The History of the Tanglewood Area

The Tanglewood neighborhood consists of land in the low areas along the branch of the Trinity River and is approximately five miles southwest from the Fort Worth Central Business District.

Lemuel J. Edwards bought most of the present Tanglewood area which was known as the "Edwards Ranch" until it was sold by the Edwards family for development.

Lemuel Edward's son, Cass Overton Edwards, was born on the ranch in 1851. Cass Overton Edwards and later his children, Cass Edwards and Crawford Edwards, continued ranching in Tarrant County with extensive land holdings extending almost to the Central Business District. They sold a portion of the land in 1913 to the city of Fort Worth which later became Trinity and Forest Parks.

The original approach to the Tanglewood area consisted of a two-rut dirt road which is now Bellaire Drive South. Up to the time of development, children enjoyed swimming in the river in a deep hole which was located where the bridge is now on Bellaire Drive South. The Edwards ranch houses were located along the dirt road off of what is now Hulen Street and the Edwards still live there today. An area was designated as the Edwards Ranch School Site which is now where Tanglewood Elementary School is located.

The portions of Tanglewood which are now Bellaire Park Court, Marquette Court and Autumn Court were originally a dairy farm which the owner had purchased from the Edwards. In the early 1930's, the dairy farmer sold four lots on the bluff at the east edge of the property. In 1941, Dr. J. M. Lyle purchased the remaining 14 acres of the farm, gradually selling it off for development.

By 1954, it had become clear that Fort Worth was close to annexing the Edwards land so that the city could add the acreage to the tax rolls.

The Edwards family created the Cassco Land Company to help sell and develop the land they owned. Development began in 1955, with most of the Tanglewood property sold by 1957.

Today, the neighborhoods of Overton Park, Tanglewood and Overton Woods cover the acreage where Edwards and his family once raised cattle.

Land use restrictions filed on the Tanglewood addition stipulate that all houses must be brick or stone, and have at least a two-car garage attached to the house. Even though this was ranch property, it also stated that no cows, horses or other livestock would be allowed on the property after development.

The typical architecture of Tanglewood is predominantly ranch style homes. Most of the homes are single story with a few two stories here and there. The streets wind around generally following the contours of the river and the trees tower over all. This is good bottom land and very fertile. In heavy rains the area flooded before measures were taken to control the Clear Fork and branches of the Trinity River which run through the area. The bicycle-walking trail which meanders through Tanglewood is well used and enjoyed because of the shade and park setting. It typifies the relaxed atmosphere of this executive neighborhood.