HistoricSiteMarkers
Progressive & Modern Era

Davis House

McKinney, Collin County, Texas

Marker Inscription

John N. Davis, a traveling buggy salesman, and his wife Maggie (Hamilton) had this house built in 1902. Their seven children were born here, although only three lived to adulthood. After Maggie's death in 1908, her mother, Cornelia Allen Hamilton, moved in to help with the children. The house remained in the Davis family until 1978. The L-plan vernacular structure features an extended bay at the front and a wraparound porch. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1990***

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

John N. Davis, a traveling buggy salesman, and his wife Maggie (Hamilton) built this L-plan vernacular house in 1902, where all seven of their children were born—though only three reached adulthood. After Maggie's death in 1908, her mother Cornelia Allen Hamilton moved in to help raise the family. The home, with its front bay and wraparound porch, stayed in the Davis family until 1978.

Why it matters

It preserves the everyday domestic life and hard family losses of a turn-of-the-century North Texas town.

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Related people

  • · John N. Davis
  • · Maggie Hamilton Davis

Themes & tags

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1927 Collin County Courthouse

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Carved from Fannin County and created in April 1846, Collin County was named for Collin McKinney — land surveyor, signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, and member of the Congress of the Republic of Texas. The county seat began at Buckner in 1846 before moving to the town of McKinney, also named for him, two years later. The county was organized in the same summer it was created, just as Texas was joining the United States.