Old City Park and Dallas Heritage Village

Take a trip to Old City Park - Dallas’ first park that began in 1876.  The 13-acres are home to Heritage Village, a “living history” museum complete with costumed characters in 38 restored 19th and early 20th century buildings where you can see what Dallas life was like between 1840 and 1910.  

You’ll stroll the downtown, see the general store and look in on the guests at the hotel.  You can even see the train station and the attached section house.  At the section house, you’ll meet Mrs. DeLeon, whose ancestors actually managed a section house.  Railroads divided their tracks into 10 – 30 mile sections that were managed by a foreman and his crew.  The park’s section house was moved from Carrollton, 18 miles northwest of Dallas.

Stroll down Elm Street and you’ll see a large, pink, Queen Anne style house to your left.  There you’ll meet Mrs. Blum who will tell you about living in Dallas in the early 20th century.  The George House was originally built in the suburb of Plano – 25 miles north of Dallas.  Dallas houses in 1900 were built with electricity and indoor plumbing.  The Queen Anne style was popular due to their high ceilings and big rooms.  They were built to stay cool during the extremely hot summers.

 

Weddings and birthday parties are popular in the Village.  You can even buy historic toys in the little shop in the Guest Services building.  And, blacksmith classes are available.

 

Old City Park and Heritage Village are in the shadow of Downtown Dallas, the contrast between Dallas modern skyline and the historic homes in Heritage Village highlights the differences between old and new. 

 

 

- by Constance Hannon, Dallas Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Constance Hannon

Connie Hannon is a freelance writer living in Dallas, Texas. She is a native Texan and has lived in Dallas and Washington, D.C. for the majority of her life. Connie graduated from Pitzer College in Claremont, California, and received her masters in Journalism and Public Affairs from American University. She was a staffer on Capitol Hill and worked in CNN’s Washington Bureau, and with most of the television stations in the Dallas market.