The History of Carrollton, Texas
Carrollton's history runs through a gristmill, a railroad crossing, and a gravel pit. It grew up around a mill on the Trinity called Trinity Mills, took its name from a town in Illinois the settlers had left behind, and spent a century as a practical farm-and-industry community before Dallas's sprawl folded it into the metro. Not a flashy story — a working one.
Peters Colony and the Trinity Mills (1840s–1870s)
Settlement here began in the 1840s on land within the Peters Colony grant, the arrangement that brought many of the earliest Anglo families into North Texas. In 1844 the A.W. Perry family claimed land near what became Trinity Mills, where Perry and a partner, Wade Witt, built a gristmill that gave the little community its name. The area most likely took the name Carrollton from Carrollton, Illinois, the former home of some of the settlers — which traces the name, at a distance, back to the Founding Father Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Maryland.
Railroads Make a Shipping Town (1878–1913)
The railroads set Carrollton's course. When the Dallas–Wichita Railroad built through Trinity Mills in 1878, the community began to grow, and when the Cotton Belt line crossed the Katy in 1888, Carrollton became a shipping point for livestock, cotton, cottonseed, and grain — eventually outgrowing the older Trinity Mills settlement to the north. The town incorporated in 1913 with W.F. Vinson as its first mayor. A gravel industry that started around 1912 became a defining trade, and by the 1940s locals were calling Carrollton a 'grain and gravel' town.
From Farm Town to Diverse Suburb (1950s–Today)
As Dallas grew north and west, Carrollton filled in as an inner-ring suburb, keeping a restored historic downtown square around the old railroad crossing while subdivisions and industry spread out around it. It's become one of the more diverse cities in the metro, with sizable Korean and Latino communities and business districts to match. The gristmill and the gravel pits are history now, but the practical, work-first character of the place carried through.
Timeline
1844
The A.W. Perry family settles near Trinity Mills and builds a gristmill with Wade Witt.
1878
The Dallas–Wichita Railroad builds through Trinity Mills, spurring growth.
1888
The Cotton Belt line crosses the Katy at Carrollton, making it a shipping center.
1912
A gravel industry begins, turning Carrollton into a 'grain and gravel' town.
1913
Carrollton incorporates, with W.F. Vinson as its first mayor.
Notable People
Katie Meili
Olympic swimmer from Carrollton who won gold and bronze medals at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Ashley Cain
Carrollton-raised figure skater and 2019 U.S. national champion in pairs.
FAQ: History of Carrollton
It was most likely named for Carrollton, Illinois, the former hometown of some of its early settlers — a name that ultimately traces back to Founding Father Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Maryland.
Trinity Mills was an early settlement built around a gristmill owned by A.W. Perry and Wade Witt, established on Perry's land grant in the 1840s. It eventually became part of the city of Carrollton.
Railroads made Carrollton a grain-shipping center in the late 1800s, and a gravel-mining industry that began around 1912 became a major local trade — so by the 1940s residents described it as a 'grain and gravel' town.
Settlement began in the 1840s within the Peters Colony, growing around the Trinity Mills gristmill. Carrollton formally incorporated as a city in 1913.
Business Owner?
Want Your Business Featured in Carrollton?
People are searching for businesses like yours in Carrollton. Get listed in our city guide and local directory so they can find you.