Back in the 1800s

The following account of the History of Balch Springs has been graciously provided to the City of Balch Springs by Marilyn Kosanke, Historian.

The area which became Balch Springs was first settled in the 1840s. William H. Bennett and other farmers moved to the present-day Balch Springs area with their families. For supplies and mail the settlers went to the Scyene and Haught’s Store communities before Mesquite was founded in 1873. In the early 1800s wheat, oats, and corn were the main crops. By the late 1800s cotton was the main crop.

Around 1879 John M. Balch and his family moved to Texas and settled south of Mesquite in what is now the Balch Springs Road and Eastgate Drive area. Mr. Balch found several springs on his land, one of which ran all year-round. According to local legend, Mr. Balch’s springs were cleaned out and bricked up and became a community meeting place where people came to fill their water buckets and barrels and talk. Mr. Balch’s neighbors began referring to the springs as “Balch Springs.”