Editing Denton, Texas (section)

==History==
{{See also|Texas in the American Civil War}}[[File:Denton, Texas in 1883.jpg|left|thumb|alt=Map of Denton in 1883|Map of Denton in 1883]]
Denton's formation is closely tied to that of Denton County. White settlement of the area began in the mid-1800s when William S. Peters of Kentucky obtained a [[land grant]] from the [[Texas Congress]] and named it Peters Colony. After initial settlement in the southeast part of the county in 1843, the Texas Legislature voted to form Denton County in 1846.<ref name="tsha-county">{{cite web |url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcd06 |title=Denton County |access-date=2009-10-21 |last=Odom |first=E. Dale |work=[[Handbook of Texas Online]] |publisher=[[Texas State Historical Association]]}}</ref> Both the county and the town were named for [[John B. Denton]], a preacher and lawyer who was killed in 1841 during a skirmish with the [[Kichai people]] in what is now [[Tarrant County, Texas|Tarrant County]].{{sfn|Bates|1918}} Pickneyville and Alton were selected as the county seat before Denton was named the seat in 1857. That year, a commission laid out the city and named the first streets.

On July 8, 1860, approximately half of the downtown Square burned down in what was later called the "[[Texas slave insurrection panic of 1860|Texas Troubles]]".<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last=REYNOLDS|first=DONALD E.|date=2010-06-15|title=TEXAS TROUBLES|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vetbr|access-date=2020-07-05|website=tshaonline.org|language=en}}</ref> Fires occurred in ten Texas communities that day, including Dallas and Pilot Point, and were quickly attributed to a slave insurrection.<ref name=":3" /> By the end of July, vigilante justice took hold and "[r]egularly constituted law-enforcement agencies stepped aside to allow the vigilantes to do their work. Although no hard evidence was ever adduced to prove the guilt of a single alleged black arsonist or white abolitionist, many unfortunates of both classes were nevertheless hanged for their alleged crimes."<ref name=":3" />

In February 1861, a statewide referendum was held and Texans voted to join the [[Confederate States of America]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=BUENGER|first=WALTER L.|date=2010-06-15|title=SECESSION|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/mgs02|access-date=2020-07-05|website=tshaonline.org|language=en}}</ref>

=== Post–Civil War ===
Denton [[Municipal corporation|incorporated]] in 1866; its first mayor was J.B. Sawyer.<ref name="tsha-city">{{cite web |url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hed05 |work=[[Handbook of Texas Online]] |publisher=[[Texas State Historical Association]] |title=Denton, Texas |access-date=2009-10-21 |last=Odom |first=E. Dale}}</ref> As the city expanded beyond its original boundaries (which extended half a mile in every direction from center of the public square<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/31212339/ | title=Denton Record-Chronicle from Denton, Texas on July 4, 1976 · Page 42| date=July 4, 1976}}</ref>), it became an agricultural trade center for the mill and cottage industries. The arrival of the [[Texas and Pacific Railway]] in 1881 gave Denton its first rail connection and brought an influx of people to the area.<ref name="tsha-city" /> North Texas Normal College, now the [[University of North Texas]], was established in 1890, and the Girls' Industrial College, now [[Texas Woman's University]], was founded in 1901. As the universities increased in size, their impact on Denton's economy and culture increased.<ref name="tsha-city" /> Electricity came to Denton in 1905 with the creation of Denton Municipal Electric.

