Collin County Farm
McKinney, Collin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
As early as 1858 Collin County had a system for providing relief to its indigent citizens. This property was acquired in 1886 and became known as the County Farm. Structures were built over the years to house the residents, who helped maintain the farm. In the 1920s the authorities began housing county prisoners here in special guarded facilities. Also located on the farm was a paupers' cemetery, which is still maintained by the county. The Collin County Farm ceased operations in the 1950s.** (1988)***
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
As early as 1858 Collin County had a system for relieving its poorest citizens, and in 1886 it acquired this property as the County Farm, where residents helped work the land in exchange for care. In the 1920s the county added guarded quarters to hold prisoners here, and a paupers' cemetery on the grounds is still maintained. The farm ceased operations in the 1950s.
Why it matters
County poor farms were a common feature of American life before modern welfare, and this one preserves the largely forgotten history of how communities once cared for their most vulnerable.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
William Clinton and Anna Belle Thompson House
McKinney, TX
Clint and Anna Belle Thompson, prominent McKinney newspaper owners and civic leaders, built this home in 1894 on land bought from Clint's father, a well-known local developer. Its late-19th-century vernacular form carries Queen Anne touches—shingle work, classical columns, and an elaborate roofline. The house stayed in the Thompson family until 1979.
Kirkpatrick House
McKinney, TX
E.W. Kirkpatrick, a Confederate veteran who became a leading McKinney businessman and civic figure, bought this property in the 1870s for a thriving plant nursery. In 1901–02 he built this spacious Queen Anne house, hauling cypress siding by wagon all the way from Jefferson. His descendants have continued to live in and preserve the home, recorded as a Texas Historic Landmark in 1976.
William B. Largent House
McKinney, TX
William B. Largent came to Collin County as a boy in 1854 and rose from frontier newcomer to prosperous livestock trader and lumber merchant. In 1876 he hauled building materials overland from Jefferson to raise this ornate Victorian home, where he and his wife Rosa raised nine children beneath its twin towers. A 1935 fire claimed the original second story, but the house endures as a token of a booming Gilded-Age North Texas.
Barnes-Largent House
McKinney, TX
Built about 1910 for Joe and Florence Barnes on land from her father, prominent McKinney merchant W. B. Largent, this house later became the home of Dr. Ben Largent and stayed in the family until 1945. Its foursquare form, touched by Prairie School and bungalow influences, reflects the popular residential architecture of early 20th-century North Texas. The home marks a leading local family's place in a growing county seat.