Allen, Texas facts locals rarely recall
Allen’s history runs deeper than most residents realize. Tucked into the city are details that challenge what people think they know about its past and present.
Some changes came from bold growth, others from smaller steps that slowly shifted the city. What remains are traces that still shape how Allen works today.
Pieces of the past sit in parks, creeks, and even familiar streets. Together, they give Allen a side that longtime residents may not have noticed before.
Texas’s first train robbery happened in Allen
In 1878, Allen became the site of Texas’s first recorded train robbery. Outlaw Sam Bass and his gang targeted a Houston and Texas Central Railway train as it slowed near town…