To Honor or To Bulldoze? The Childhood Home of The Most Notorious Outlaw in Texas

When it comes to Texas outlaws, we have plenty to talk about. There is no shortage of ruthless madmen scattered across the history of the Lone Star State. A case could be made, however, that none of them reached the same status of Clyde Barrow, the Clyde half of Bonnie & Clyde.

The humble beginnings of one of America's most notorious outlaws used to rest on a non-descript corner in Dallas, Texas.

The Tiny House on Singleton Boulevard

The home that used to sit at 1221 Singleton Boulevard in Dallas, Texas was the home of Henry Barrow and his family. Originally having set up shop in West Dallas, the family moved their tiny house to the lot on what would become Singleton Boulevard and set it up to be a small gas station.

The family had known its fair share of hard times. They had supposedly lived in a tent for a while in West Dallas, and were able to open the gas station thanks to funds Henry Barrow received as part of a lawsuit.

This humble house and gas station was the childhood home of Clyde Barrow. It would be forever linked to the nefarious and murderous lives of Bonnie & Clyde.

When the Bulldozer Came

Over the years, the house fell into disrepair. After the deaths of Bonnie & Clyde, the family gas station didn't last long. There were attempts made on family members' lives, and the house was supposedly firebombed more than once.

A developer bought the property in early 2020. Unfortunately, the developer's plans were to bulldoze it. A valiant effort to preserve the property and grant it historic status ensued, but unfortunately it was all for naught.

The home was bulldozed on April 20, 2022, according to reports. Supposedly the owner of the property thought the life of Clyde Barrow was not one that was deserving of commemoration or of being celebrated.

According to reports, he held the view that Clyde Barrow was a vicious murderer who ended the lives of first responders in cold blood. He didn't think that part of Dallas' history was worth saving.

While one can see his point, and it's completely valid considering that Clyde Barrow was absolutely the furthest thing from a "good guy" that's ever existed, it's also a little jarring. In our culture, we have a certain tendency to enshrine pieces of our dark history. It isn't a celebration, so much as it is a reminder, almost a warning, of the evil that can lurk in plain sight.

It doesn't matter, now. The Barrow home and gas station is gone, leaving behind only legends that are passed along by those that remember.