William B. Largent House
McKinney, Collin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
North Carolina-born William B. Largent (1840-1896) came to Collin county with his parents in 1854. He later prospered as a livestock trader and lumber merchant. In 1876 he hauled building materials overland from Jefferson to erect this Victorian residence with its ornate veranda. Here Largent and his wife Rosa (Wood) raised their family of 9 children. The original second floor of the house, flanked by twin towers, was destroyed in a 1935 fire. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1977
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
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.
Why it matters
The house shows how quickly a rough frontier county matured into a settled society whose leading merchants built grand Victorian residences to match their new prosperity.
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Related people
- · William B. Largent
- · Rosa Wood Largent
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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