1. A.W. Perry Homestead Museum
1509 North Perry Road (map)
(972) 466-6380

This lovely homestead was the third owned by DeWitt C. Perry, son of founder A.W. Perry. It was completed in 1909 using building materials carefully salvaged from the Perry's second family home built around 1857 on the same site. The site of the original Perry home, built in the 1840s is at the northwest corner of the intersection of Jackson Road and Old Denton Road. The museum displays authentic period furnishings and is now maintained by the City. Group tours are available free of charge. 

  For more information about exhibits and visiting hours, visit the Perry Museum page.

2. A.W. Perry Cemetery
West of the intersection of Sherwood Drive and Perry Road (map)

The first Carrollton cemetery was opened with the burial of Mrs. A. W. Perry in 1896. Most of the 482 graves at this site are of pioneer families. 

 3. Belle Allen Home

This 1910 three-story prairie-style home was built with Carrollton brick and occupied by Mrs. Belle Allen, an historic civic leader for 46 years.

4. Bramblitt Woodright
2335 Sandy Lake Road (10 acres located in Elm Fork Nature Preserve) (map)

Purchased in 1861, the wood from this property was used by the Elkanah Bramblitt family for over 122 years to provide shelter and fuel for cooking and heat.

5. Carrollton Town Square

Broadway, 4th, Elm and West Main Streets (map)

The Square's formation began prior to 1900 with buildings erected that cultivated commerce and created the first downtown Carrollton. A fresh spring flowed through the center of the square where the gazebo now stands. The Square still has early 20th century charm and continues to be a focal point for many town gatherings. The town square is still an active retail area.

6. Carrollton High School
1709 E. Belt Line Road (map)

The oldest school in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD. Land donated by DeWitt Clinton Perry and sister Harriet Perry Warner. Construction began December, 1935, school opened September 14, 1936.

Though “DeWitt Perry High School” was in stone over the entrance, it was referred to as Carrollton High School and diplomas were issued in that name. DeWitt Perry name officially recognized in 1962 when Turner High School opened and this became a junior high school. 

This is also the site of the first Carrollton High School building “Old Red” which opened on January 19, 1916. That two-story & basement building was built of red brick from the Carrollton Brick Company.

Previously, students attended an unpainted clapboard school at the corner of what is now Belt Line & Erie. “Old Red” was razed in 1966 for additions to DeWitt Perry Jr. High and the Harriet Perry Warner Gymnasium. The original cornerstone for “Old Red” is located adjacent to this marker.

7. Carrollton Railroad Crossing
College Avenue at North Broadway Street (map)

This unusual railroad track intersection served the Cotton Belt, Missouri, Kansas & Texas ("Katy"), and St. Louis & San Francisco ("Frisco") railroads which provided commercial and passenger service through Carrollton, enabling the city to grow and prosper.

 8. Carrollton Black Cemetery

Approximately 1,000 feet west of Hutton Drive and 600 feet south of Belt Line Road (map)

Although dating back more than 100 years, this cemetery was not formally dedicated until 1915. Despite periodic flooding, several gravestones are still visible.

9. First Carrollton Post Office 
Marker located on the west side of Broadway Street, between 3rd and 4th Avenues

John Miller Myers made the application for Carrollton's first post office on May 10, 1878. It was moved a few blocks to Carrollton Square in the 1890s. 

 10. First United Methodist Church (congregation)

2201 East Hebron Parkway (map)

In August 1901, a group met under a brush arbor near the corner of Walnut St and Jackson St forming what would become the First Methodist Church. A circuit preacher, John Major, preached monthly. The church, built in 1903 at Jackson St and Belt Line Rd, was the first within the city limits. A 2nd church was built at the same location in 1915, a 3rd on Pearl St in 1957, and ground was broken in 2003 for a 4th on Hebron Pkwy. The congregation celebrated its 100th anniversary on October 14th, 2001.

11. Furneaux Cemetery

East and west sides of Cemetery Hill Road, south of Rosemeade Parkway (map)

In 1884 this cemetery was established with the burial of Mr. William Furneaux, who immigrated to Texas in 1857 from England. A Methodist Church was originally located here.

Organized in 1883 at the Willow Springs School, this congregation was originally known as the Big Valley Baptist Church. E.C. Bramblett served as the first pastor.

13. Josey Ranch
1440 Keller Springs Road, at Josey Lane (map)

In the 1940s, "Colonel" C.W. Josey purchased the first 70 acres of "Josey Rancho," and continued to acquire acreage to raise buffalo and longhorns. Today the remainder of the 1,000-acre ranch contains a popular city sports complex. The lake on the site is the result of a quarry supplying clay to one of Carrollton's two brick factories.

Located on the site of Carrollton's first City Hall, this half-acre mini-park is dedicated to the pioneer families who settled in this area.

