Economic Profile: History

“New Hope”
In 1885 while the depot town of Mesquite was taking hold as a railroad and farming center, a new community was organizing to the north – one that would handily compete with its neighbor city in bustling enterprise for several years. It was the community of New Hope.

Thomas Pendleton Tinsley came to Dallas County in 1876, settling and then marrying at Duck Creek. In September of 1885, Tinsley bought a lot at the southeast corner of what is now Belt Line Road and Town East Blvd. About a half mile north was a “Grange” store operated by the Patrons of Husbandry.

Tinsley was doing carpentry work on his new store building when a local man came by and asked what he was doing. To this Mr. Tinsley replied that the store was his “new hope” in life. So, the next time the neighbor visited he asked, “How is New Hope today?” That, according to legend is how the town got its name.

Tinsley was appointed postmaster at New Hope on May 18, 1886, but he moved to Dallas in 1889 to enter the feed and fuel business. Before departing, Tinsley sold his stock, fixtures, and building to Frank Ellis for $187 in a transaction dated October 1, 1889. Ellis then became postmaster and remained as such for 20 years until rural free mail service was established.

The original 14' x 18' frame store was soon expanded to five large frame buildings with frontage of 74 feet and corresponding depth. The farm family found practically any necessity or luxury at the Ellis Store. There the farmer could buy the clothes he wore, food he ate, cold tonic he took, buggy he drove to church and elsewhere, tools and implements he used on his farm, furniture he placed in his house, and even the casket in which to be laid to rest.

By the 1900s, Ellis was employing two milliners and two dressmakers to attend to the ladies’ needs, fashioning modish articles such as off-the-face hats with “snoods” and “wimples.” Bustles, corsets, lap ropes and stiff collars were among the other popular sellers of the 1890s. A storekeeper such as Frank Ellis had to stock a large and varied supply of merchandise to satisfy the diverse needs and desires of his customers. Typically, he bought from Dallas suppliers, and a teamster needed all day and part of the night to transport a wagonload of goods from a Dallas dock to a Mesquite or New Hope store.

Since early-day merchants operated on credit, it was not unusual for a store to sell several hundred dollars worth of goods in a day and take in only $5 in cash. “Settling up” time came once a year, usually about October when farm customers sold their cotton. Appreciative merchants often handed out gifts such as hats and apples when creditors came in to pay their accounts.

The Ellis Store served not only as a place of commerce but also as a center for New Hope community life. The building’s second story housed the Woodmen of the World lodge hall, and box suppers for organizations such as the church and baseball team were held there. The store’s front porch often functioned as a platform for political rallies and its interior as a voting place at election time.

The Frank Ellis mercantile establishment was probably not unlike hundreds of other general stores across Texas at the time. Certainly his was large, diversified, and the focal point of New Hope’s civic, social, and commercial life for a good many years after 1889.

A Community Forms
There were other fine and prosperous businesses in New Hope during the 1890’s and early 1900’s. Another large general merchandise firm well known in the eastern part of the county was owned by A.W. Lander, a community pioneer. Lander came to this area in September 1884 to seek a teaching job, contacting school trustees J.P. Worthington, Bob Johnson, and J.S. Jones. Since the existing school building was not satisfactory, the church at pleasant Ridge Cemetery consented to have its building used for classes. The first class consisted of about 30 pupils.

Soon Lander, who had been hired as teacher, and H.O. Samuel raised enough funds to construct the Lone Star School on Samuel’s vast property east of New Hope. C.J. Lacy and Ben F. Tisinger, Sr. followed Lander as teachers. Classes were held at the Lone Star School until a new schoolhouse was built in the town of New Hope about the turn of the century. In 1911, the principal of the public school was J.B. Lee, and Miss Lois Lander was the assistant.

Several New Hope churches were listed in the church directory of the local newspaper dated June 21, 1902. They were the C.P. (Cumberland Presbyterian) Church, the Rev. J.W. Holden, pastor; Christian, Elder G.W. Lee, pastor; Methodist church, south, the Rev. H.H. Vaughn, pastor; and the Sunday school, W.A. Aelridge, superintendent. A 1911 edition listed the Baptist church, T.J. Saxon, pastor and Mrs. C.C. Wynn, Sunday school superintendent; Christian Church, J.T. Purvis, pastor, and A.W. Lander, Sunday school superintendent; Presbyterian church, C.G. Wright, pastor, and R.L. Robertson, Sunday school superintendent. New Hope fraternal orders listed in the 1911 newspapers were the I.O.O.F., Henry Touchstone, N.G., and W.O.W., J.T. Conoway, C.C. The Farmers Bank of New Hope, unincorporated, boasted capital of $10,000 and personal responsibility of $250,000. G.W. Riddle was president, W.F. Miller vice president, and A.W. Lander, cashier.

