Quirky
Frognot Community
Situated near creeks and branches in a valley east of Blue Ridge, the Frognot community (also known as Frog Not, Frog Nod, Frogknot) has a number of theories as to the origins of its name. Most of these theories involve frogs that appear in the nearby Indian Creek following a rain.
History
George McGarrah Cemetery
A member of the Peters Colony, George McGarrah (1804-1879) brought his family to this area in the 1840s. Prior to his arrival in Texas, McGarrah had lived in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where he is credited with helping to build many of the historic structures still extant in that city. McGarrah's wife had died in Arkansas in 1838 while giving birth to their daughter, Harriett.
History
George Washington Smith
(1796?-1876?) Born in Wilson county, Tennessee, George Washington Smith came to Texas in 1834 with his wife Elizabeth Briggs. He fought in the Texas War for Independence (1835-36) as a private in Capt. Clendennin's Company, 1st regiment artillery. In the Mexican War (1846-48), he served as a sergeant in company, K, 1st regiment of the Texas Rangers, under Col. John Coffee (Jack) Hays.
Architecture
Gough-Hughston House
James Rowland Gough (1860-1916), a McKinney attorney, built this residence in 1898. He served as state representative and senator from this area. The home was sold to Wallace Hughston in 1918. Active in government, Hughston was elected to the Texas Senate and later served with the Texas Railroad Commission, State Board of Education and the Federal Housing Authority.
History
Governor James Webb Throckmorton
(February 1, 1825 - April 21, 1894) A doctor's son, James W. Throckmorton was born in Tennessee. He migrated with his parents to the Texas frontier in 1841 and settled near this site. At age 17, he became hunter and scout for his pioneer neighbors. He served in the Mexican War (1846-48). In 1848 he married Annie Rattan (1828-1895) and built a home near McKinney.
Architecture
Heard-Craig House
Designed by the noted architect J.E. Flanders of Dallas, this home was built in 1900 for Stephen D. Heard (1847-1926), a prominent merchant and business leader, and his wife, Lillie Snapp Heard. Their daughter, Kathryn (Mrs. Thomas) Craig, inherited the structure in 1932 and occupied it until her death in 1970. She left the property to the Heard-Craig Woman's Club Trust for use as a clubhouse.
History
Highland Cemetery
The Highland community was established in the mid-1800s as a stop on the stage route between Buckner (approximate 3 miles west of the present site of McKinney) and Bonham. An early settler, Charles H. Wysong, donated 3 acres of land for a community church, school, and cemetery in 1858. The first marked grave, that of Robert Strother, is dated 1861.
Architecture
Honaker-Holsonbake House
Prominent businessman John Milburn Honaker and his wife Malinda (Bickley) built a Queen-Anne home at this site in 1893. They extensively remodeled the house in 1910 in a Neoclassical style, adding a full second floor and two-story porch with Doric columns and oblong balcony.
History
Howell House
Occupied by four generations of the same family, this structure stands on property granted in 1845 to Edward Bradley (1787-1855), a member of the Peters Colony. His daughter Mary Ann (1820-1878) inherited the land. Her husband, merchant Daniel Howell (1821-1878), built the first portion of this residence in 1861-62. Much of the cypress lumber was hauled by wagon from Jefferson.
History
Huson Cemetery
Allen Daniel and his family came to Texas from Tennessee in 1847. He and his wife Elizabeth were the parents of eight children. They settled in this area in 1850 and Daniel purchased 480 acres of land in May 1851. Less than one year later, on February 25, 1852, he died and was buried on his land. Allen and Elizabeth Daniel's daughter, Tennessee P. Daniel, was married to D.E. Huson.
Architecture
J. D. Stiff Home
John David Stiff (1853-1909) and his wife Blanche (Duer) (1866-1950) built this residence in 18934, the same year the first of their two children was born. A merchant, stiff owned a dry goods business on the town square. His home features influences of the Queen Anne style. Interesting elements include the paired dormers and the fish scale shingling.
History
James Calvin Rhea House
James Calvin Rhea (1837-1925) came to Texas from Tennessee in 1855. He and his brother, W.A. Rhea, built a gristmill in the Collin county community that became known as Rhea Mills. Built about 1890 by John W. Hamilton, this home features Eastlake style elements in its wraparound veranda, ornamental woodwork, and sunburst panels. The home remained in the Rhea family until 1956.
