the side of the George F. Myers Grocery Store. The Plaza Theater was built in 1949 and still stands today. This theater served patrons from a 10-mile radius until the 1970’s.
The town square is still an active retail area.
Article provided by The City of Carrollton.