=== Segregation and Jim Crow era ===
After the Civil War, "Freedmen Settlements" were started throughout the South.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-02-02|title=Celebrating Black History Month|url=https://dentoncountyhistoryandculture.wordpress.com/2018/02/02/celebrating-black-history-month-part-1/|access-date=2020-07-05|website=Denton County Office of History and Culture: Blog|language=en}}</ref> One Freedman Settlement, Quakertown, thrived just south of what is now Texas Woman's University until around 1920, when the city government forcibly removed the residents to make way for a park.<ref name="The Quakertown Story">{{cite journal | url=http://dentonhistory.net/page32/Quaker.html | title=Quakertown | journal=The Denton Review| last=Glaze | first=Michele Powers | date=1991 | access-date=2019-06-19}}</ref> Quakertown's Black children were served separately from white children by the Frederick Douglass School.<ref name="The Quakertown Story" /> Originally scheduled to open in September 1913, it was mysteriously burned down the night before its scheduled opening.<ref name="The Quakertown Story" /> It was rebuilt and in 1949 renamed the "Fred Moore School".<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2018-02-23|title=Desegregating Denton County's Schools|url=https://dentoncountyhistoryandculture.wordpress.com/2018/02/23/desegregating-denton-countys-schools/|access-date=2020-07-05|website=Denton County Office of History and Culture: Blog|language=en}}</ref>

=== Postwar growth ===
Denton's population grew from 26,844 in 1960 to 48,063 in 1980. Its connection to the [[Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex]] via I-35E and I-35W played a major role in the growth, and the opening of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in 1974 led to a population increase. In the 1980s, heavy manufacturing companies like Victor Equipment Company and [[Peterbilt]] joined older manufacturing firms such as Moore Business Forms and Morrison Milling Company in Denton. The population rose from 66,270 in 1990 to 80,537 in 2000.<ref name="tsha-city" /> In May 2006, [[Houston]]-based real estate company United Equities purchased the 100-block of Fry Street and announced that several of the historic buildings would be demolished and the businesses displaced to accommodate a new mixed-use commercial center. Some residents, who sought to preserve the area as a historic and cultural icon, opposed the proposal.<ref name="dmag">{{cite journal |title=Can Denton's Fry Street Rise Again? |journal=[[D Magazine]] |last=Heid |first=Jason |date=2011-01-19 |url=http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/D_Magazine/2011/February/Can_Denton_Fry_Street_Rise_Again.aspx |access-date=2012-10-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725155500/http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/D_Magazine/2011/February/Can_Denton_Fry_Street_Rise_Again.aspx |archive-date=2011-07-25 }}</ref> The Denton City Council approved a new proposal for the area from Dinerstein Cos in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2009/sep/16/fry-street-lot-denton-remains-untouched-developer/ |title=Fry Street Lot in Denton Remains Untouched by Developer |publisher=Pegasus News |access-date=2009-10-03 |date=2009-09-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100308040303/http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2009/sep/16/fry-street-lot-denton-remains-untouched-developer/ |archive-date=2010-03-08 }}</ref>

