Crowley

Crowley is at the crossroads of Farm roads 1187 and 731, two miles west of Interstate Highway 35 and fifteen miles south of downtown Fort Worth in Tarrant County. About 1848 pioneers began to farm near Deer Creek in the area. The first recorded burial was in 1857. The settlement was moved to its present site when the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway built pens and laid tracks there. The first station depot was constructed in 1885. The community was named for S. H. Crowley, master of transportation for the railroad. A post office was established in 1882. Crowley is shown as a town on the 1885 Railroad and County Map of Texas. Dairy farming, the railroad, ranching, and related businesses were the principal economic activities in this area. A Presbyterian church was established in 1895. The Crowley post office was moved to the Hayes brothers' general store in 1896. Door-to-door delivery of mail did not begin until April 1972. A two-story concrete building served as the first school (1905). In 1907–08 the school had 120 students. The Continental Bank and Trust Company opened in 1907. Crowley set a per capita record during World War II for purchasing United States Defense Bonds. The Crowley volunteer fire department was formed in 1950. An election for the incorporation of Crowley was held on February 3, 1951. The first elected mayor was "Chick" Race, who held office from 1953 to 1957. Incorporation helped the town to obtain a water system, natural gas, and a sewage system in the 1960s. On September 3, 1972, the town council moved to change the designation of Crowley from town to city. A park board was established in 1971 to take care of ten acres of land donated to the city. Crowley had a population of 275 in the late 1920s and 1930s, 500 by the end of World War II, and 2,583 in 1970. In 1980 the population had doubled to 5,852. In 1990 Crowley had a population of 8,301, a student enrollment of 4,971, and 134 businesses. In 2000 the town had a population of 7,467 with 292 businesses.