Remember Gibbs Station? Coppell, Texas, wasn’t always called Coppell. It began as Gibbs Station. The community was named for Barnett Gibbs. He was a prominent political figure. Gibbs later became the Texas Lieutenant Governor.
However, Gibbs himself never settled in the Coppell area. He just owned a ranch south of the region. Despite this, his name marked the area’s early identity. In 1887, the first post office was built in the Gibbs Community. It was located in the Harrison family’s general store. A Methodist Church was erected there in 1897.
Then came the railroad. In 1888, the St. Louis Arkansas and Texas Railway built a depot in Gibbs. It was known as Gibbs Station. The railroad brought convenience and connected Coppell with other communities. As trains ran through Gibbs, a second depot was built in 1890. It was named the Coppell depot.
The St. Louis Southwestern Railway Company of Texas was chartered in 1891. It operated the Texas section of the railway system. People called it the Cotton Belt.
After the Cotton Belt railroad came to town, the Gibbs community was renamed Coppell. The new name honored George A. Coppell. He was a railroad investor. The post office officially changed the name in 1892. This happened two years after the new Coppell depot was built. George A. Coppell also served as an executive. He sat on the board of railroad companies. He was on the bankruptcy committee that oversaw the opening of the railroad in Coppell.
The arrival of the railroad transformed Coppell. It became an incentive for trade. The area produced cotton, wheat, oats, sweet potatoes, peanuts, and melons. Early community activities centered on agriculture and church life.
Coppell continued to grow. In the 1920s, new roads between Denton and Dallas made Coppell more accessible. The community consolidated its schools. The new school was named Coppell School. A new school building was constructed in 1928.
Today, Coppell has grown into a vibrant suburb. It has a population of over 35,000 residents. This contrasts with its origins as a sleepy town. Coppell’s story is one of transformation. From Gibbs Station to Coppell it embraced progress. It became a thriving community in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.