Forney, Texas, is located in the northwest corner of Kaufman county, bounded by U.S. Highway 80 on the north side, Interstate 20 to the south, and the East Fork of the Trinity River to the west.1
Originally known as Brooklyn, Forney, Texas began with only a few farmers and ranchers.2 After the great war, more settlers began heading to Texas on the promise of good land and rolling prairies and began building their lives in Brooklyn. By the 1870's, the Village of Brooklyn had been established as the only town and trading center east of Dallas and West of Kaufman. In 1873, the Texas and Pacific Railroad started to build a railraod in the village. The town name was changed to Forney as a form of gratitude to John Wein Forney, the director of the Texas and Pacific Railroad and who was believed to have been instrumuental in the new railroad route through the town.
For the 50 years Forney was known for its leading export, "Forney Prarie Hay". However, by the early 1900's Forney had began ginning fifteen to twenty thousand bales of cotton each fall, shipping them to cotton markets across the United States.
Today, Forney is known as the Antique Capital of Texas.
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