Wandering to White Settlement

Texas Live Oak Tree

There are lots of little towns that surround Fort Worth. Generally these sprang up in the early 1850s, staying close to the fort for protection from the Comanche raids, and later as bedroom communities for people who worked in the city of Fort Worth. The name White Settlement came about as a result of there being one of two settlements in the area. Native Americans settled near where Fort Worth is located today, and white settlers lived in a nearby area. This second settlement was called ‘White Settlement’ as a way to differentiate it from that of the Native American settlement. But of course, there is another story: In 1857 or 1858, a May festival and program was presented by Mrs. Mitchell Girl's school. All of the girls wore in white dresses and had garlands of white prairie flowers in their hair. Reporting on the occasion for a Dallas newspaper, Captain Joe Terrell was so impressed with the white costumes and the flowers that he stated the community should be called ‘White Settlement’. As to which story you believe, please yourself.



The town grew slowly, with farmers arriving to work the rich soil in the area; Paul Isbell built a plantation on the site of what is now the Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base,

Top: Texas frame house
Bottom: Native stone house

and did large scale farming. Stage coach lines ran from Fort Worth to Weatherford, passing through White Settlement. However, the population exploded with the onset of World War II. Carswell Air Force Base was activated by the United States Army in July 1942 and people moved to White Settlement so they could work at the as the bomber plant. This influx of workers required that the district double its enrollment in January of 1943. By 1944 White Settlement had its own suburb, ‘Liberator Village’, a government housing area.  Although completely surrounded by Fort Worth and some other suburbs, White Settlement has continued to thrive. People no longer work at the now defunct bomber plant, but many commute to sites in Fort Worth, to the Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, and to the DFW Airport for employment.


We’d actually gone to White Settlement to try out a burger joint we’d read about. However, with the military presence close to this area, there are plenty of places to grab lunch. For information about my rating system, see Reading the Reviews.

Three carrots

Thurber Mingus (4400 White Settlement Rd, Fort Worth, TX 76114, 817-570-0537) is a

Outdoor seating

small restaurant in what looks to be an old house. You walk up to the cash register to order your food. I recommend you get the menu from their website prior to your visit so that you have some time to make a decision. Once you’ve ordered, they give you a number and a server brings your food. The day we were there it was freezing inside the restaurant with the music at the jet plane take-off level. We almost didn’t stay. There are picnic tables outside and down a flight of stairs. There is no handicapped access to this area. Luckily the day was gorgeous, so we had our lunch al fresco. Dave had the Queso Oaxaca stuffed Grilled Poblano and Green Onion with Cilantro Mayo burger; he said it was excellent. Vince had one Agave, Ancho, and Lime Marinated Grilled Chicken Thigh with Picalese, Crema, Queso Oaxaca, and Cilantro on a Flour Tortilla (a soft taco for those of you who need translation); he wasn’t particularly pleased with this selection because it didn’t have much flavor. I had the Goat Cheese and Bacon Jam burger; I loved the bacon jam and the burger was very good, too. We all shared an order of Herbed Fries that are fries with

Top, L to R: Goat cheese burger, Poblano burger
Bottom, L to R: Fries, Taco

Chimichurri sauce on them; we were all quite pleased with this side. This lunch was quite expensive ($40+) in that everything is charged separately; you get lettuce, tomato, onion and a pickle with your burger – that’s it. We could get refills on our drinks if we wanted to go back inside to the machine; there is no extra table service.  Our server was quite nice, explaining about what we were eating and bringing a to-go box for me that I didn’t have to request. While the food was good, the setting and the price are a barrier to a return visit. 

Cattle ranch in White Settlement city limits

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