Earlier this year, the Advocate took a deep dive into Lake Highlands’ history, specifically, the small crossroads town of Audelia.
The Jackson Family. Photo courtesy of the Dallas Municipal Archives.
Originally settled by the Jackson family in the 1840s, the village began as a small homestead and general store at the intersection of what is now Audelia Road and Forest Lane. It was first named Ardelia for one of the family’s daughters, Ellen Ardelia Jackson West, but eventually became known as Audelia by the time the WPA Guide to Dallas was finished in 1940.
Sound like ancient history (for Lake Highlands)?
While it may seem like a long time in our relatively newer neighborhood, there are still traces of the Jackson family, Ardelia and the settlement of Audelia throughout the area. Think Audelia Road or the historic McCree Cemetery (Ellen Ardelia and her husband, John West, are buried there).
That’s part of the reason why City Archivist John Slate, who guest-wrote the article for us, came up with the idea for a new event called AudeliaFest.
“Obviously, the article kind of sparked it in a way, but it just sort of seemed kind of fun off the top of my head to ask my colleagues at the Audelia Public Library if I could just set aside a morning to sort of do things related to Audelia,” Slate said.
A 1900 map of the Audelia area. Photo courtesy of the Dallas Municipal Archives.
From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 17, Slate and library staff will turn a portion of the library into a mini-festival celebrating all things Audelia. A mini-exhibit showcasing the Jackson Family, Audelia and the early history of White Rock Valley, complete with photos and maps from the era, will be on display. Slate will give a short lecture beginning at 11:30 a.m.
There will be an arts and crafts station where attendees can create 19th-century-inspired zines (small scrapbooks complete with words) to immerse themselves in the history and feel of northeast Dallas’ earliest days.
“We’ll have a sort of a station where people, kids, and really anybody, can use materials there to sort of build their own little scene and maybe write about it,” Slate said. “I might have some suggestions written up about what you could do, like, ‘talk about growing up in the Audelia area, or that kind of thing to personalize it.”
For an even more interactive experience, event organizers will lead a guided tour of McCree Cemetery beginning at 12:15 a.m. Neighbors can also pick up “passports” at the library on Saturday and travel to several landmarks associated with Audelia’s history, earning a stamp or taking a photo at each to win a prize.
The event, sponsored by the Dallas Municipal Archives and the Friends of the Dallas Municipal Archives, is free and open to the public.
The Audelia Road Branch Library is located at 10045 Audelia Rd
