Founded in the 1850s, Rockwall received its name from a stone wall located below the proposed town site. The town served as a business locale for many area farmers in its early years. When the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad laid tracks through town in 1886, Rockwall became a shipping point for agricultural products such as cotton, wheat, and corn. The Bankhead Highway was first designated through Rockwall in 1917. Establishment of the route through Texas brought an increase in tourism and auto-related businesses to Rockwall, including numerous gas stations, motels, and tourist courts, including Good Gulf Gasoline and the Paul Snow Ford Motor Company. The close proximity of Rockwall to Dallas, along with the construction of Lake Ray Hubbard in 1971, brought further prosperity to the town. Pick up a brochure at the visitor center to take a walking tour of historic downtown, bring your boat for a sail, or take a sunset stroll along the harbor.

More Locations in Rockwall

Centennial Marker
one mile east of downtown on SH 66

In addition to bringing the world to Dallas for a Texas-sized celebration, the 1936 Centennial encouraged people to travel across the state. New tourist information centers sprang up, and granite markers like this one were placed throughout Texas' 254 counties commemorating their establishment date and history. It was the beginning of a tradition of using historical markers to tell the stories of Texas where near the places of actual events, a tradition that continues today.

Magnolia Gas Station
101 Fannin St. N

Occupying a corner lot in downtown Rockwall you’ll find this 1920s former Magnolia gas station. You can’t get gas here anymore, so you’ll have to envision yourself parked beneath its canopy with pressed tin ceiling tiles, imagining what lies ahead on the Bankhead Highway.