Hiding out in Cedar Hill

Cedar Hill meant nothing more to me than some hills and some cedar

Antennas, cedar trees, on a hill

(juniper) trees. It’s a pretty area near Joe Pool Lake, and it’s a bunch older than I had anticipated. Of course, the day did not cooperate – a slow drizzle that became a rather chilly rain, instead of bright sunshine. We did find a nice place for lunch, so that mitigated the gloom, somewhat; and I did get a look at Joe Pool Lake.





Settlers from the Peters Colony founded Cedar Hill sometime around 1846. This group consisted of 197 families along with 184 single men; it

Historic house

was the largest settlement in the area at the time. On a warm, sunny day we plan to return to the city to take a look at the homes on the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places, the historical landmarks, and the historical cemeteries – one of which may be the oldest integrated cemetery in Dallas County.



Cedar Hill, although a thriving community, had a major set-back about ten

Cedars on a hill

years after it was established. The city was hit by a tornado that leveled all but two structures, damaged property, killed livestock, and took at least. One of the survivors, Robert Crawford, donated four acres for a public cemetery. The tornado victims were buried here. Records of the cemetery were lost for about 100 years, but sometime in 2005 – 2006 the actually graveyard was found. Named the Crawford Tornado Graveyard, it was re-consecrated in 2011.

The First State Bank of Cedar Hill is still in the oldest part of Cedar Hill but is now a barbershop; however, this doesn’t take away from its historic 

Historic house

significance. In 1932 the bank was robbed by Raymond Hamilton. I’d never heard of this robber, but I had heard of his friends, Bonnie and Clyde. After breaking Hamilton out of jail in Lovelady, Texas, they returned to an old hide out on the south side of Cedar Hill; they also had a few places to hide in the Mountain Creek Valley that is adjacent to the city.


Aside from the hills and the cedar trees, the multiple towers at the top of a

A few of the towers

hill always caught my attention. These towers were particularly important in the 1950s when Hill Tower was established. This location is one of the highest points in the area and a wonderful spot for broadcast antennas. The two national affiliates, KRLD-TV, and WFAA-TV, wanted this location for their antennas, so they compromised and shared the spot. Since then more local television and radio stations, as well as mobile communications technology service providers, have located their antennas in this spot, making Cedar Hill the home of the largest number of radio and television communication antennas in the county with a total of 14 towers.

Four Carrots

David's Seafood Grill (350 FM1382, Cedar Hill, TX 75104, 972-293-0005) is one of many restaurants in Cedar Hill. (For information about my rating system, see Reading the Reviews.) The restaurant is listed as

Left to right: Fish and chips, Fish tacos

serving ‘New Orleans-style seafood fare, po' boys and signature bread pudding in a casual atmosphere’. When we asked, we found that this had been a Rock Fish Restaurant that had been purchased by a former employee. The menu, while having some of the same items cooked with the same recipes, does focus on more Cajun style dishes. The service was good and our traditional order of peach tea was tastier than what we usually get at Rock Fish. Dave and Vince ordered the Atlantic Fish and Chips. This was several pieces of cod that had been beer battered and fried until crisp; the waffle fries went well with the fish. They both really liked their meals. I had a Fish Taco Platter that included three warmed Mazina tortillas spread with smoked aioli sauce and filled with fried fish strips, cabbage, and cheese (pico de gallo was included, but I declined it). I was very pleased, particularly with the freshness of the fish and the flavorful aioli sauce. We’d all go back to this restaurant.

A dreary day on Joe Pool Lake

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