ETHA Meeting (Coppell Research) - Oct. 2022

Two weeks ago, I presented my research on the history of Coppell at the East Texas Historical Association in the quaint, beautiful Nacogdoches. This was my 2nd time at the ETHA meeting since I presented my research on Sam Whitley and East Texas State Teacher's College back in 2019... it was good to be back and I felt at home, surrounded by my tribe of esteemed scholars and educators. I was reunited with my former mentor from UT-Arlington (where I received my master's in history), Dr. Stephanie Cole, as well as two of my favorite people in the world, Drs. Light & Victoria Cummins (former distinguished professors at Austin College). Also, I had the fantastic opportunity to discuss cowboys and the western frontier with Dr. Bill O'Neal, a historian who I had a lovely phone conversation with about East Texas State University in April 2020. I was warmly welcomed into the association by Dr. Scott Sosebee, a renowned professor of history at Stephen F. Austin State University, who enthusiastically suggested that I submit my Coppell research to the association's journal when it is completed... one of my long term goals is to submit an article to the well-read East Texas Historical Journal. My wife and I were also able to walk the cobbled streets and closely examine the fascinating antiques in the state's "oldest town" (and a few antiques were purchased for my classroom). I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend, and I plan to continue to become more engaged with the East Texas Historical Association in the future. The paper that I delivered at the conference may be read below - this is the start of a larger research project I am embarking on... the history of Coppell & its acclaimed school district will be the subjects of my next book. Arianna Morrison, a reporter for Star Local Media, recently wrote an article on my scholarly endeavors (it is a wonderful piece and also found below - thank you Ms. Morrison!).

Coppell ISD Teacher Talks Coppell History article- click link (published in Coppell Gazette).

I presented my research about the City of Coppell at the East Texas Historical Association meeting in Nacogdoches. This research is part of a larger project I am working on. (author's collections)

 Coppell: An Oasis amid a Bustling Metroplex

I was born and raised in London, England. In 2004, my dad received a job transfer to either Boston or Dallas. I love Dallas (including “Texas-sized” food portions) but I personally would’ve preferred moving to Boston because of the city’s rich colonial history. My dad, who hated the damp, dreary weather in England, chose to relocate the family to the sunny Lone Star State. We settled in a small North Texas suburb named Coppell. And Coppell became my home. The many wonderful experiences I had in Coppell parks, schools, and restaurants as a teenager later prompted me to return to Coppell as a high school history teacher after graduate school. Since its creation in the 1880s, the City of Coppell has managed to grow and sustain a budding population (similar to the surrounding areas of Dallas), yet still retains its homey and antiqued charm. In this brief paper I intend to shed light on the history of Coppell, a little-known paradise  nestled in the middle of a colossal, concrete metropolis. 

Coppell’s origin story is no different from the other agricultural communities that developed out of the Peters’ Colony in the early 1840s. The first families—the Howells, Moores, Cozbys, and Gentrys—settled on grass plains sporadically inhabited by the Wichita Natives. Encroachment initially was a problem, yet Native-Anglo relationships gradually improved, bolstered by a peace conference held by Sam Houston, then-president of the Texas Republic, at Grapevine Springs Park in Coppell in 1843. Anglo settlers lived in tiny wood-framed huts and engaged in farming, ranching, and carpentry. Coppell farmers—who had as many as thirteen children to help them on the properties—originally grew vegetables, including corn and potatoes, before turning their attention to cotton. Since demand for cotton considerably increased in the 1850s, the Sidney Webb Gin Co. built two large cotton gins in Coppell. Many infrastructure projects followed—the first brick house in Dallas County was built by Coppell minister Washington Bullock, and later, one of the first two-story drug stores in North Texas was erected in Coppell by a cheerful, crazy woman named Minnie McGee—Ms. Minnie, who reportedly had the “best soda fountain in the state,” was later admitted to an asylum in Dallas. A tiny breakfast establishment named Dolly’s Cafe and a facility housing Coppell’s short-lived newspaper, the Informer, were built during the Reconstruction years.

Coppell’s thriving cotton economy and developing downtown led to the creation of the town’s first post office in the 1880s. Coppell was originally named “Gibbs” in honor of Barnett Gibbs, the lieutenant governor of Texas—according to the National Archives, the name was changed in 1892, crediting George Coppell, a wealthy New York financier who greatly contributed to the St. Louis Southwestern Railroad. Mr. William O. Harrison, owner of Coppell’s general store, was appointed the town’s first postmaster. As Coppell’s population grew, the number of churches in town increased. John Stringfellow donated a plot on West Bethel Road to the Methodist church in 1879. The church was a gathering spot for those who sought religious guidance, and in the words of resident Theresa Eby, out of the worshippers’ “steadfast, self-controlled personalities, the future began to become reality.” Community Christmas celebrations occurred at the Baptist church, which had a high ceiling to accommodate the town’s giant Christmas tree. Camaraderie between Baptists and Methodists in Coppell was evident—when a storm moved the Baptist church off its foundation in 1926, the women in both congregations rolled up their sleeves and volunteered to resolve the problem. Coppell resident Jack Kirkland, recalled a time she sang a jolly tune at church as a child: “I’m Momma’s little darling, don’t you think I’m sweet, with roses on my shoulders and slippers on my feet!”

