Sherman Democrat
Wednesday, December 10, 1980
P.6

Collin McKinney Home Lost in Fire

MCKINNEY - The 126-year-old family home of Collin McKinney, for whom both the city of McKinney and Collin County were named, was destroyed in an early Wednesday fire.

The house was constructed in 1854, according to McKinney family documents and was located at the original site about six miles southeast of Van Alstyne until 1936.

In 1936, during the Texas Centennial, the house was moved to Finch Park in McKinney and deeded by Collin McKinney descendants to the City of McKinney. Since that time, it has been open for tours and was part of McKinney's annual Christmas tour of homes.

McKinney firemen received the alarm about 1:45 a.m. but by the time they arrived, the old frame structure was engulfed in flames. Cause of the blaze had not been determined Wednesday morning.

Mrs. Elizabeth Pink of Frisco, president of the Collin County Historical Society, said the only original part of the house left were the big sills across the floor. The fireplace remained in place, she said, but that was not part of the original house.

Mrs. Pink said she doubted that any attempt would be made to build a replica of the McKinney home.

Mrs. Roy Hall of McKinney, a member of the historical society who often conducted tours through the home, said the house was of typical pioneer style, with a long porch in front, a big family room, a lean-to at the rear and a stairway leading to a loft in which the McKinney children slept.

Numerous antiques donated during the years since the house was moved to McKinney also were lost in the fire. Some 19th century furniture was included.

Collin McKinney, a New Jersey native, moved to a point near Texarkana in 1824, to Hickman's Prairie (now Bowie County) in 1831 and in 1846 to a pint near the present Collin-Grayson county line.

He died in 1861 and was buried at Van Alstyne.

McKinney was a representative of Red River County at the Convention at 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos and signed the Declaration of Texas Independence. He was a member of the first, second and fourth congresses of the Republic of Texas.

An 1846 bill created Collin County does not state that the county was named for Collin McKinney but historians agree that both the county and the county seat were named for him.

He is credited for the uniform shape of many North Texas counties, insisting that they be as near 30 miles square as possible. McKinney also helped organize the Christian Church in North Texas.