One hundred and fifty years ago the area that is now Parker was covered with prairie grass, grass so high and thick that the first settlers here had to burn their fields two years straight to prepare the land for farming. Parker was the first known settler. Our community was named for his son, William C. The Corinth Presbyterian Church was established on August 2, 1846. The first school was established about 1880 in nearby Halltown (two miles east of Parker) and was known as the "Who'd A Thought It School." It was a rough and tumble school with a large enrollment of 90 children. According to long-time resident Arthur Hogge, the longest-lasting schoolmaster laid his gun on his desk to maintain order in the classroom. In the 1880's T.L. Johnson ran a gristmill and a general store. About this time the St. Louis and Southwestern Railroads planned a route through Parker and town lots were laid out. Subsequently, the railroads decided to lay tracks through Wylie instead of Parker, and with this, Parker's prospective business boom faded. In November 1900 Parker's one and only post office, opened in 1888, was closed. One store and a population of 50 were reported in 1910. By 1940 Parker had three businesses and a population of 86. It was during the 1940's that the schoolhouse was sold and torn down and the Parker children were divided into different school districts, some to Plano and some to Wylie. Parker was incorporated as a city on March 22, 1969. Since then, many city improvements, including an administration, hall facility, fire station, police station, pump station, and various road and drainage improvement projects, have been completed. Parker is proud to offer our citizens country living at its finest. Our farming and animal husbandry roots can be found everywhere. Even though our population has increased to over 2,300 persons, one can still find spacious acreage home site lots uncommon to the commonplace atmospheres of more densely populated adjoining cities. Parker retains the beauty and atmosphere found only in the country with close-in city conveniences such as nearby shopping malls, high quality Plano and Allen schools, fire and police protection, city water, and environmental concerns for waste recycling.