====Timeline====

{{hidden begin|title=Timeline of Denton, Texas|titlestyle=background:#F8F8FF;width:90%}}
* 1857
** Seat of [[Denton County, Texas|Denton County]] relocated to Denton from Alton{{sfn|Hellmann|2006}}
** First Methodist Church founded.<ref name=THCatlas>{{cite web |url=https://atlas.thc.state.tx.us |title=Texas Historic Sites Atlas |publisher= [[Texas Historical Commission]] |location=Austin |access-date= April 13, 2017 }}</ref>
** County Courthouse built.{{sfn|Bates|1918}}
* 1858 – Union Baptist Church founded<ref name=THCatlas />
* 1866 – Town of Denton incorporated{{sfn|Hellmann|2006}}
* 1868 – ''Denton Monitor'' [[List of newspapers in Texas|newspaper]] began publication<ref name=LOC>{{cite web |url= http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/search/titles/results/?city=Denton&rows=50&state=Texas&page=1&sort=date |title=US Newspaper Directory |location=Washington DC |work=[[Chronicling America]] |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date= April 13, 2017 }}</ref>
* 1869 – J.B. Sawyer became mayor.<ref name=CityHistory>{{cite web |url=https://www.cityofdenton.com/about-denton/history-of-denton |title= History of Denton |publisher=City of Denton |access-date= April 14, 2017 }} (Timeline)</ref>
* 1870 – Denton (and [[History of Texas (1865–99)|Texas]]) [[Reconstruction era of the United States|readmitted]] to the Union after the [[American Civil War]], per [[Reconstruction Acts]]{{sfn|Calendar|1985}}
* 1880 – Population: 1,194<ref name=TSHApop>{{citation |work=Texas Almanac |title= City Population History from 1850–2000: Denton |url=https://texasalmanac.com/topics/population |publisher=Texas State Historical Association |date= 2011-01-12 }}</ref>
* 1881 – Railroad began operating<ref name=CityHistory />
* 1882
** ''Denton Chronicle'' newspaper began publication<ref name=UNTnewspaper>{{cite web |url=http://findingaids.library.unt.edu/?p=collections/findingaid&id=210&q=&rootcontentid=43656#.WPCTpBhh1E4 |title=Denton County (TX) Newspaper Collection, 1892-1911 |series=Finding Aids |author=University of North Texas Libraries |access-date= April 14, 2017 }}</ref>
** Fire station built<ref name=CityHistory />
* 1890 – North Texas Normal College opened{{sfn|Federal Writers' Project|1940}}
* 1894 – City Hall built<ref name=CityHistory />
* 1896
** Streetcar began operating<ref name=CityHistory />
** [[Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square|Denton County Courthouse]] rebuilt.{{sfn|Hellmann|2006}}
* 1899 – ''[[Denton Record-Chronicle|Denton Record and Chronicle]]'' newspaper in publication<ref name=UNTnewspaper />
* 1900 – Population: 4,187<ref name=TSHApop />
* 1903 – [[Texas Woman's University|Girls' Industrial College]] established{{sfn|Federal Writers' Project|1940}}
* 1907
** Trolley began operating<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.dentonrc.com/news/news/2014/09/13/ties-to-the-past |work=[[Denton Record-Chronicle]] |date=September 13, 2014 |title=Crews find remnants of passenger rail system |access-date=August 25, 2017 |archive-date=April 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170415012619/http://www.dentonrc.com/news/news/2014/09/13/ties-to-the-past |url-status=dead }}</ref>
** [[Rector Road Bridge]] built.
* 1914 – City of Denton incorporated{{sfn|Hellmann|2006}}
* 1916 – College's ''[[North Texas Daily|Campus Chat]]'' newspaper begins publication<ref name=LOC />
* 1920 – City police department and Rotary Club established<ref name=CityHistory />{{sfn|Calendar|1987}}
* 1921 – Denton County League of Women Voters formed{{sfn|Calendar|1985}}
* 1923 – Public park created in Quakertown<ref>{{citation |work=[[Dallas Morning News]] |title=Historical marker to honor black community that Denton gutted to create a park |date=January 26, 2013 |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/denton/2013/01/26/historical-marker-to-honor-black-community-that-denton-gutted-to-create-a-park }}</ref>
* 1927 – Denton City Hall built<ref name=THCatlas />
* 1930 – Population: 9,587<ref name=TSHApop />
* 1933 – Public library opened<ref name=CityHistory />
* 1939 – KDNT [[List of radio stations in Texas|radio]] began broadcasting<ref name=Alicoate1939>{{citation |title=Radio Annual |oclc=2459636 |year=1939 |editor= Jack Alicoate |publisher= Radio Daily |location=New York |chapter-url= https://archive.org/stream/radioannual193900radi#page/378/mode/2up |chapter= Standard Broadcasting Stations of the United States: Texas }} {{free access}}</ref>
