Estes House

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, in my own words. Now, Ben T. Estes was a Kentucky native, born in 1841, and he made his way to Texas back in 1856.

That's a young man crossing into a big country, and Texas had a way of keeping the people who found her. When the Civil War came, Estes served in the Confederate Army. When it was over, he returned to McKinney, and he got himself into the mercantile business.

Buying, selling, building a life the steady way. And build he did. In 1897, after decades of work in that town, Estes had a home constructed for his family.

Now, this wasn't just any house. This was a statement in wood and brick. Late Victorian styling with Eastlake influences, which is a fancy way of saying somebody cared deeply about the details.

You step up onto that wraparound porch, and you notice the decorative woodwork right away. Somebody planned that. Somebody wanted guests to feel it before they ever knocked on the door.

Then there's the hip roof overhead, and if you look up toward the sky, a corbeled brick chimney reaching up like it means business. Ben T. Estes lived until 1920, long enough to watch McKinney grow up around that house he built.

The house is still there. And now you know whose hands put it in motion.

What the marker says

Kentucky native Ben T. Estes (1841-1920) came to Texas in 1856. After serving in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, he returned to McKinney where he was engaged in the mercantile business. Estes had this home constructed for his family in 1897. It features late Victorian styling with Eastlake influences. Prominent elements include its wraparound porch with decorative woodwork, the hip roof, and the corbeled brick chimney.**Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1984***