The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Waco, Texas, US.
19th century
1830Hueco village sacked by Cherokees. 1849 Shapley Prince Ross, a Texas Ranger who built the first house at Waco Village and established a ferry across the Brazos River, founds Waco, Texas. March 1First sale of town lots at Waco Village. 1850 Shapley P. Ross opens the town’s first hotel. Shapley P. Ross becomes Waco’s first postmaster. Ross’s ferry across the Brazos River begins operating. Waco becomes seat of newly established McLennan County, Texas. 1851Population: 152. 1852First Street Cemetery established (approximate date). 1854Waco Era newspaper begins publication. 1856Town of Waco incorporated. 1858Southern Democrat newspaper begins publication. 1861Waco University founded. 1865Waco Examiner newspaper begins publication. 1866New Hope Baptist Church established. 1870 Waco Suspension Bridge opens. Waco Tap Railroad begins operating. Population: 3,008. 1871First Presbyterian Church built. 1872Waco and Northwestern Railroad begins operating. 1873 Fletcher Cemetery established. Sanger Brothers shop in business. 1877Paul Quinn College relocated to Waco from Austin. 1878Oakwood Cemetery established. 1879St. Paul's Episcopal Church rebuilt. 1880Population: 7,295. 1881Rodeph Sholom Synagogue dedicated. 1884 Garland Opera House in business. McClelland Opera House in business (approximate date). 1885 Slayden-Kirksey Woolen Mill in business. Baylor University relocated to Waco from Independence. Flavored beverage "Dr. Pepper first mixed at Old Corner Drug in Waco." 1889"Hot artesian water...discovered beneath the city." 1890 C.C. McCulloch elected mayor. Population: 14,445. 1892Geyser Ice Company in business. 1894Cotton Palace Exposition begins. 1895 AddRan College relocated to Waco from Thorp Spring. Floral Society formed. 1897Waco Times-Herald newspaper in publication. 1898April 1: "Brann-Davis shooting." 1899Public library established. 1900Population: 20,686.
20th century 1901McLennan County Courthouse built. 1906Dr. Pepper bottling plant built. 1910Brazos Valley Cotton Oil mill in business. 1911 Amicable Life Insurance Co. building constructed. Farmers' Improvement Bank founded. Rex Theatre in business. 1912Raleigh Hotel built. 1914 Hippodrome Theatre opens. Kestner's store in business. 1916May 15: Lynching of Jesse Washington. 1919Elite Cafe in business. 1920Population: 38,500. 1922WACO radio begins broadcasting. 1923July 30: Execution of Roy Mitchell. 1929Alamo Plaza Motor Hotel chain in business. 1930Population: 52,848. 1931St. Francis Catholic Church built. 1936September: Flood. 1937Blue Triangle Young Women's Christian Association formed. 1945U.S. Veterans Administration Medical Center built. 1950Population: 84,706. 1953May: 1953 Waco tornado outbreak. 1955 KWTX-TV (television) begins broadcasting. Cameron Park Zoo established. 1964Urban renewal project begins. 1965Flood control dam built on Brazos River basin. 1967Historic Waco Foundation established. 1974Oscar De Conge becomes mayor. 1980Population: 101,261. 1982July: 1982 Lake Waco murders. 1983:Richard Grandy co-founded Easy Gardener Products, Inc. 1993February 28 – April 19: Siege of religious Mount Carmel Center near Waco.
21st century 2010Population: city 124,805; megaregion 19,728,244. 2012Malcolm P. Duncan Jr. becomes mayor. 2015May 17: 2015 Waco shootout. 2016Kyle Deaver becomes mayor. 2023Former president Donald Trump holds the first rally of his successful 2024 presidential campaign.
See also Waco, Texas history List of mayors of Waco, Texas National Register of Historic Places listings in McLennan County, Texas Timelines of other cities in Texas: Arlington, Austin, Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, Laredo, Lubbock, San Antonio
References
Bibliography
published in 19th c.
published in 20th c.
circa 1926? (fulltext) + chronology Roger N. Conger. Highlights of Waco History. Waco: Hill Printing and Stationery Co, 1945.
(fulltext)
published in 21st c. (bibliography) (fulltext)
External links
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