Written by: Tim Ballard, Museum Education Assistant
January 2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the city of Lewisville’s incorporation in 1925. The Lewisville community has been around almost twice as long though, with roots dating back another eighty years. It all started back in the 1840’s, when Texas was still a Republic and there was a campaign to bring more people to the state to fill in the miles of unused but arable land. The Texas Emigration and Land Company led the campaign offering six hundred families land to settle across what would become Denton County. Each family received 640 acres of land, and single men received 320 acres.
According to Lewisville’s published timeline, the first settlers to the area were the families of John and Augustus King, who migrated to the area in 1844. John and James Holford also settled the area that same year, and the community came to be known as Holford Prairie. The named changed to Lewisville in 1853.
The first sixty years of Lewisville had its challenges, but the community saw slow and steady infrastructural additions that allowed the town to grow. With the arrival of the Dallas-Wichita Railroad in 1881, the settlement gained better access to supplies and was able to attract and grow to 500 people by 1900, and then to 850 by 1925 when it was incorporated.
One notable event that rocked Lewisville over Labor Day Weekend in 1969 was the Texas International Pop Festival, a music festival headlined by several household names in the music industry including Janis Joplin, Chicago, and Led Zeppelin. The Dallas International Motor Speedway and Lewisville Lake provided the perfect backdrop for attendees, and gave local residents plenty of opportunities for people-watching.
In the 1970s and 1980s, more businesses came to the area, including the Lewisville Medical Center and the Vista Ridge Mall. By the 1990’s, Lewisville’s population reached just under 47,000 people. This is a number that has nearly tripled in 2025.
Today, Lewisville is home to award winning parks, an excellent school district, and a wealth of local businesses and neighborhoods. It is ranked as one of the largest cities in Denton County, and is one of the Top 20 largest cities in Dallas-Fort Worth.
We are proud to celebrate 100 years of Lewisville in Denton County and look forward to the continued growth and prosperity of one of our historic communities!
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