Irving Community Lantern Slide Collection

This series of photos was taken by the Dallas County government as part of a county-wide study in 1925. The purpose of the study is no longer known. During the early 1970s, the county offered the original glass slides to the subject cities. The city of Irving took possession of the images related to the Irving community. The original images are on 3Ÿ″ by 4″ glass slides. Prints were made from the slides, and those prints were scanned to create these electronic images.

In 1925, the city of Irving did not encompass much more than the original 80 acres of land on which the town was founded. The surrounding area was made up of many small farming communities such as: Kit, Twin Wells, and Union Bower to the east; Shady Grove, Sowers, Bear Creek, and Estelle to the west; and Elm and Hackberry to the north.

The population of Irving in the 1920 census was 357, but there were about two thousand people living on farms within a five-mile radius of the city. All of these small communities, except for Shady Grove, were eventually annexed by the city of Irving. Today the city covers 69 square miles.

Each glass slide has the original label attached to it. The labels are often vague, and, in some cases, have proven to be incorrect. Each individual image page of this digital collection contains the text of the original label under the heading "Original Label on Slide." Further information, and any corrections, come under the "Description" portion of the individual image pages.

Collection: Irving Community Lantern Slide Collection Collection #: 100-155P-01 Date of photograph: 1925 Original label on slide: "Dallas County, Irving community, Hackberry School, north boundary of community."

Description: Hackberry School. The Hackberry community was located about five miles north of Irving in 1925. Today it is the area of the Las Colinas development in Irving. The Hackberry school was built in 1911. It was located near what is now State Highway 114 between MacArthur Blvd. and O'Connor Road.

Information on original photograph: glass slide, 3Âź" by 4", black-and-white.

Collection: Irving Community Lantern Slide Collection Collection #: 100-155P-02 Date of photograph: 1925 Original title on slide: "Dallas County, Irving community, Union Bower School, Feb. 1925."

Description: Union Bower School. The Union Bower community, first settled in about 1880, was located in what is today's eastern Irving. The school began as a one-room building in the 1880s and grew to three rooms by the mid-1930s. The school was located on the northeast corner of the intersection of today's Grauwyler Road and Maryland Drive.

Information on original photograph: glass slide, 3Âź" by 4", black-and-white.

Collection: Irving Community Lantern Slide Collection

Collection #: 100-155P-03 Date of photograph: 1925 Original lable on slide: "Dallas County, Irving community, Shady Grove School, west side of community, Feb. 1925."

Description: Shady Grove School. The Shady Grove community was located to the west of Irving midway between today's State Highway 183 and Interstate Highway 30 and west of Belt Line Road. The Shady Grove school was the last common school district operating in Dallas County. In 1968, Shady Grove was annexed by the city of Grand Prairie.

Information on original photograph: glass slide, 3Âź" by 4", black-and-white.

Collection: Irving Community Lantern Slide Collection Collection #: 100-155P-04 Date of photograph: 1925 Original label on slide: "Dallas County, Irving community, Mexican School at Trinity Farms, Mar. 1925."

Description: Mexican school at Trinity Farms. Trinity Farms was a commercial farm stretching from northwest of downtown Dallas to eastern Irving through what is today the Brook Hollow Industrial District and trade market area along Stemmons Freeway. The farm was in existence for most of the first half of the twentieth century. Mexican migrants and African-American workers supplied the labor for the farm. Separate schools were operated for the two groups. The schools were open for about four months of the year. During the 1920s and 1930s, the Irving Independent School District supplied teachers for the schools.

Information on original photograph: glass slide, 3Âź" by 4", black-and-white.

Collection: Irving Community Lantern Slide Collection Collection: 100-155P-05 Date of photograph: 1925 Original label on slide: "Dallas County, Irving community, Negro School at Trinity Farms, no school for four years, now school four months a year, Mar. 1925."