15. Plaza Theater

1115 Fourth Avenue (map)

The Plaza Theater was built in the Carrollton Town Square by Mrs. A.R. Lowrey and her son, John. It opened December 23, 1949, and operated continuously until December 31, 1994, surviving the "golden age of motion pictures."

Born in Indiana in 1815, Jacob Riley came to southeastern Denton County in the mid-1850s and claimed a preemption grant of 160 acres on Indian Creek. He and his descendants held the land for more than 100 years. As family members died, they were buried on the site overlooking the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. This little cemetery was high enough to avoid flooding, and it remained undisturbed until development of the property began in 1996. Typical of remote pioneer homesteads and once quite common, few family burial grounds remain.

17. Simms Chapel AME Church (congregation)
1229 West College Avenue (map)

Around 1890, a plot of land near the current intersection of Crosby Road and Stemmons Freeway (IH 35E) was donated by a Reverend John Miller Myers, one of the organizing members of the Union Baptist Church of Carrollton (now known as Highland Baptist Church) as a site for a church where African-Americans could gather for worship. The Reverend Wash Simms (called the "Black Angel" because of his fiery sermons) was the first pastor.  In 1939, the church moved to its current location. The move was necessitated by the construction of U.S. Highway 77, now Stemmons Freeway (IH-35E).  Note: this congregation is no longer active, and the property has been sold. The City has removed the marker pending relocation in an appropriate spot.

About 1851, brothers W.H. and Preston Witt began building a steam mill on the property of brother-in-law A.W. Perry 1/10 mile north of here to serve settlers in Dallas and Denton counties. In 1855 Perry sold his interest to W.H. Witt. By 1858, a store and post office were added. The Scott family bought the business after the Civil War. They later platted and sold 50 acres to the railroad for a depot. The community prospered by farming and mining gravel. The store closed in 1915 and the depot closed in 1923. The gravel operation ceased in 1966.

Established on May 11, 1846 it is the first and oldest continuing Baptist congregation in Dallas County. The first meeting was held in a pioneer cabin in the general location of the Keenan Cemetery in Farmers Branch. Although the site of the first Carrollton location is not known with certainty, the church moved to the southwest corner of College Avenue (present-day Belt Line Road), and Myers Street in the 1940s following the growth of Carrollton. At that time it was called the College Avenue Missionary Baptist Church. In 1961, the congregation moved to a new building located at 1225 N. Josey Lane, and changed their name to Highland Baptist Church. In 2000, they moved again to 4561 N. Josey Lane and changed their name to Castle Hills Baptist Church.

This street is dedicated in honor of John Thomas Vandergriff who was a beloved blacksmith and automobile dealer, and an active civic leader.

Robert and Sarah Warner began this family cemetery in 1873. It contains 10 marked graves.

Carrollton incorporated June 14, 1913, with a 52 - 23 vote. A city council was elected July 19, 1913. With 40 Votes, William Forest Vinson was elected as Carrollton's first mayor. Vinson, who also served as the presiding officer of the election, school board trustee, precinct chairman and Dallas County sheriff, declined the office. August 5, 1913, Junius Tribble (J.T.) Rhoton qualified and served as mayor through 1915.

The Boatwright House, located at N. Denton Drive and Belt Line Road in Carrollton, Texas, is the oldest standing structure in the area, believed to have been built around 1900 in the Queen Anne cottage style. It was named after its long-time occupants, F.B. and Fannie Bell Boatwright, who lived here for 47 years. Originally owned by A.W. Perry, it was later sold to John Jackson in 1901, and eventually, John's daughter, Mary Amery Jackson Willingham, sold it to the Boatwrights in 1920.

The house endured multiple floods, including those in 1908, the 1920s, and the 1940s. The Boatwrights were active in the Carrollton community and played a heroic role in rescuing residents during a flood in 1928. They also rented rooms to various tenants, including notable figures like Dr. Benjy Frances Brooks, who became the first female pediatric surgeon in Texas.

In the early 1970s, the house was used for city and community meetings and was later purchased by Fred and Anna Kendall in 1977, who transformed it into a Christian bookstore. They made renovations, including opening the ceiling, adding a second story, and painting the house yellow. Stained-glass windows reading "Maranatha" were also installed, which remain as of 2023.

In 1989, Nan and John Walvoord became the caretakers of the Boatwright House. They gave it a pink makeover and turned it into "The Vintage House," a home and gift boutique, with the help of their children, Shaun and Jeanan.

The house was originally a single-story structure and consisted of four rooms, a front and rear porch.

Documented alterations that have taken place but may not be limited to:

1. Lowering or removal of the original floor plan and ceiling heights in some areas to create three levels of display space.
2. The rear porch was enclosed, with two large windows placed in the northeast corner.
3. "Gingerbread" trim has been added to the ceiling edge of the front porch.
4. ADA accessible ramp added to the back of the house.
5. Additional room added to the east side often used for boarding.