Original Town in Carrollton in Dallas County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Alex W. and Sarah Perry Homestead
In 1844 Alexander Wilson Perry (1819-1904) and his wife Sarah (Huffman) (1824-1896) migrated from Illinois to Texas to join the Peters Colony. They purchased this land from Joshua B. Lee, another pioneer settler, and built a simple frame house here in the late 1850s. The Perrys had eight children who grew to adulthood. The family donated land for Union Baptist Church, Perry Cemetery, a school, and railroad right of way.
When the Perry property was divided in 1904, one son DeWitt Clinton Perry (1856-1930) received this portion containing the family home. In 1909 he dismantled the old structure and used some of the lumber and stone to build this one-and-a-half story residence. A central hallway divides the interior, and ornate columns support the wrap-around porch. Behind the house stand cedar trees that once shaded the front of the pre-Civil War dwelling.
Frances Grimes (Mrs. DeWitt) Perry (1866-1967) occupied the residence until her death just before her 101st birthday. In 1975 her daughter Pearl (Mrs. William A.) Gravley gave the house and ten acres of surrounding property to the city of Carrollton for use as a museum and park. Volunteers from the community restored the structure in 1975-76.
Erected 1976 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 6816.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Parks & Recreational Areas • Settlements & Settlers.
Location. 32° 57.506′ N, 96° 53.775′ W. Marker is in Carrollton, Texas, in Dallas County. It is in Original Town. It is on N. Perry Road, on the left when traveling north. The marker is in a small paved parking lot between the homestead house and the Perry Cemetery to the north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1509 N Perry Road, Carrollton TX 75006, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Prairies & Lakes Region and in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Carrollton High School (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Perry Cemetery (approx. 0.3 miles away); Union Baptist Church (approx. 0.4 miles away); Carrollton Train Depot (approx. 0.7 miles away); Pioneer Park (approx. Ύ mile away); Blanton Grain Tower (approx. 0.8 miles away); St. John Baptist Church (approx. 0.9 miles away); Carrollton Black Cemetery (approx. 1½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Carrollton.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 20, 2020, by Kayla Harper of Dallas, Texas. This page has been viewed 1,108 times since then and 56 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on April 20, 2020, by Kayla Harper of Dallas, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.