Description: African-American school at Trinity Farms. Trinity Farms was a commercial farm stretching from northwest of downtown Dallas to eastern Irving through what is today the Brook Hollow Industrial District and trade market area along Stemmons Freeway. The farm was in existence for most of the first half of the twentieth century. Mexican migrants and AfricanAmericans supplied the labor for the farm. Separate schools were operated for the two groups. The schools were open for about four months of the year. The Irving Independent School District supplied teachers for the schools for many years.

Information on original photograph: glass slide, 3Âź" by 4", black-and-white

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Collection: Irving Community Lantern Slide Collection Collection #: 100-155P-06 Date of photograph: 1925 Original label on slide: "Dallas County, Irving community, Mexican children Trinity Farms, 4 months school, Mar. 1925."

Description: Trinity Farms was a commercial farm stretching from northwest of downtown Dallas to eastern Irving through what is today the Brook Hollow Industrial District and trade market area along Stemmons Freeway. The farm operated during most of the first half of the twentieth century growing vegetables and cotton. The labor force was supplied by Mexican migrant workers and African-Americans. Separate schools were operated for the two groups. The schools were open for about four months of the year.

Information on original photograph: glass slide, 3Âź" by 4", black-and-white.

Collection: Irving Community Lantern Slide Collection Collection #: 100-155P-07 Date of photograph: 1925 Original label on slide: "Dallas County, Irving community, Baptist Church, Feb. 1925."

Description: First Baptist Church. Irving's founders donated a lot for the construction of a Baptist Church. A temporary structure was built on the lot in 1909. This frame building was built in 1911. It served as the sanctuary until the present-day building was built in 1951.

Information on original photograph: glass slide, 3Âź" by 4", black-and-white.

Collection: Irving Community Lantern Slide Collection Collection #: 100-155P-08 Date of photograph: 1925 Original label on slide: "Dallas County, Irving community, Catholic Church, February, 1925."

Description: Irving's founders donated a lot at the southeast corner of Second and Jefferson streets for construction of a Catholic Church. This white frame structure was built in 1904 as St. Luke Catholic Church. It served as the parish church until 1928, when a larger building was built at Fifth Street and Iowa Street (now O'Connor Road).

Information on original photograph: glass slide, 3Âź" by 4", black-and-white.

Collection: Irving Community Lantern Slide Collection Collection #: 100-155P-09 Date of photograph: 1925

Original label on slide: "Dallas County, Irving community, Methodist Episcopal Church, Feb. 1925."

Description: The Irving Methodist Episcopal Church was established in 1908. This building stood on the northeast corner of Ohio St. and Third St. The building was replaced with a stone structure in 1937 which served the congregation until a new building was opened in 2002. Today the church is known as First United Methodist Church.

Information on original photograph: glass slide, 3Âź" by 4", black- and-white.

Collection: Irving Community Lantern Slide Collection Collection #: 100-155P-09 Date of photograph: 1925

Original label on slide: "Dallas County, Irving community, Methodist Episcopal Church, Feb. 1925."

Description: The Irving Methodist Episcopal Church was established in 1908. This building stood on the northeast corner of Ohio St. and Third St. The building was replaced with a stone structure in 1937 which served the congregation until a new building was opened in 2002. Today the church is known as First United Methodist Church.

Information on original photograph: glass slide, 3Âź" by 4", black- and-white.

Collection: Irving Community Lantern Slide Collection Collection #: 100-155P-11 Date of photograph: 1925

Original label on slide: "Dallas County, Irving community, field study group Methodist Episcopal Church, March 1925."

Description: The Irving Methodist Episcopal Church was established in 1908. Here a group of church members pose for a photo. Today the church is known as First United Methodist Church.

Information on original photograph: glass slide, 3Âź" by 4", black-and-white

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Collection: Irving Community Lantern Slide Collection Collection #: 100-155P-12 Date of photograph: 1925 Original label on slide: "Dallas County, Irving community, Methodist Episcopal parsonage, March 1925."

Description: The Irving Methodist Episcopal Church, South was established in 1908. Several years later, the congregation purchased a parsonage for their minister. Today the church is known as First United Methodist Church.

