First United Methodist Church of McKinney
McKinney, Collin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This congregation originated in 1851 as a mission of the Dallas Circuit. At first it met in the county courthouse, Masonic hall, or a union church building. In 1858, it became center of the McKinney Circuit; erected in 1876 a building of its own; became an independent station in 1879. As a result of efforts begun by the Rev. E.L. Casey, this distinctive edifice was completed in 1901. The original steeple crashed in 1954 during high winds. Although altered and enlarged, this is the city's last ornate, turn-of-the-century church building. (1977)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This McKinney congregation began humbly in 1851 as a mission of the Dallas Circuit, meeting in the county courthouse, a Masonic hall, or a shared union building before it built a home of its own in 1876. Becoming an independent station in 1879, it completed the ornate sanctuary that still stands in 1901, only to lose its original steeple to high winds in 1954. It remains the city's last elaborate turn-of-the-century church building.
Why it matters
From a circuit-rider's mission to a landmark sanctuary, this church traces the maturing of a Texas frontier town into an established community over half a century.
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Related people
- · E.L. Casey
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Fox-Caldwell House
McKinney, TX
Built in 1915 by George W. and Lula Fox, this house reflects the Prairie School style then sweeping American design, with its low hipped roof, deep eaves, boxed rafters, and a wraparound porch echoing the horizontal lines above. George Fox, descended from a pioneer Collin County family, worked as a local Realtor and county official. In 1922 the prominent Caldwell family bought the home, giving it the second half of its name.
1927 Collin County Courthouse
McKinney, TX
Collin County was formed in 1846, and after a sparsely attended 1848 election held in bad weather, McKinney became its permanent county seat. A limestone Victorian courthouse with a mansard roof rose on the square in the 1870s, but by the mid-1920s it was overcrowded and failing. A sweeping 1927 renovation stripped the mansard roof, added a story, and recast the building in classical revival style—the 'Temple of Justice' that served the county until 1979.
Collin County
McKinney, TX
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.
Old Collin County Courthouse
McKinney, TX
Collin County was carved from Fannin County in 1846 and named for Collin McKinney, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. After the county seat moved to a more central site donated by William and Margaret Davis, the growing town of McKinney replaced two wooden courthouses with this substantial stone building, completed in 1876 to a design by Sherman architect Charles Wheeler and celebrated with a grand ball. Enlarged in the 1920s and used as a courthouse until 1979, it endures as a symbol of the county's early growth.