Quakertown will soon take its place alongside other beloved area locations honored by the Texas Historical Commission as significant to Denton history.
On Feb. 16, local elected officials will honor the former black community by placing a historical marker in Quakertown Park, next to the Denton Civic Center.
“To me, it’s something that should be remembered,” said Laura Douglas, a Denton librarian who researched and wrote the historical narrative that was presented to the Texas Historical Commission to help get the marker. “It is a spot on Denton’s history, a bad choice of the leaders of the city of Denton at the turn of the century.”
Quakertown was a thriving black community in Denton in the 1880s. It had Denton’s first black physician, a grocery store, restaurants, a tailor’s shop, churches and a school.
In 1921, though, voters approved buying the land for what would become Civic Center Park. By 1923, the park had displaced the core of the neighborhood.
The park was renamed Quakertown Park in 2006 to honor the community, a move County Judge Mary Horn said was a step in the right direction.
“It’s part of the history of Denton that needs to be recognized,” she said.
The new marker will give Quakertown statewide significance, as it will be included in all the historical registries, Douglas said.
“I was probably a teenager when I heard about Quakertown,” she said. “You always think racism can’t happen in your town, and to find out something this big happened, it was an eye-opener for me.”
Horn and Denton Mayor Mark Burroughs will speak at the event. The marker will be unveiled by Southeast Denton Neighborhood Association president Colette Johnson, county Commissioner Andy Eads and Denton City Council member Kevin Roden. Former council member Charlye Heggins will read the marker inscription.
She said it is important to remember Quakertown because it was the first place African-Americans moved in the city.
“History is its story,” Heggins said.
She said she hoped the community would begin to use the park more.
Burroughs said Quakertown represents an important lesson for the city.
“It’s a lesson of showing that in the past this town had its challenges,” the mayor said. “It had issues that many might not wish to remember specifically.”
Burroughs said people need to be more sensitive to and appreciative of diversity.
“I think that’s what Quakertown stands for. When you look at Quakertown Park now, it stands for peace, tranquility, friendship, family — all of the good things a healthy community has, including diversity,” Burroughs said. “It allows us today to reflect sometimes on how far we have come as a community, and I am proud of that.”
GO & DO
What: Dedication of Quakertown historical marker
When: 10 a.m. Feb. 16
Where: Quakertown Park, next to the Denton Civic Center, 321 E. McKinney St.