Historic McKinney Home Waiting to Add New Buyer’s Story

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McKinneyTo say the W.D. Smith home in McKinney, built in 1902, has been around for a great deal of North Texas history is an understatement — from its early beginnings as a farmhouse to its life as an abode for an alleged bootlegger and later as home to a McKinney mayor, the quintessential Victorian farmhouse has stood on College Street for seemingly forever.

And now the home where even the trees are historic (no lie — they were planted in 1908 and are recognized by the Texas Historical Tree Coalition) is on the market, listed just three days ago by Leah Graybeal Ashley with the Browne + Douglas Group.

“It was erected in 1905 by W. D. Smith, who was a well-known businessman, rancher, cattle trader, farmer and large landowner in Collin County,” Cathy Browne (the Browne in Browne + Douglas) told us last week. “At one time, the Mayor of McKinney lived there and there is also a story involving this house and the notorious gangsters, Bonnie and Clyde.”

Indeed, one can almost imagine its original owner walking up the porch and through the front door, hanging up his hat, and retiring to one of the sitting rooms. Close your eyes and imagine a little more, and you might be able to picture alleged bootlegger Royce Lynn buying the home in the 1960s, after a lifetime spent possibly on the wrong side of the law, including a time reportedly running with Raymond Hamilton and Ralph Fults after their fellow gang members, Bonnie and Clyde, were infamously gunned down by lawmen in the ‘30s.

Former owners read like a who’s who of Collin County history — Wysongs, Eldridges, Duggers, Balls, Grogans, Ledbetters, and Lackies fill out the roster, including former mayor Jim C. Ledbetter.

 

The iconic farmhouse is on the National Register of Historic Places and sits on a .28 acre corner lot at 703 North College Street.

Although the home has been updated, the sellers (and previous owners) have been careful to maintain the home’s historic charms, too, from the pocket doors to the authentic millwork and trim, to even the bathroom fixtures.

The kitchen has received some updates to make it more friendly for the 21st-century cook, but the intentional finish and material choices help it blend seamlessly into the historic elements of the four-bedroom, two bath house.

A detached two-car garage was built in 2013 (so you don’t have to worry about those hailstorms), and a separate living area was built above as well.

The McKinney home is priced at $710,000. To see more photos, click here.

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Bethany Erickson lives in a 1961 Fox and Jacobs home with her husband, a second-grader, and Conrad Bain the dog. If she won the lottery, she'd by an E. Faye Jones home.
She's taken home a few awards for her writing, including a Gold award for Best Series at the 2018 National Association of Real Estate Editors journalism awards, a 2018 Hugh Aynesworth Award for Editorial Opinion from the Dallas Press Club, and a 2019 award from NAREE for a piece linking Medicaid expansion with housing insecurity.
She is a member of the Online News Association, the Education Writers Association, the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, and the Society of Professional Journalists.
She doesn't like lima beans or the word moist.

2 Comments

  1. Jayne Crom on August 22, 2020 at 1:23 pm

    I purchased an antique piano, matching stool with crystal ball claw feet, and a antique wood burning stove from Jim when he resided in this house. Items found in the piano were donated to the historical society.
    All are stored in McKinney Texas……considering offers.

  2. Leeanne on March 6, 2023 at 10:05 am

    This is MY Family. We moved in this home when I was 3yrs old. It seems like you don’t know much about my Papaw Royce Lynn and our family. Seems only the parts that you have read or heard. Did you reach out to ANYONE from our family to get the whole, REAL story?? It’s no secret, but Royce Lynn was the only “Father” I knew. He was my hero. He helped many, many, people in and around Collin County, when others wouldn’t lift a finger! So, Candy, going forward, why don’t you research your “Dirt” more thoroughly before you write and post something you do not know the whole story on?? I have vivid memories and dreams about our family and this home. Bonnie & Clyde were killed in 1934. They were never associated with this home except in this article. Close your eyes and imagine this, a little girl in the front yard getting those now Historical Cedar stickers in her foot, falls down. She starts screaming and crying. Immediately, running down those iconic steps is her Grandfather there to scoop her up, pull the stickers out, wipes her tears, takes her in the house and holds her until she falls asleep.

    And by the way, my Papaw bought our home from Dr. Walter Scott lll Wysong. I also remember Dr. Scott coming to our home and taking me to his home. I remember the portrait’s on the wall of his daughters. I remember his piano that he let me sit at and play Mary had a Little Lamb for him.

    My humble opinion, this article is “Dirt” because it’s not totally accurate.

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