Author Archive

Some neighbors say their favorite stories from Jim Barnes’ research are about the notorious and the fabulously wealthy. Here are a few:

• One circuit court case Barnes has researched involves a trespassing dispute between William Myers and Milton Merrifield (at right). “It’s quite complicated, but both claimed that they … more

A curious mind is to blame for Jim Barnes’ reputation as the Stevens Park Estates historian.

“I’d always thought that this neighborhood was very well planned, and somebody should do a little history about how things got to be this way,” Barnes says.

He decided to spend a couple of … more

Twelve Hills Nature Center board members are anxiously awaiting the completion of the center’s trailhead entrance sometime this spring. “Right now it looks like somebody is digging up a whole lot of dirt in a field that’s been neglected, and sometimes the neighbors wonder,” board member Paula Craig jokes. The … more

Of all the stories Barnes has come across, his favorite is the story of the Middlebrook sisters, whose family bought the Stevens family farmhouse, and who lived in the house until their deaths. Here is the story in his words:

“At the end of the street, there’s Middlebrook Place, a … more

She’s an American in Paris working as a fashion designer for Yves Saint Laurent. Oak Cliff native Kate Crouch had to travel across an ocean to find her calling, and she enjoys it so much she may never come home.

I understand you originally wanted to be a dancer.
I … more

I was pleasantly surprised this week to stumble upon a blog written by Clay Allard, pastor of Oak Cliff Presbyterian Church. He calls it "The Right Side of the Trinity River", which hearkens back to his statement in our October cover story that neighborhood churches who have found their mission … more

The 1912 house built by J.P. Blake is itself structurally sound, but the porch reached a critical point by the end of the 2008, says neighbor Jan Doherty, who let me know this week that the porch’s "original glazed terracotta tile was removed, the entire wood structure is being dismantled … more

One of the study’s committee members, Michael Mendoza, was kind enough to email me this morning to let me know that Monday night’s presentation, the most recent version of the Bishop/Davis study, is now available for downloading, which you can do here or on the committee’s website.

The website also … more

Kate Crouch, Oak Cliff native and expatriate in Paris, was a very sweet and humble interviewee for the piece in February’s Advocate CliffDweller. The dress she wore for her photo shoot with photographer Can Turkyilmaz was one of the first she ever designed. She has since created dozens of pieces … more

With all of the debate taking place on the future of Oak Cliff in terms of zoning and development, I was interested to hear the viewpoint of neighborhood historian Jim Barnes, whom I interviewed for a story in February’s magazine. His response surprised me — turns out historians aren’t strictly … more