Mantle Manners POA-Gun Barrel City, TX Claimed

This Listing is for people who live in or want to know more about the Mantle Manors neighborhood in Gun Barrel City Texas.

The Mantle Manners Home Run on Cedar Creek Lake

A story about how Baseball’s greatest legend ran the bases on Texas’ most popular recreation lake

By Eric Gore-Dec. 2021

Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed The Commerce Comet and The Mick, was an American professional baseball player. Mantle played his entire Major League Baseball career (1951–1968) with the New York Yankees as a center fielder, right fielder, and first baseman. Mantle was one of the best players and sluggers and is regarded by many as the greatest switch hitter in baseball history. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974 and was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.

In the 1960’s, Mickey Mantle was hired to serve as land developer for GWM Corp., which billed itself as the leading resort property developer in Dallas, Texas. Using Mantle’s name and popularity was the marketing plan to sell real estate lots in the Dallas area. GWM Corp. featured different types of lots for people with different kinds of lifestyles. Three different packages existed, all with Mickey Mantle being used as their Ace Sales Rep.

Mantle Manors was one of the most popular developments on Cedar Creek Lake, an hour southeast of Dallas. The popular lake front view lots with dimensions of 150 X 95 feet sold for just $695.

A Mantle Manors brochure was designed with caricatures of Mickey depicting boating, sailing, fishing, swimming and water skiing; all promoting recreation and the benefits of an active, recreational lake life.

There was also an introductory letter that was sent out to prospective clients throughout North Central Texas. It came with a photo of Mickey in his Yankees uniform and had a personal autograph. A prepaid green Mantle postcard was also issued for prospective buyers who wanted further information. The company also issued a $3 payment voucher to attract clients to drive out and visit Mantle Manors. The voucher or check had Mickey’s photo. A billboard on Hwy 175 proclaiming ‘Mickey Mantle Bids you welcome’ was erected to promote Cedar Creek Lake lots for sale for passersby. Construction and Development progress was reported regularly in local and regional media such as was the case in the Malakoff News in October 1965. All in all, it was a comprehensive marketing campaign and it worked.

A second nearby GWM Corp. development of Mickey Mantle’s called Willowwood promoted ‘Home sites of Distinction’ and was a Cedar Creek lakefront resort and residential mobile home community. Willowwood promoted itself as being ideal for a low cost weekend hideaway, retirement or investment purchase.  Mantle himself bought a lot for his family on Willowwood but it’s believed only occasionally spent weekends retreating there.  On the rare occasions they were there, photo’s were taken promoting Mickey and family as the friendly lake area famous neighbors you want to get to know!

Arbolado, which translated from Spanish language means ‘wooded’, was the third residential and resort community with views of Cedar Creek Lake. The development offered swimming, boating and fishing in a wooded, secluded area.

Word has it that, often times when buyers purchased a GWM lot on Cedar Creek Lake, the lucky buyer was handed over an autographed Mickey Mantle baseball after the deal was done!

All three developments still exist on Cedar Creek Lake, although they no doubt have changed during the past 40 years. Indeed, the Mantle Manners neighborhood has experienced a sort of Renaissance of late with many homes having been remodeled and or added upon. During 2021 some new homes were built on a few of the remaining vacant lots still available on lake front facing Autumn Wood Trail. Mickey Mantle died in 1995 at Baylor Hospital in Dallas at age 63 from ailments brought on by alcoholism, which he publicly acknowledged. Of course, the Mickey Mantle billboard on Highway 175 is gone but has been replaced by over a dozen Cedar Creek lake-life signs from realtors, home builders, attorneys, service providers and others.

The neighborhoods of Mantle Manners, Willowwood and Arbolado continue to be part of an overall growth surge as the town of Gun Barrel City experiences unbounded population growth with more full time and weekend residents moving in to reach for that lake life dream that was Micky Mantles Home Run Legend.