"Keeweechic's Grapevine" a Grapevine Travel Page by keeweechic

Grapevine Texas is one of Tarrant County's oldest settlements which originated in 1844 and has been recognised by the National Register of Historic Places. The earliest settler arrived in 1845 and began operating a store on his land which was near where the town square was later built and where you will find the Torian Cabin today. Prior to settlement, this blackland prairie area was the site of important negotiations with the Indians including a treaty signed here by Sam Houston in 1849. The name of the town changed many times over the years from Cross Timbers (1846 to 1851), Grape Vine Springs, Leonardville, Dunnville, Grape Vine, and then finally the names were joined to become Grapevine which came from the wild mustang grapes which grew in the area.

The town had grown to 800 residents by 1890 with four churches, three gristmills and cotton gins and a school. Around 1900 the St Louis Southwestern Railway had made its way into the town. While reaching a population of 1,200 by 1914 although the numbers fluctuated over the next 26 years. The town became incorporated by 1936 and with the opening of the new Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in 1974 at the southeastern limits of the city, the town started to grow in leaps and bounds.

Today Grapevine is both a charming area for its historical preservation of the downtown area and a booming business area. There are numerous leisure activities both on Lake Grapevine, the various golf courses and the extensive park system with available sporting facilities such as tennis, soccer fields, jogging and biking trails, baseball and softball fields and playground and picnic facilities.

The city is located 21 miles northwest of Dallas and 19 miles northeast of Fort Worth.