* 1941 – [[Little Chapel in the Woods]] built<ref name=CityHistory />
* 1947 – [[Denton Municipal Airport]] began operating<ref name=CityHistory />
* 1950 – Population: 21,372<ref name=TSHApop />
* 1954 – [[Federal Civil Defense Administration]] regional office relocated to Denton from Dallas.<ref name="tsha-city"/>
* 1959 – Council-manager form of government adopted<ref name="tsha-city"/>
* 1960 – Denton State School established<ref name="tsha-city"/>
* 1961 – [[North Texas State University]] active
* 1966
** Civic Center built<ref name=CityHistory />
** Denton joined the [[North Central Texas Council of Governments]] (approximate date)<ref>{{cite web |publisher=North Central Texas Council of Governments |title=NCTCOG Members |location=Arlington |url=http://www.nctcog.org/edo/membership.asp |access-date=April 14, 2017 |archive-date=April 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170408081500/http://www.nctcog.org/edo/membership.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{chronology citation needed|date=April 2017}}
* 1969 – [[Denton Community Theatre]] active
* 1974 – Dallas–Fort Worth Regional Airport operating in vicinity of Denton<ref name="tsha-city"/>
* 1979 – Courthouse-on-the-Square Museum opened<ref>{{citation |work= Colony-Courier Leader |date= March 24, 2009 |publisher=Star Local Media |location=Plano, TX |url=http://starlocalmedia.com/thecolonycourierleader/news/county-museum-celebrates--year-anniversary/article_bfe35792-edde-526f-9668-ec9472d91bc7.html |title=County museum celebrates 30-year anniversary}}</ref>
* 1980
** [[Golden Triangle Mall]] in business<ref name="tsha-city"/>
** Population: 48,063.<ref name=TSHApop />
* 1987 – [[University of North Texas Press|North Texas State University Press]] headquartered in Denton
* 1988 – North Texas State University renamed University of North Texas
* 1996 – City website online (approximate date)<ref>{{cite web |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/19961221212950/http://www.ci.denton.tx.us/ |url-status= dead |url= http://www.ci.denton.tx.us/ |archive-date= December 21, 1996 |title= City of Denton, Texas, USA |via= Internet Archive, [[Wayback Machine]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20000925084754/http://www.officialcitysites.org/Texas/Cities/D/ |url= http://officialcitysites.org/Texas/Cities/ |url-status= dead |archive-date= September 25, 2000 |title= United States of America: Texas |work= Official City Sites |editor1= Kevin Hyde |editor2= Tamie Hyde |location= Utah |oclc= 40169021 }}</ref>
* 2000 – Population: 80,537<ref name=TSHApop />
* 2003
** Public swimming pool opened<ref name=CityHistory />
** [[Michael C. Burgess]] became [[U.S. representative]] for [[Texas's 26th congressional district]]<ref>{{cite book |title=Official Congressional Directory |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=Government Printing Office |year=2003 |chapter=Texas |via=[[HathiTrust]] |hdl=2027/mdp.39015054040954 }}</ref>
* 2010 – Population: 113,383<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045216/4819972 |title= Denton city, Texas |work=QuickFacts |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=April 13, 2017 }}</ref>
* 2011 – [[Downtown Denton Transit Center]] and University of North Texas' [[Apogee Stadium]] opened
* 2014 – Chris Watts became mayor.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cityofdenton.com/government/city-officials/city-council |title= Denton City Council |publisher=City of Denton |access-date= April 14, 2017 }}</ref>
* 2024 - 164,096 estimated population<ref>{{cite web |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/texas/denton |title= World Population Review |publisher=World Population Review |access-date= November 17, 2024 }}</ref>
* 2015 – Friendship City relationship formalized with [[Santa Rosa de Múzquiz]], Mexico.<ref>{{cite web|title=Denton & Muzquiz|date=October 4, 2018 |url=https://dentoncountyhistoryandculture.wordpress.com/2018/10/04/denton-muzquiz-ciudades-amigas/|access-date=2022-11-23}}</ref>
* 2020 – Gerard Hudspeth became Denton's first African-American mayor.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cityofdenton.com/Directory.aspx?EID=56|title=Staff Directory|access-date=2022-11-23}}</ref>
{{hidden end}}