Hometown 9

Hometown Tales Location # 9 - Rowland Springs
Traffic box located at corner of White Settlement Rd and Meadow Park

With its vast amounts of relatively inexpensive land, especially compared to the more settled eastern states, Texas was a major draw in the 1850’s for farmers seeking to establish their own homesteads and build a better life. In 1851, Jeff “Jud” Rowland and his wife Jane moved from Warren County, Tennessee to a 320-acre property in what is now the White Settlement area. With them were their five sons and a daughter as well as Jane’s aunt. When deciding where to make their new home, settlers naturally gravitated towards areas with readily available fresh water sources like rivers, springs, and creeks. These bodies of water often dictated where towns and communities would be established. What came to be known as Rowland Springs, located on Farmers Branch Creek, was vitally important to life in the area. Not only did the spring provide fresh water for drinking, it was essential for irrigating crops and sustaining the cattle and horses. Farming and ranching were Jud’s main pursuits, making the spring vitally important. It was equally important to others. The spring was a favored campsite for Indigenous peoples at various times and played an important role in life in the area long before settler’s arrival.

Along with the important role it played in the 1800’s, Rowland Springs was also a major part of the creation of modern White Settlement. In 1956, the growing City needed more and better modern roads, a construction process that uses a lot of water. At that time, Rowland Springs was known to yield fifty gallons of water per minute and its water was utilized in these street and road construction projects. Today, Rowland Springs flows into Farmers Branch Creek as it runs through the City of White Settlement Municipal Complex.