During the summer here in Texas, normal temperatures are in the mid 90's. the weatherman said we were in a cold front last week at 91*. i think that spells it out.....it's HOT!
Keeping kids entertained can be difficult, when playtime outside is cut down drastically due to extreme temperatures. So every summer my sister and I try to find fun to do with the kids. It's nice when it can be educational too. Now that I'm homeschooling, I look at all activities differently. So when my sister Heather suggested we visit McKinney for the day, I was game.
McKinney, Texas has been named in the top 10 places to live three years in a row. The historic McKinney Square has been said to be the place to visit; due to its historic buildings, small town feel and charm, as well as great shops and restaurants. Adding to that charm, is Historic Chestnut Square Village.
http://www.chestnutsquare.org/
Chestnut Square Village is a collection of historic homes. This village was a dream of two ladies in the 1970's. Not unlike many historic neighborhoods across the country, old homes were being torn down or becoming so unkempt, they needed to be torn down. Seeing this happening in McKinney, these two ladies mortgaged their own homes, to save a couple historic ones. The rest as they say is "history"! Their dream came to fruition and flourished. {I sure hope I got the facts right! It's hard not to get distracted by the beautiful homes.}. There are several historic homes, general store, school house, and chapel.
Now the neighborhood around Chestnut Square is seeing revitalization too. Huge old trees line the hilly and winding streets. The neighborhood echoes a time gone by, of people sitting on their porches, sipping lemonade in the hot summer, watching children play under the shade of the trees and a time when everyone knew everyone. How could you not fall in love with Old McKinney, after an afternoon here?
Well, Tuesday we did just that....fell in love with all that Historic McKinney had to offer.
Chestnut Square offers all types of tours; private, group tours, haunted tours, and even Christmas Holiday tours, complete with docents dressed in period clothing and all the homes dressed for the Holidays. You can even rent some of the facilities for parties and weddings, including the historic Chapel.
We were fortunate enough to get a private tour, because no one else came in for a tour yesterday. We think it's because of the advertised heat. But, "psssst...it's air conditioned!". So, not only did we get a break from the heat, but we got a history lesson and plenty of time to ask as many questions as we wanted. So much of the tour, we were able to touch and feel and get really up close to the antiques on display. From antique wallpaper, children's clothing, wedding dresses and shoes, antique pianos, pump organs, china, etc. etc. stories of family relations to Jesse James, Civil War heroes, and the stories of the local Dr. and Blacksmith. We were so enthralled, we lost track of time and went over time by an hour. If that tells you anything...you won't be bored and the docents enjoy getting questions and nswering them. From ages 6-39, all were entertained. This tour also includes the largest collection of ice cream machines in the country, mascots Chester the cat, as including Collin & McKinney the miniature goats. The tour ended with us in Dixie's general store and bringing home some great souvenirs of times gone by.
I always tell my boys, and I'm sure I've parroted it on my blog a few million times too, you can't appreciate your present and future, unless you appreciate and know the past. Our local, state, and national history is so important. Historic villages such as Chestnut Square, not only preserve historic homes, but our local history. I was so glad Heather thought to visit Historic McKinney, and so were the kids. Having a wonderful lunch at Square Burger didn't hurt either.
If your in search of a fun & educational, family, school, or homeschool, field trip, Chestnut Square Village and Historic McKinney Square is a must! Be sure and block out enough time for the tour, lunch, shopping, gelato (smile) at Paciugo, and driving around drooling at the restored historic homes and those homes waiting to be lovingly restored.
Here are a few pictures from our tour...
These two I borrowed from their Facebook page...adorable and friendly Chester as well as the Dulaney house, both part of the tour.
Here are a few pictures showing the walls that still have fabric, most likely cheese cloth, that would have gone over the boards to protect the wallpaper from the house shifting. Some of the walls were made from the packing crates used in the move to Texas. The docent explained all of this to us. I was so fascinated with the walls.
Original oil lamps that have been converted to electric.
Children's clothing: It was dark in this room and the flash really washed these pictures out...but, I wanted to show them anyway. The detail of the mother-of-pearl buttons was so sweet on the boys black velvet outfit.
Calling cards...so sweet!
I loved this story..."Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite", was a saying from beds being made of rop ties. You had to keep them tight or you would end up on the floor with bugs and more specifically, bed bugs...YUK, but yet so interesting!
This old steamer trunk, in tact, just made me drool. I loved it! The lithographs were so beautiful.
The color....Oh the color! And of course a beautiful corner built in, in the great kitchen/hearth room.
Preston, reluctantly posing by the fireplace, so I could show the scale of this fireplace.....HUGE, and the beautiful original color.
My boys and my adorable niece and nephew, on the steps of one of the many homes and buildings.
Hopefully, this will inspire you to visit and appreciate your local history. Have fun in Summers last Hoorah, before school starts, and thank you for letting me share our summer homeschool field trip.
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