About

About

How Lowry Crossing was Named

Info text

The city of Lowry Crossing was incorporated in 1971. In 1971 there were just 79 families living in Lowry Crossing. The population today is about 1720 people. 
The governing body consists of a Mayor, five City Council members, a Building Inspector, Judge, and City Secretary and City Assistant.

Lowry Crossing History (As told by Glen Eastham)


In 1927, Bridgefarmer was a dirt road. Levi Bass got the county commissioners to rock the road in 1928. Russell Dowdy donated the rock and Sam Eastham was paid $10 a day to take a wagon and team to transport the heavy loads. The rocks were so large that it took up to four people to load and unload them. The large rocks were set and smaller stones were placed around them. Someone with a sledgehammer would come along and beat the rocks into a crushed stone.

In the late 1960s Buster Smith was approached about putting asphalt on Bridgefarmer Road. A dollar amount was set on what the residents would need to pay complete this task. Glen Eastham, Wayne Betterton and Howard Morsden set out to collect the funds. It was not an easy process and they received more than one cussing over it. There were business owners who used the road that just stopped to make donations also. Glen finished the fundraising by receiving donations from Turentine and Crouch Funeral Homes as they often had services at Wilson Chapel Cemetery. Overall, there were only five families who didn’t financially support the blacktop road. All but these five received a culvert with the paving; the others got a bridge and a bill. Most of the maintenance was done by Glen and his son, Mike, for many years.

Milligan School was just south of the present day U.S. Hwy 380 on Bridgefarmer Road. The school was closed sometime between 1945 and 1947.

In 1971, area residents were concerned about the area being taken over by either McKinney or Princeton, both had encroaching boundary lines. Again, the Commissioners Court was addressed and asked to allow Lowry Crossing to incorporate. The Commissioners approved the request and on July 19, 1971, Lowry Crossing officially became its own town.

W. C Bridgefarmer owned the property that would become the home of the Lowry Crossing City Hall. In 1972 Glen Eastham, Mr. Roper, and Mr. Webster bought the 1/2 acre property. A house was donated and moved to the new location. It was remodeled and a bathroom was added. This building served as the City Hall until 2005.

History from the LCVFD Cookbook

The community of Lowry Crossing was named for William L. Lowry, an old-time Methodist circuit-riding preacher. Mr. Lowry and his family came to Texas in 1852 from Kentucky and established their home near the East Fork of the Trinity River. It was on his property the freight wagons crossed and became known as “Lowry’s Crossing”.
From 1900 to 1906 Lowry Crossing had two churches, a grist mill, three general stores, a blacksmith shop and a post office.

Milligan Water Supply serves homes both in and out of Lowry Crossing. It was established around 1964. The business was conducted out of the home of Carrie and Glenn Eastham until 1990 when it moved into the newly built Water Building. Today approximately 1965 households are served by Milligan Water Supply

The Volunteer Fire Department was formed in January 1984. It was made up of a small group of dedicated men and women that worked hard to serve their community. They purchased their first truck, a lime green deuce-and-a-half, from the Murphy Fire Department. Clarion (Berry) and Patsy Berryman were serving as our dispatchers for several years.

Today, the old worn out hand-me-down equipment and apparatus are being replaced with new or newer equipment. As the community continues to grow and become more complex so must the fire department. The department is currently dispatched by Collin County Sheriff’s Office. The focus of the department in recent years has been on training and equipment. We have several members that are Certified Basic Fire Fighters and/or Certified Emergency Medical Technicians. The Volunteer Fire Fighters are called out for fires, wrecks, smoke investigation, floods, medical calls, and an occasional rescue of a kitten from a tree.

Only through the generosity and support of the community and its citizens can this all volunteer fire department exist and continue to save lives and property.