Keller

Keller Texas located near Double Springs, the “Village” of Keller, began with the news that the Texas Pacific Railroad would extend north of Fort Worth. Keller was settled in the early 1850’s, and received its name at the urging of a Texas Pacific Railroad official, honoring John C. Keller, a foreman on the railroad, after the site became a stop on the railroad line. By 1882, the settlement, formerly known as Athol, become present day Keller. The wooded region around Keller attracted settlers because of the close proximity to the Trinity River, a supply of plentiful game and water, and the abundance of land for cattle raising and farming.

With railroad service now available, Keller began to prosper as a trade center for the surrounding farm community. The post office was established in 1886 when the post office at Double Springs, located about 5 miles northeast of Keller, was discontinued. Paper work for this change began about two years earlier and it is possible that at the time C.C. Nance moved to Keller and was serving as postmaster there for those years. In 1886, John H. Wallace was appointed postmaster.

Keller Water TowerKeller’s water supply was originally limited to home cisterns, which caught rain water, and a public well located on Vine Street. In 1906, a new well was drilled on Main Street and remained in service until 1960. Electricity came to Keller in the early 1880’s, followed by a telephone system which was privately owned until 1966.

In the first years, the closest school to Keller stood on Bear Creek Road and Elaine Street. The building was erected by the Mount Gilead Baptist Church as a school reserving church privileges. It was a subscription school. The exact date when this was abandoned and a new building was erected at the southwest corner of Olive and Elm Streets in the town has not been verified. By 1898, property was purchased on the corner of Keller Parkway (FM 1709) and College Street. The school was moved to this new location, where the Keller Education Center now stands.