Among the most prominent towns in the county outside the city of Dallas, is Garland. It is situated on Duck creek, about 17 miles in a northeasterly direction from the city of Dallas, at the junction of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas and the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe railroads, and near the site of the old town of Duck Creek.
     In 1886, the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe railroad was located, and its line run about one mile east of the town of Duck Creek, and a town was at once laid out on the railroad and called Embree, after Dr. K. H. Embree, one of the leading physicians of Duck Creek, which latter adopted the name of the new town and ere long began moving near the railroad, and within a year's time all the business houses of old Duck Creek were doing business in a live little railroad town called Embree.
     But the quiet of the new town was soon disturbed by the advent of another railroad. The Missouri, Kansas & Texas located a line from Dallas to Greenville, running through the county near Embree, and another town was begun under the name of the old town that was over on the creek, and then sprung up a rivalry between the two new towns, Duck Creek and Embree.  At first Embree had the advantage, as that was the name of the post office, but Duck Creek was fighting for it, while Embree was fighting to retain it. Many interesting scenes and circumstances attended this scramble for a name, including midnight rides to Dallas and back with an officer to restrain one or the other of the town from incorporating and thus more firmly fixing its name, and giving it precedence over the other. After a brief period of time, throught the efforts of Hon. Thomas F. Nash and several other prominent citizens of Duck Creek, the name of the post office was changed from Embree to Garland (after the then postmaster general), and at once Duck Creek adopted the name of the new post office, and "on the home-run Garland gained on her adversary and passed under the wires a full length ahead." The commenced the decline of Embree and of the new town, and ere many mouths those same houses which had been moved from old Duck Creek to Embree were moved down to Garland, and Embree is now numbered among the things of the past.
     In 1891 Garland incorporated, and now does business in a city-like manner, with M. Davis Williams as mayor (1892).
     The first officers of the incorporated town were: M. Davis Williams, mayor; Tobe Ethridge, marshal; S. E. Scott, J. N. Floyd, J. R. Brown, S. A. Allen and J. D. Curfman, aldermen.
     All the religious denominations are represented, though there are only two church buildings in the town proper, the Christian and the Baptist, the other denominations using the college hall in which to hold their services.
     The Baptist and Methodist denominations each had established churches here long before the town of Garland was thought of, not in the town, nor where the town now is, but near it, on Duck creek; and a lttle farther down the creek was the "Christian," or, as it is sometimes called the "Campbellite," church.  Since the building of the town, the Baptists and Christians have each built a church in town, and the Methodist have purchased a lot preparatory to building, as have also the Cumberland Presbyterians. The pastors of the different denominations for this year (1892) are: Baptist, Rev. J. A. Moore; Methodist, Rev. J. M. McKee; Cumberland Presbyterian, Rev. L. A. Dunlap; Christian, Rev. C. L. Cole.
     This little town also has its share of secret societies. The Masons and Odd Fellows have each a hall, and the lodges are known as Duck Creek Lodge, No. 441, A. F. & A. M., and Duck Creek Lodge, No. 304, I.O.O.F. The Knights of Honor also have a lodge, Duck Creek Lodge, No. 2,729.
     The principal houses are: J. D. Curfman, general merchandise; Crossman Brothers, grocers; Brown & Hoygood, general merchandise; Mark Elliston & Company, general merchandise; Beaver, Scott & Williams, general merchandiese; William Brothers undertakers and furniture dealers; Clark & Sebastian, hardware; C. C. Bradley, hardware and farming implements; Sam C. Hall, druggist; Pacific Drug Store, Dr. R. E. Summers, proprietor; W. T. Jackson, liquors and cigars; J. T. Mewshaw, blacksmith and carriage shops; Weaver & Wells, livery and feed stables; Tinsley & Parker, meat market; City Barber Shop, H. L. Erwin, proprietor; Bird Cage Barber Shop; John C. Green, proprietor.
     The professional men in town are: T. F. Nash, attorney at law; R.E. Summers, K. H. Embree, J. V. Ryon, T. S. Walker, J. D. Jackson, and E. H. Ayres, physicians.
     The Garland News, the only newspaper published in Garland, is issued weekly by John H. Cullom, its founder, who began publishing it there about five years ago.