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Hands-on History
McKinney, Texas', landmarks draw families and friends to its welcoming streets.
By Lainey R. Seyler
Texans are a proud breed. The state was settled by pioneers, cowboys and those eager to fight for independence. Each county, town and plain has a stake in the history of the state; not least of these is the town of McKinney.
Just 32 miles north of Dallas, McKinney may bring to mind a suburban outcropping. This is far from the truth. The burgeoning city has an identity of its own that's married to its plains-settling, hard-working heritage.
Back to its Roots
The city and county were named for one of its first settlers and residents, Collin McKinney. A proud statesman in Texas, McKinney was one of the drafters and signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico in 1836 and was personally responsible for bringing hundreds of settlers from the eastern states to the "new frontier" of Texas.
Cotton was king in McKinney beginning in the late 1800s. With a fully functioning cotton mill drawing farmers and their wagons full of cotton crops, McKinney was the center of commerce for the area. The cotton mill, later retooled into a textiles plant, was one of the world's largest manufacturers of denim until its doors closed in 1969.
Visitors to the city can travel through McKinney's rich history by taking a stroll through the historical downtown square at the center of the revitalized and lovingly restored historic district. Having one of the largest historical districts in north Texas, McKinney boasts roughly 1,700 historic homes and buildings.
Hit the History
The place to start time travel is at Chestnut Square Historic Village. Maintained by a 30-plus-year-old Historic Guild and a bevy of volunteers, the village is a cluster of historical homes, a chapel, schoolhouse and general store. The square resides near Historic Downtown McKinney, making it a good diversion before or after shopping and dining.
Chestnut Square is also home to one of the world's largest collections of ice cream freezers, with roughly 300 displayed at the square's visitor center, the oldest dating to the Civil War era.
Lots of cities have ice cream socials, but no one does it quite like McKinney. The Killis Melton Ice Cream Crank Off pits cool creamy treats against each other. Residents enter original recipes to take home prizes. Visitors can sample traditional favorites like chocolate and vanilla, gourmet interpretations like chocolate caramel crunch, or more unusual enterprises such as curry or jalapeno.
Many of the buildings at Chestnut Square have been relocated to the site where they are now the backdrop for living history presentations, pioneer camps for kids, the Killis Melton Crank Off, concerts and a farmers' market. Living history presentations are scheduled throughout the year, revisiting different periods in the town's history between 1850 and 1930. The village is open for tours Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 11 a.m. throughout the year.
Downtown McKinney dazzles with historic buildings and more than 100 unique shops, galleries and restaurants. The Collin County Courthouse anchors the business area to its past. The courthouse opened in 1875 and officially closed in 1979. It underwent a restoration process beginning in 2003 and reopened as the McKinney Performing Arts Center in 2006. The Courtroom Theater hosts films, plays and the occasional night court. A gallery takes up the basement, showcasing the work of local artists.
The North Texas History Center also sits downtown in the city's former post office, a nice stop for the curious historian. The center has a vast collection of artifacts that tell McKinney's story. Rotating exhibits, the center brings out portions of its collection in themed exhibits, keeping it fresh and new for visitors.
A trip through Texas history in McKinney must include a visit to the Pecan Grove Cemetery. The burial ground is home to statesmen, cowboys, brave pioneers and valiant soldiers from wars throughout our nation's history with gravesites dating to 1845.
Business as Usual
Its history may be McKinney's backbone, but its legs are on the move. The city's population exploded, with numbers increasing by 98.6 percent between 2000 and 2006 and growing from a city of 53,000 to more than 120,000 residents in 2008.
Business is booming. In 2005, Walmart and Toyota built their first environmental-experimental outposts. Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson built the Michael Johnson Performance Center as a training facility for amateurs, Olympic hopefuls and youths. The center, located in McKinney's Craig Ranch, contains a 20,000-square-foot training floor made up of an indoor track, a basketball court and a football field. Ice sports also have a home in McKinney's Craig Ranch at the Dr Pepper StarsCenter, where young athletes compete in regional competitions and locals can skate.
McKinney's outdoor attractions draw a number of visitors as well. The 289-acre Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary features more than six miles of nature trails, exotic animals and a butterfly house as well as indoor exhibits. The wetlands portion of the sanctuary attracts bird enthusiasts and can be toured by canoe. The museum offers dinosaur lovers a reason to return many times to enjoy the annual Dinosaurs Alive exhibit that features life-size animatronic dinosaurs that move and roar in natural habitats along the nature trails.
The city of McKinney makes keeping things green a priority. There are three elementary schools designed with the environment in mind, and the city partners with Texas A&M to use drought-resistant plants in municipal landscaping.
McKinney contains two world "firsts" in the environmental movement - the first experimental Walmart, where green business practices are tested and the first green Toyota dealership, Pat Lobb Toyota. Other local businesses have jumped on the green bandwagon, too. Among these is Wales Manor Vineyard and Winery, which composts its grapevines and leaves, and Franconia Brewery, which recycles its hops, reuses packing materials and cools its offices in conjunction with cooling its beer, saving on energy.
McKinney may be growing, but it knows where its roots are. Visitors to the city can take a voyage through time and wake up to a bright future.
For more information on McKinney or to request a brochure, call (888) 649-8499 or go to www.visitmckinney.com.
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