Dr. Stephens was an early-day physician in the area, and Dr. L.R. Anderson, a physician and surgeon, later had an extensive practice in New Hope. R.F. Chapman was the druggist, the “Cozy” offered cold drinks and light groceries, and J.C. Barksdale dealt in “staple and fancy groceries.” The town had other confectionaries and a restaurant, as well as a barbershop.

No farming community would be complete without the blacksmith, such as New Hope’s Yardbrough, who also did woodwork. The cotton gin located near the northwest corner of town was sold in 1911 to the Dallas Oil Refining Company, with G.P. Worthington employed as manager.

The New Hope News carried advertisements including Gala Days, an annual celebration beginning 1901. Citizens of the town and hundreds of people from outlying areas participated in the all-day festivities that included all sorts of contests, such as horse shows, foot races, cake baking, and quilting. Some of the contests with prizes and donors were listed for the Gala Day in June 1902. One was for the ugliest man, with a free hair cut and shave donated by C.C. Cash. The prettiest baby won a $10 rubber-tired buggy given by Drs. Anderson and Brown and T.G. Robinson. To qualify for the fat man’s race, the contestant had to weight over 225 pounds. The winner received $5 in merchandise from Frank Ellis.

Still Standing: Kearney's Store, formerly Lander Mercantile, was rebuilt after a fire in the late 1990s.

Many other pioneers contributed to the development of the community that was New Hope. Some family names were Duckworth, Wynn, Miller, Curtis, Harris, Florence, and McGaughey.

In 1921, a devastating storm almost blew New Hope away. The only structure not badly damaged or demolished was the new brick store Frank Ellis built in 1919. Many of the buildings destroyed were never rebuilt, so the bustling town of New Hope started to fade. Reminders of New Hope are in place today. The brick store built by Frank Ellis is now Lander Mercantile. The old school building serves as a Dallas County library branch and a Dallas County sheriff’s substation. Several houses and a former Baptist Church also remain. For many, there will always be a New Hope.

Other Hamlets Listed
Other small farming hamlets existed north of Mesquite. One of the oldest was Long Creek Road, just south of interstate highway 20. James Madison Bennett and his family were among the early settlers of this area, arriving at Long Creek by covered wagon in 1845 after their household goods had been shipped to Texas through Jefferson. James A. Coats and his family homesteaded north of Long Creek in 1845. Other Long Creek pioneers were the families of Benjamin Conover, James C. Lewis, S.B. Jacobs, Marion C. Snyder, W.S. Jobson, Burd Reed, John Vineyard, and Mac Tyler.

A.W. Webb gave a portion of his land in Long Creek to be used for a cemetery and church, and the first person buried in Long Creek Cemetery was Leona Conover Caldwell on Oct 2, 1855. The church was known as the Long Creek Baptist but also served other denominations. This frame structure was two-storied and also housed the Long Creek school. The W.O.W lodge met on the second floor. Edwin Polk Pashall, a Civil War veteran, bought his Long Creek property in 1871 for $5 an acre. Pashall’s first trip to Dallas was by horseback with the aid of a compass. In order to cross White Rock Creek both horse and rider had to swim. after Pashall first cleared the vines and brush with his saber.

The Tripp community was just northeast of Long Creek at the intersection of what is now Tripp and Collins Road. It is said that an old dog everyone called “Tripp” stayed in the area, and it was in the beloved dog’s honor that the town was named. Tripp had a cotton gin and a small store and after the turn of the century was owned by C.J. Washmon. Tripp School was a large single-story building erected in about 1926 when the Tripp and Long Creek schools consolidated. The church deacons and school trustees at Long Creek agreed to dismantle their joint building and use the lumber for the construction of Tripp School.

A few miles east of New Hope, Boyd Hatter settled on land close to the Trinity East Fork and gave land for the purpose of establishing a schoolhouse. The Hatterville held classes for area children until the late 1920’s when it burned. Two early churches in the Hatterville area were Hilltop Baptist, at the site of the present Dallas Power and Light Plant, and the Guiding Star Church, still active at its location on East Fork Road.

The Birth of Sunnyvale
In 1953 the communities of New Hope, Long Creek, Tripp, and Hatterville merged and incorporated their towns under the name “Sunnyvale.” Even though many newcomers have made their homes here, the descendants of the original families are numerous. Most of the physical reminders of these towns are gone, but the spirit and pride generated over many years live on.

Sunnyvale has maintained its rural character and expanded its zoning laws to accommodate a changing lifestyle. Today, with over 3,000 residents, Sunnyvale successfully combines an industrial and business atmosphere with quality residential districts. It has retained its small-town, country living lifestyle, yet has easy access to neighboring metropolitan shopping, dining, entertainment, and recreational facilities.

Reference:  A Stake in the Prairie, Chapter V, by Julie Morris