Carrollton: Peters Colony's Mill Town

Carrollton began as part of the Peters Colony, the sprawling land grant that drew settlers to North Texas during the Republic of Texas era. William and Mary Larner arrived in eighteen forty-two, and A.W.

Perry and his family followed from Carrollton, Illinois in eighteen forty-four, eventually acquiring the original townsite and platting it for sale. Perry partnered with Wade Witt to establish a mill on the site, which gave the early settlement its economic foundation. The town was most likely named for the Illinois hometown many of the early settlers had left behind.

Carrollton incorporated in nineteen thirteen and remained a small agricultural community until the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex expansion of the mid-twentieth century transformed it into a major suburb. The A.W.

Perry Homestead Museum preserves the original family property.