History
James Waller Thomas House
THIS VERNACULAR STYLE HOUSE WAS BUILT c. 1868 BY JAMES WALLER THOMAS, AN EARLY CIVIC LEADER IN COLLIN COUNTY, FOR HIS FAMILY OF 13. ORIGINALLY A ONE-ROOM RESIDENCE, THE HOUSE HAS NOT BEEN SUBSTANTIALLY MODIFIED SINCE 1902. IT REFLECTS THE MODEST HOMES BUILT BY EARLY SETTLERS OF NORTH TEXAS WITH MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES AVAILABLE PRIOR TO THE ARRIVAL OF RAIL SERVICE.
Architecture
John Elias and Ida May Herrington House
Missouri native John Elias Herrington (1863-1926), and his wife, Ida May (Douglas) (1870-1951), built this Queen Anne house in 1902 in the Lone Star community. John raised wheat, corn and cotton on this Blackland Prairie farm and dealt in real estate. In 1894, he gave one acre of land to built the Lone Star School. In 1919, the Herringtons moved to Van Alstyne, where John was a banker.
History
John Faires House
This home was constructed in 1854 by John Faires (1801-1878), who had come to McKinney from Tennessee three years earlier. Near his home he built a Blacksmith Shop, where he worked skillfully with metal and wood. The hand chiseled front door of Faires' home reflects his Woodworking Craftsmanship.
Architecture
John Martin House
John M. Martin (b. 1859), a member of an early Collin county family, was a local architect and builder who erected this house for himself about 1880. The structure exhibits elements of the Queen Anne style, including asymmetrical massing, wall surfaces of various materials, and an octagonal-roofed upper bay -- said to be a Martin trademark.
History
John Myers McKinney
(1781-1847) Born in Surry county, North Carolina, J.M. McKinney was the son of James and Mary (Ballard) McKinney. In 1809 he married Peggy Margot Lee. They lived in Tennessee, Missouri, and Arkansas before coming to Texas in 1846. After settling his family on this land in Collin county, McKinney left to enlist in the Mexican War.
Architecture
John S. and Rachel W. Heard House
Arkansas native and Confederate soldier John Spenser Heard (1841-1933) joined his family here in McKinney about 1865. He married Rachel Wilson in 1884. Business success allowed the Heards to benefit numerous local causes and to build this home in 1921.
History
Josephine
The City of Josephine began as a gift when the St. Louis Southwestern Railway began construction in the area in 1887. Jesse Hubbard donated four acres of land for the construction of a new town to be named after his daughter. The prior settlement of Reed's Chapel existed nearby around the Methodist Episcopal Church, established in 1881, and the Baptist Church, established in 1888.
Architecture
Kirkpatrick House
E.W. Kirkpatrick (1844-1924), a veteran of the Confederate Army and a prominent leader in business and civic organizations, purchased this property in the 1870s as a site for his prosperous plant nursery. This spacious Queen Anne style house and a nearby barn were constructed in 1901-02. Cypress siding was hauled by wagon from Jefferson for the exterior of the multi-story residence.
Architecture
L. A. Scott Home
Square nails used on the first floor of this Queen Anne style residence suggest a construction date before the late 1880s. Originally a one-story structure, the second and third floors were added soon after 1900, when the home was purchased by Louis Alfred Scott (1852-1934), who became a successful McKinney businessman and active civic leader.
History
Lavon
Located in southeastern Collin County, the rich soils of the Blackland Prairie and the water provided by Bear Creek attracted settlers to the Lavon area in the 1850s. Elbert C. Thompson came to the area in 1854 and others soon followed. Lavon began when the St. Louis and Southwestern Railroad came through the county in 1886.
History
Lavon School
The first school in the community of Lavon was a two-story brick building. In 1910, the Little Creek School, which was organized in 1885, closed and transferred to the Lavon School District no. 135. Between 1938 and 1940, the school building for the Lavon Independent School District was built through the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Created by President Franklin D.
History
Law Office of James W. Throckmorton
Texas Governor (1866-1867). Front remodeled but interior unchanged. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1966
History
Lee Lodge No. 435, A.F. & A.M.
In 1875 Masons living in the Rhea's Mill community (4 miles northeast), who had been traveling to McKinney for meetings, obtained a charter from the Grand Lodge of Texas for a new lodge to be located in their area. Meetings were held in rented quarters until 1903, when the members of the lodge voted to move to Prosper, a major town on the Santa Fe rail line.
Elsewhere in Texas
Hear it from the road
Whistlestop tells you this story automatically when you drive past. No searching, no tapping, nothing to ask.
