Happy Birthday to Mister!!! We have decided to spend the day playing around the metroplex and as he has been mentioning donuts for about 3 months now, that is our first stop. A funky little shop down near Love Field is the ticket and as we sit and enjoy our sweet treat, the traffic in and out of here is non-stop. Lots and lots of Saturday morning Dad/Child visits. Love those traditions.One of the items he has been promised for his birthday is a new hat and I saw one a couple months ago that the person had purchased at a Buc-ees. There is one north of McKinney so that is our direction for today. First up: McKinney. Parking on the square downtown gives us the ability to just walk and see. This is one little square that we have not walked before. Every corner has these beautiful planters and the whole area is just bustling today.
A stop at an antique shop in McKinney gets our day underway. It's gonna be an antiquing day as my sweetheart loves this form of shopping. You can see the highlights by clicking on THIS LINK. It will open in another window and let you keep your spot here.
Mister read about an exhibit entitled "McKinney, Then and Now" at the Collin County History Museum and we locate that during our walk. The museum is housed in the 1911 Post Office. Some information on the building: "Designed by architect J.H. Suttle, the 1911 McKinney Post Office is a characteristic and well-preserved example of an Italianate Post Office. The tile roof, ornamental columns, eaves and window configuration are common to the American post office after 1910. These elements and the three-bay arched recessed entry define the facade. The fourth post office to serve the area, the structure was deeded to Collin County by the Federal Government in 1959 and in 1982 became a Collin County Museum."Inside there is a great exhibit and the change they have made for the "Then and Now" involves the use of an IPad, that when help up to specific code marks, transforms the historic "then" picture of a building into a "now" one on the screen.
But first, some history in the entryway. "Walking through the doors of the Collin County History Museum you get a glimpse of the early days of McKinney. Over one hundred years ago, the Federal Building served as the McKinney Post Office. In 1907, Congressman Choice B. Randell called for a permanent Post Office to be build in McKinney replacing rented spaced that had been used since 1949. Congress appropriated $100,000 for the construction of a new building in 1908. The following year, Mrs. Sarah M. Benge sold a city lot that was 120 x 130 feet to the US government for $3,000." The following picture has a ton of information in print if you enlarge the photo and give it a read. Perhaps what impressed me was that it came in under budget. Unheard of these days.
"The building was a Post Office until June 6, 1959 when the building and land were deeded to Collin County. It was then used as an office and storage for Collin County Civil Defense and by various other government organizations. On November 11, 1976 former first lady, Lady Bird Johnson, cut the ribbon to celebrate the designation of the building as a county museum. Fundraising began for the restoration of the building and in 1982 it reopened. Today the building is designated as a Texas Historic Landmark and is home of the Collin County History Museum. Many of the historic features of the building have been preserved, making this building a valuable treasure of our past."
Did you read about the bank part? I love the safe in a safe.
Then and Now pictures of the courthouse. Some great info too.
Oooooh, that machine.
And now --- for the lesson I learned today. Not being a native Texan, I am constantly amazed at the history. In this day and age, when mass transit is becoming more popular and needed, both from a people-moving standpoint to an economical aid to an environmental must - they had it all once upon a time. Did you know this? For 2 cents a mile, a passenger could board the Interurban train on North Kentucky Street and ride as far south as Waco (through Cleburne) and north to Denison, or points in between. One passenger car departed every hour from 5:30 in the morning to an hour after midnight. It was the largest and longest lasting interurban railroad in Texas and named the Texas Electric Railway (TER) and was 226 total route miles. The line from Sherman to Dallas began operations July 1, 1908. On December 31, 1948, the final runs of the big red Interurban cars arrived in Dallas. There were also streetcars in McKinney. The line was built and two streetcars were put into operation on September 28, 1911. The city line connected with the Interurban track. They made 68 daily round trips and continued until 1926. It saddens me so much that this was stopped. The tracks are still there -- we saw and drove over them. I wish we could just put them back into use.
Across the street and down a bit is a parking garage with a crazy cool painting on the side. LOVE. I also have to giggle at the "chopped" off buildings now and then around town. Just these little shops next to the larger ones.
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