History

The history of Roanoke, Texas begins in the year of 1847, when a small group of twenty settlers and their families settled near Denton Creek, north of the present location of Roanoke. First called the Medlin Settlement in honor of Louis and Charles Medlin, whose families were in the colony, the early community was later designated Garden Valley.

Laid out in one-half acre tracts, the early settlement had stores and a blacksmith shop. Frequent floods of Denton Creek, which often reached the roof tops of the houses, endangered the lives of both the settlers and their livestock. About 1879 the settlement was moved closer to the present site of Roanoke. In 1881 and 1882 most of the settlers began moving to a new town sight, which was being laid out by the railroad. One of the railroad surveyors named the town Roanoke in memory of his home town in Virginia

Roanoke was a cattle center in its early days. They had robust cattlemen, two saloons, a horse trough, and a water tank which was located in the center of what is now called Oak Street. There were two hotels in the early days of Roanoke, the "Pacific" and the "Eureka." In the early days of Roanoke a person could get a shave for ten-cents and a haircut for fifteen-cents. A notorious desperado named Sam Bass crossed the history of Roanoke by making his headquarters in Denton County. One of his hide-outs was a secluded cave located northeast of Roanoke on the banks of Lake Grapevine.

It was during the depression (1933) that Roanoke was incorporated as a town and Mr. H. W. Jenkins was elected as the town's first Mayor. Gus Wiggs was the first postmaster, appointed in 1882 and in the year 1889 Mr. William Cowan was appointed Postmaster by President McKinley. In 1902 Mr. Cowan inaugurated the first Rural Route for Roanoke. In 1948, Roanoke purchased its first fire truck, a 1928 LaFrance. In 2000, the City completed a mini-museum in honor of all the volunteer firemen with the old LaFrance at the center.

Although Roanoke is one of the fastest growing cities in Texas, it maintains a small town atmosphere. Many of Roanoke's original families are still represented in the city. Roanoke's excellent location provides optimal access to major metropolitan amenities including airports, interstate, highways, rail services, entertainment and shopping. We are committed to preserving the best of Roanoke's history and tradition. Visit Historic Downtown Roanoke and enjoy the updates and progress of our downtown redevelopment program while you discover the timeless friendly charm that is Roanoke today!