Waxahachie, Ellis County
Henry McKinney (1863-1936) was born in Kemp, Kaufman County and, at the age of 20, enlisted in Company C of the Frontier Battalion of the Texas Rangers. After one year, McKinney was discharged and returned to Kemp. He married Viola Dorsey (1866-1910) and then moved to Ellis County, near Waxahachie. Henry and Viola purchased a 71.5 acre tract of farm land two miles west of Waxahachie in 1903. In 1913, Henry hired Waxahachie builder Jack Harris to construct a 2,000 square-foot Prairie-Style home on his property. According to a board found on the roof of the house, construction was completed on August 31, 1913. The Prairie-Style exterior boasted a varied hop roof with cedar shake shingles, two dormer windows and a wrap-around front porch with wooden pillars. The floor plan included a parlor and master bedroom with coal-burning fire places, second bedroom, living room, bathroom, kitchen, butler's pantry and screened and four-season porches at the rear of the house. Original outbuildings including a barn, corrals and a chicken house remain on the property. The basic design of the house mirrors other Prairie-Style homes in the area. The McKinney family owned the homestead until 1944. Marvin W. and Mattie F. Aday purchased this property in 1963. This historic ome is one of the few remaining examples in rural Ellis County of an early 20th century Prairie Style farm house. The McKinney-Aday homestead represents an intact living history for future generations to gain understanding of life on a small family farm in the fertile Blackland Prairie of Texas. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2013