Decatur, County seat in Wise County, Texas.
Decatur is a city in Wise County in north-central Texas, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) north of Dallas. The downtown area sits at an elevation of 336 meters (1,100 feet) and is home to over 6,000 people today.
The settlement began in 1856 as Taylorsville and took its current name in 1858 to honor Stephen Decatur, a U.S. naval officer. The arrival of the Fort Worth and Denver Railway in 1882 brought significant growth.
The Wise County Heritage Museum preserves objects and documents from the 1800s in a former Baptist college administration building. Visitors can explore how daily life looked in this area generations ago.
The city is easily accessed from highways I-35 and US-81 and works well as a stop between Dallas and Oklahoma. A visit to the museum typically takes an hour or two and provides a good overview of the area's past.
The Episcopal Mission of the Ascension was built in 1889 and remains the oldest church building still standing in the city. The structure has kept its original architectural features unchanged.
Location: Wise County
Inception: 1854
Elevation above the sea: 336 m
Website: http://decaturtx.org
GPS coordinates: 33.23333,-97.58333
Latest update: December 17, 2025 11:14
Waggoner Mansion
602 m
Administration Building, Decatur Baptist College
1.2 km
Brushy Creek Vineyards
21 km
Wise County Courthouse
349 mBlack Creek Reservoir
12.2 kmFort Griffin Brazos River Bridge
20.9 kmJ.T. Brown Hotel
20.7 kmSoil Conservation Service Site 13 Reservoir
34.1 kmSoil Conservation Service Site 11a Reservoir
20.9 kmHanna-Robinson-Richey Drugstore
21.1 kmEl Castile (Old Waggoner Home)
586 mOld Stone Prison
302 mSoil Conservation Service Site 14 Reservoir
28.6 kmSoil Conservation Service Site 37 Reservoir
29.9 kmSoil Conservation Service Site 9a Reservoir
33.6 kmSoil Conservation Service Site 42 Reservoir
33.2 kmMasonic Lodge #479
17.1 kmEpiscopal Mission of the Ascension
594 mEureka Lodge No. 371, A. F. & A. M.
31.1 kmSam Woody's Cabin
12.9 kmTexas Tourist Camp Complex
506 mR. C. Mount House
21.4 kmTexas Tourist Camp
704 mS. W. Tilghman House
115 mDecatur Golf Club
3.2 kmChimney Swift Tower
12.5 kmSender Ranch Pool 2
33.6 kmCouncil Ring
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