McKinney Falls State Park is where the Blackland Prairie meets the Edwards Plateau. Resting upon the bottom of a cretaceous era ocean, this space has been home to people and animals for thousands of years. Here you can sit in the Prehistoric Rockshelter (listed on the National Register of Historic Places) which provided shelter for Native Americans for over 8,000 years, or enjoy the shade of a 500 year old bald cypress tree named Old Baldy which sprouted around the same time as Leonardo Da Vinci finished the Mona Lisa.
By 1850, Thomas McKinney was living on this property along Onion Creek, near a crossing of El Camino Real. Kentucky-born McKinney had settled in San Felipe de Austin in 1830 as one of Stephen F. Austin’s first 300 colonists before moving to Galveston.
McKinney and Samuel May Williams entered into a business partnership in 1834 that was to have profound effects on Texas history. During the Texas Revolution, the McKinney-Williams firm was the primary source of men, money, and supplies for the Texas army. It financed over $150,000 - more than 10 percent of the total cost of the revolution. The McKinney-Williams ships formed a part of the quickly-assembled Texas Navy.
Voters elected McKinney as a senator to the first legislature in Austin. During this time, he made plans for his new home on Onion Creek. Between 1850 and 1852, McKinney built a two-story limestone home, gristmill and dam on his ranch. Developed by McKinney’s slaves, his ranch continued to grow in number of structures, livestock and other assets. McKinney owned and bred a number of thoroughbred racehorses, and even had his own racetrack somewhere on the ranch.
McKinney died on Oct. 2, 1873, at his home. He was deeply in debt. His peers remembered him fondly and gave him an elaborate funeral service on the steps of the Capitol building. He is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Austin. After McKinney’s death, his widow, Anna, sold the property to James Woods Smith. Members of the Smith family hired African American tenant farmers to live here and work the land for decades. In 1973, James Wood Smith’s grandchildren made the generous decision to donate the land to the State of Texas in 1973.
Part of our mission is to preserve the history and land for future generations. As you walk around the park, you'll see signs of the people that lived there before us. You'll find the ruins of McKinney's homestead, his horse trainer's cabin, gristmill and stone walls in the park to name a few.
By 1850, Thomas McKinney was living on this property along Onion Creek, near a crossing of El Camino Real. Kentucky-born McKinney had settled in San Felipe de Austin in 1830 as one of Stephen F. Austin’s first 300 colonists before moving to Galveston.
McKinney and Samuel May Williams entered into a business partnership in 1834 that was to have profound effects on Texas history. During the Texas Revolution, the McKinney-Williams firm was the primary source of men, money, and supplies for the Texas army. It financed over $150,000 - more than 10 percent of the total cost of the revolution. The McKinney-Williams ships formed a part of the quickly-assembled Texas Navy.
Voters elected McKinney as a senator to the first legislature in Austin. During this time, he made plans for his new home on Onion Creek. Between 1850 and 1852, McKinney built a two-story limestone home, gristmill and dam on his ranch. Developed by McKinney’s slaves, his ranch continued to grow in number of structures, livestock and other assets. McKinney owned and bred a number of thoroughbred racehorses, and even had his own racetrack somewhere on the ranch.
McKinney died on Oct. 2, 1873, at his home. He was deeply in debt. His peers remembered him fondly and gave him an elaborate funeral service on the steps of the Capitol building. He is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Austin. After McKinney’s death, his widow, Anna, sold the property to James Woods Smith. Members of the Smith family hired African American tenant farmers to live here and work the land for decades. In 1973, James Wood Smith’s grandchildren made the generous decision to donate the land to the State of Texas in 1973.
Part of our mission is to preserve the history and land for future generations. As you walk around the park, you'll see signs of the people that lived there before us. You'll find the ruins of McKinney's homestead, his horse trainer's cabin, gristmill and stone walls in the park to name a few.