School have played an important role in Coppell’s evolution as a family-friendly city. At the end of the nineteenth century, Coppell had three schools that served different sections of the town—Bethel, Gentry, and Gibbs Schools. Students of all ages were crammed into small, one-room framed huts together. The rudimentary facilities lacked air conditioning and plumbing; students who braved the creepy spiders in the outhouse latrine used Sears Roebuck catalogues for toilet paper! When the heaven’s opened and rain fell on Coppell, the dirt roads would flood and students were unable to travel to class—disappointing the teachers yet fueling the students’ excitement. Despite the inadequate schoolhouses, Coppell’s teachers were among the best educators in the region. Ples Corbin taught at Bethel and Gibbs Schools, and according to old-timer Clifton Harrison, introduced his students to scholarship from his European-style personal library and “instilled in us high ideals and principles for living…” Another Coppell educator who tirelessly worked to create a positive and engaging classroom atmosphere was Sallie Kirkland Brooks. Bernice Graham, a Bethel School student in the 1920s, described Ms. Brooks as a teacher who “devoted her nights to grading papers and planning lessons,” and ensuring each student received textbooks to help them academically succeed. A brick-built school in South Coppell was constructed in 1927, and with support from the citizens, the Coppell Independent School District was created in 1959. As the community grew, the number of schools in Coppell increased, and teachers continued to redefine success in the classroom. Today, CISD attracts many families who want their children to be scholars, innovators, and leaders—and they arrive at the right place since Coppell’s schools are ranked 4th in the DFW Metroplex (according to the 2022 Texas Education Agency report).

Coppell experienced a whirlwind of change in the twentieth century. After Denton Tap and Sandy Lake Roads in the city became lawless honkytonk havens during prohibition, Coppell plunged into economic despair in the Great Depression. FDR’s Works Progress Administration in 1935 brought needed relief—a group of young lads constructed benches, picnic tables, and gravel pathways in Coppell’s parks. Yet the tired men could not take a break since they were swept away to Army barracks at the start of World War II. Immediately after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, eighty-four men from Coppell, between the ages of 21-35 years, eagerly enlisted. Coppell’s war heroes played vital roles in defeating the Axis Powers. Johnny Dobecka served in the Pacific Theatre, where he chased the Japanese from one island to the next island. Sergeant Dobecka led his men in the recapture of Manila in the Philippines. At the end of the war, he had been wounded four times and saved many lives, earning him a Purple Heart with two clusters. Also, Coppell’s Seaman First Class George T. Corbin received a citation for heroism when he boarded a barge that was loaded with explosives (and 500-pound bombs) in Italy. The impact of the war was felt at home, and Coppell citizens contributed to the home front in many ways, including rationing, planting victory gardens, and operating heavy construction machinery. As events were reported on the radio—including the use of atomic warfare—citizens in Coppell, once spread apart over a vast landscape, soon found common ground and embraced a rapid evolution of technology.

At the start of the 1950s, the Dallas Morning News summed up the pronounced progression in North Texas: “King Cotton has abdicated to King Commuter—the man or woman who makes his living in an industrial plant, a bank, or a store—but who prefers to live in a suburb.” In 1955, Coppell was officially incorporated with the assistance from Denton attorney Shirley Peters. An influx of veterans, yearning to settle and start families, flocked to the calm, open spaces of the metroplex, including Coppell. A local government was created and businessman R.M. Johnson was elected the first mayor. In 1958, the mayor announced the town’s first volunteer fire dept., who had to host chili suppers at Wagon Wheel Ranch to raise money for coats, helmets, and boots. Cookie-cutter, prefabricated homes materialized in the blink of an eye, and by the end of the decade, Coppell, as reported by Dallas newspapers, became a “last frontier.” The 1960s in Coppell saw an overhaul in the city’s water and sewer systems, assisted by a $106,000 award from the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development. Mayor Bill Cozby tirelessly worked to bring large infrastructure projects to Coppell: the 1970s construction of the LBJ Freeway to the North and the massive DFW International Airport to the South of the city, both of which contributed to Coppell’s booming growth (land was selling for as much as $7,500 an acre in Coppell in 1970!). As a result, Coppell was a treasure trove for real estate agents. Bill Troth developed over 1,000 homes on 557 acres of land in South Coppell, encouraging many families to settle in the area. By the year 2000, the population had soared to an astonishing 36,000—a large percentage included immigrants from Europe and Asia. 

Despite Coppell becoming a magnet for prospective homeowners and businesses during the Cold War, the city has preserved its natural beauty and antiqued charm. Today, residents are treated to 116-acres of parks, lakes, walking trails, and picnic areas. Also, Coppell has since built a vintage downtown, an area which happily reflects on the past yet looks forward to a bright future. In sum, the hustle and bustle of the DFW Metroplex might have altered Coppell’s physical landscape in its 180-year history, yet the community I love, I grew up in, and I plan to stay in, still dearly holds on to a special, comforting, and and rather magical ambience. And that my friends, is why I consider the City of Coppell to be Dallas’s oasis.

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I finally got to meet one of my heroes in Texas history, Dr. Bill O'Neal! Dr. O'Neal and I had a pleasant phone conversation about his alma mater, East Texas State University, in April 2020 when I was writing my e-book on the history of Texas A&M-Commerce. This scholar is one of my favorite authors and I have read several of his 53-plus monographs. Dr. O'Neal immediately recognized my accent and we engaged in a long, magnificent conversation on cowboys and the West. Dr. O'Neal taught at Panola Community College for 40-plus years and was the Texas State Historian between 2012 and 2018. (author's collections)

I reunited with my former MA mentor and eminent historian Dr. Stephanie Cole at the conference. Dr. Cole provided me with a considerable amount of support during my master's degree research at the University of Texas at Arlington. Dr. Cole, who has since become the chair of the History Department at UTA, presented research with her husband, Dr. Gregg Cantrell, another historian I admire and a history professor at TCU. (author's collections)

Presenting my research at the conference. Dr. Sosebee of SFA and Dr. David M. Anderson, an award-winning professor at Louisiana Tech University, partook in my session and both spoke of twentieth-century industrialization in North Texas. (author's collections)