Samuell Farms

Samuell Farms is a 320 acre park, located 15 miles east of Dallas Texas. The property has a very long and complex history. In 1878, a young man named William Samuell moved to Dallas Texas with his family. William Samuell eventually became a well known surgeon and philanthropist. The Samuell family acquired many properties throughout the Dallas area, but William Samuell decided to make his summer home on the property along North Mesquite Creek, in eastern Dallas County, which is now known as Samuell Farms. He used mule power to develop the fishing ponds which still exist today. Samuell also used this land to develop a living farm and a petting zoo. The farm also displayed many types of vintage farm equipment. It became a very popular attraction for many visiting families. William Samuell died of a heart attack on his farm in 1937. In Samuell's hastily written will, he stated that he wanted this property to be used for city park purposes, and not to be sold. This large piece of farmland was then established as a city park in 1938, but the city did not have the sufficient resources to continue its proper maintenance and development. As a result, the city had several decades of disputes over what to do with Samuell Farms. The condition of the property began to deteriorate, and the amount of visitors eventually dropped in half. In 1981, the city decided to develop Samuell Farms into a working pioneer farm, which included butter-churning, a syrup mill, and horse-drawn wagons. In 1994, a comedy troupe named "Sons of the Old West" staged gunfights for schoolkids and company picnics, and the farm also began a series of civil war reenactments. But as the years went by, there were many accusations of employee misconduct, as well as a large amount of complaints regarding the treatment and welfare of the animals. The animals were eventually removed by 1999. In 2001, most of the other remaining amenities were shut down due to lack of funding. But in 2004 a nonprofit group, named "Friends of the Farm", helped to restore several areas of the park. The park property now consists of long hiking trails, fishing ponds, and picnic areas. Although Samuell Farms does not offer as many activities and amenities as it did throughout its past history, it still remains a beautiful park which continues to attract many visitors for things such as family picnics, fishing, and scenic walking trails.

External links

https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2009/august/the-very-complicated-legacy-of-dr-william-samuell/ https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/crying-fowl-6401072 https://dallasgateway.com/fb-post/the-samuell-family-in-dallas-the-h-o-samuell-family/ https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth129110/

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