The Arts

The railroads didn’t just help the local business sector and population grow—they also brought new opportunities for cultural growth and entertainment. Traveling theatrical troupes and orchestras visited, and audiences were eager to attend their performances. German immigrants formed singing societies and hosted festivals that brought noted opera singers to Dallas.

Within a few decades local people also founded civic cultural organizations in Dallas that continue to modern times. In 1900 a group of local musicians, calling themselves the Dallas Symphony Club, presented a concert that led to the formation of a permanent symphony orchestra. An art exhibition upstairs in the new Carnegie Library in 1901 led to the creation of a permanent art museum. The construction of the library itself was the result of a concerted effort by Dallas women’s clubs, determined to improve literacy in the community.