Information on original photograph: glass slide, 3Âź" by 4", black-and-white.

Collection: Irving Community Lantern Slide Collection Collection #: 100-155P-13 Date of photograph: 1925 Original label on slide: "Dallas County, Irving Negro Church and School."

Description: The Shady Grove C.M.E. Church was founded in 1884. It was established in the Bear Creek community which was about three miles west of the city of Irving in 1925. Bear Creek is one of the oldest African-American communities in Dallas County, dating back to the 1850s. This particular building, which replaced the original, was built in 1897. The building to the left in the photo was the community schoolhouse which was built by the members of the community and later became part of the Sowers Common School District. Irving annexed the Bear Creek area in 1969.

Information on original photograph: glass slide, 3Âź" by 4", black-and-white.

Collection: Irving Community Lantern Slide Collection Collection #: 100-155P-14 Date of photograph: 1925 Original label on slide: "Dallas County, Irving Community, Negro children, west side of community, March 1925."

Description: The Bear Creek community was established by free blacks and freed slaves during the 1850s. It is one of the oldest African-American communities in Dallas County. Pictured are the Morton family children in 1925. The Morton family are long-time residents of Bear Creek. The community, located west of Irving, was annexed by the city in 1969.

Information on original photograph: glass slide, 3Âź" by 4", black-and-white.

Collection: Irving Community Lantern Slide Collection

Collection #: 100-155P-15 Date of photograph: 1925 Original label on slide: "Dallas County, Irving Community, Christian Church, Feb. 1925."

Description: In 1903, Irving's founders donated a lot to the Church of Christ. The congregation built a church on the lot at the corner of South Delaware and First streets. The church was named the South Delaware Church of Christ. A two-story brick building replaced this wooden structure in 1929. Today the congregation has moved and is known as the South MacArthur Church of Christ.

Information on original photograph: glass slide, 3Âź" by 4", black-and-white.

Collection: Irving Community Lantern Slide Collection Collection #: 100-155P-16 Date of photograph: 1925 Original label on slide: "Dallas County, Irving Community, Church of Christ (Disciples), west edge of community."

Description: This church was known as the Crossroads Church of Christ. It was located at what was the intersection of County Line Road and today's Airport Freeway. This was approximately five miles northwest of the town of Irving in 1925. Today this area is in western Irving near D/FW Airport.

Information on original photograph: glass slide, 3Âź" by 4", black-and-white

Collection: Irving Community Lantern Slide Collection Collection #: 100-155P-17 Date of photograph: 1925 Original label on slide: "Dallas County, Irving Community, housing."

Description: Pictured here is a small wood-frame house in the Irving area in 1925. In 1925, the area around Irving supplied much of Dallas County with fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. Most of the fruit and vegetables were produced on small truck farms, so called because farmers would load their produce onto their trucks and take it to various markets, such as the Farmers Market in downtown Dallas.

Information on original photograph: glass slide, 3Âź" by 4", black-and-white.

Collection: Irving Community Lantern Slide Collection Collection #: 100-155P-18 Date of photograph: 1925 Original label on slide: "Dallas County, Irving Community, type of housing on small plot of ground."

Description: Pictured here is a farm house in the Irving area in 1925. In 1925, Irving and the surrounding area supplied much of Dallas County with fresh fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. Most of the fruit and vegetables were produced on small truck farms, so called because farmers would load their produce onto their trucks and take it to various markets such as the Farmers Market in downtown Dallas.

Information on original photograph: glass slide, 3Âź" by 4", black-and-white.

Collection: Irving Community Lantern Slide Collection Collection #: 100-155P-19 Date of photograph: 1925 Original label on slide: "Dallas County, Irving Community, small plot homes surrounding the village."

Description: Pictured here are small houses from the area around Irving in 1925. These houses sit in the midst of a plowed field. The soil around Irving is a sandy loam which was excellent for fruit and vegetable growing. The land to Irving's west and north was black land soil more suited to growing cotton.

Information on original photograph: glass slide, 3Âź" by 4", black-and-white

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