Old Settlers Park
McKinney, Collin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Site of all Collin County Fairs and Ex-Confederate - Old Settlers picnics, this land first housed a fair in 1858. The fair was held each year, usually in autumn, except during the Civil War years. In 1883, the Ex-Confederate-Old Settlers Picnic Association began to hold their annual picnic across the street from "the old fair grounds." They continued to meet on this site, buying the land for themselves in 1912 and 1924. The County Fair was a showcase for agriculture, livestock, handicrafts, and culinary delights. Riding competitions were held in the grandstand; it is said that Frank James once won first prize. As many as 15,000 people a day visited the picnics in the 1910s and 1920s, many camping around the park. Political speakers were scheduled all day, and contests included three-legged races and storytelling. In early years there were balloon ascensions; later, an air show astonished the crowds. Like the fair, the picnic featured a midway of rides and games. The last picnic was held in 1941, when the last Confederate veterans in Collin County were too old to attend. The last County Fair was held in 1965, but the park continues to serve the community as a part of the McKinney Parks and Recreation Department. (1997)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This McKinney ground hosted its first Collin County Fair in 1858 and, but for the Civil War years, an annual fair thereafter — a showcase of livestock, handicrafts, and grandstand riding competitions where, it is said, Frank James once took first prize. From 1883 the Ex-Confederate and Old Settlers Picnic Association gathered across the road, drawing as many as 15,000 people a day in the 1910s and 1920s for speeches, races, and even balloon ascensions and air shows. The last picnic was held in 1941, when Collin County's final Confederate veterans had grown too old to attend.
Why it matters
The reunion picnics show how Southern communities kept the memory of the Civil War alive for generations, turning remembrance into a great annual festival of speeches and spectacle.
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Related people
- · Frank James
Related events
- · Ex-Confederate Old Settlers Picnic
Themes & tags
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