Rolling Meadows Homeowners Association

Rolling Meadows Past and Present

Feb 26, 2002

by Carolyn DeVore

The general area now known as Rolling Meadows neighborhood began as Johnson Station, established in the 1840?’s as a trading post and the headquarters for the Texas Rangers. The official location for the trading post was near Marrow Bone Spring, toward the back of Founders Park at Arkansas Lane and Matlock. It was run by Col. Middleton Tate Johnson (1810-1866), who also owned Johnson Plantation that raised cotton on its vast acreage, where our townhouses now stand. Prior to this time, in the 1700?’s our land was a habitat for the Caddo Indians.

Johnson Station was home for the first post office in Tarrant County, opened on October 31, 1851. Johnson Station was also the site of the first stagecoach inn serving as an overnight stop between Ft. Worth and Dallas between 1870-1930?’s. The historic marker for this is located at the north side of our neighborhood on Mayfield Road by the Red Sands Archery building.

Johnson Station Cemetery, adjacent to our neighborhood, serves as a reminder of that early settlement marking the burial sites of pioneer settlers and veterans of the Civil War, and charter members of the Masonic Lodge. The oldest marked grave is that of Elizabeth Robinson, who died November 15, 1863.

Middleton Tate Johnson?’s gravesite is at Johnson Plantation Cemetery, 621 W. Arkansas Lane. The father of Tarrant County, a member of the congress of the Republic, born in South Carolina in 1810, died at Austin, Texas, May 15, 1866. Johnson County was named in his honor. We all agree that our neighborhood has a rich and colorful history!