IHS History
Settlers came to the area that is now Irving in the 1850's, and communities such as Sowers, Kit, Shady Grove, Union Bower, Finley, Estelle and Bear Creek sprang up in the last half of the century. The new town of Irving, founded in 1903 by J. O. Schulze and Otis Brown, eventually swallowed most of these settlements. Irving was officially incorporated April 14, 1914.
Schulze and Brown, who were employed by the Chicago, Rock Island & Gulf Railway, arrived in 1902 to survey a railroad route between Fort Worth and Dallas. Having decided that this area would be an ideal town site, they bought 80 acres from the Britain family in 1902. The co-founders sold the first town lots at a public auction on December 19, 1903. The post office at nearby Kit was moved to Irving in 1904. The City Council adopted author Washington Irving as the city's namesake in 1998. Local historians believe that Irving co-founders Otis Brown and J. O. Schulze decided in 1902 to name the city after Netta Barcus Brown's favorite author. Schulze, a graduate engineer from the University of Iowa and member of the Washington Irving Literary Society, also was partial to the name "Irving"
The Heritage House, one of Irving's oldest homes, was built in 1912 by C. P. Schulze for his bride, Virginia Tucker, of Dallas. C. P. was the brother of J. O. Schulze, co-founder of Irving in 1903. The home was deeded to the City of Irving to be used as a tour home in 1975 as a bicentennial gift by the Schulze heirs. After a small amount of restoration, the home was completely furnished with original Schulze (both J. O. and C. P.) family antiques, and gifts and loans from other Irving families. The Heritage House was designated as a Texas State Historical Landmark in 1986. Click here for a virtual tour of the Heritage House.
The Heritage House is located at 303 S. O'Connor Road in Irving. Tours are conducted from 3:00 to 5:00 P.M. on the first Sunday of each month, except for January and February.