Allandale, Austin, Texas
Allandale, Austin, Texas is a neighborhood in North Central Austin, in the U.S. State of Texas known for its large lots, mature trees, and central location. The Allandale neighborhood boundaries are Burnet Road and the Brentwood and Crestview neighborhoods to the east, Mopac Expressway and the Northwest Hills neighborhood to the west, 45th Street and the Rosedale neighborhood to the south, and West Anderson Lane and the North Shoal Creek neighborhood to the north. The neighborhood is bisected by Shoal Creek Blvd, and its namesake, the perennial Shoal Creek. Allandale history The area now considered the Allandale neighborhood was originally part of an 1841 land grant to George W. Davis by the President of the Republic of Texas, Mirabeau B Lamar, for his service in the Battle of San Jacinto. Over the years, Davis (and his descendants) sold most of the 3,154 acres he was granted; however, the Davis family cemetery, a Texas Historical Cemetery, is in Allandale. A portion of the lands that the Davis family sold became part of Frank Richcreek's family farm, the Kirchner dairy farm, and smaller neighborhoods that were built in the 1930s. This changed in 1946 when W. Murray Graham, who was known as the “dean of the Austin real estate profession” and was instrumental in developing the Enfield, Tarrytown, and Bryker Woods neighborhoods, started platting the original sections of the Allandale neighborhood, soon followed by Allandale Oaks in 1951. Other sections of Allandale, including Allandale Terrace, Allandale Park, and Allandale West, were platted by other developers. Allandale West In 1958, Allandale West (the area north of Northland, south of Gullett Elementary School between the Union Pacific railroad tracks and Shoal Creek) was developed by Mr. W. H. Bullard. A long time neighborhood resident and friend of Mr. Bullard, John Miller provided insight on the naming of some of the street names in Allandale West: Bullard (Dr), Named after Mr. Bullard Clarice (Ct), Long time employee of Mr. Bullard's Carleen (Dr), Wife of the project's civil engineer Sarah (Ct), Mr. Bullard's secretary Gena (Ct), Daughter of Mr. Bullard's secretary Janey (Dr), Daughter of Mr. Bullard's secretary Louise (Ln), Mr. Bullard's mother's and daughter's name Marilyn (Dr), Wife of Mr. Bullard's law partner Susie (Ct), A long time Austin Club employee Rickey (Dr), Rickey Key, a close friend of Mr. Bullard Fairlane (Dr), Mr. Bullard's Ford Fairlane automobile Treadwell (Blvd), Named by a local optometrist 1981 Flood On Memorial Day 1981, eleven inches of rain fell in three hours in some places in Austin. At the height of the storm around midnight, Shoal Creek, which normally flows at 90 gallons a minute was raging at 6.55 million gallons per minute. By morning, 13 people were dead, hundreds of homes were destroyed, and Shoal Creek was clogged with dozens of new cars that had washed into the creek from a nearby dealership. Plesiosaur Fossil Find In 1991, local dentist and amateur paleontologist Robert McDonald found plesiosaur fossils in Shoal Creek near Greenlawn Parkway and Shoal Creek