Gus Wilson

Duane's take

The official marker for Gus Wilson of Collin County — let me tell you how I see it. Now, I want you to picture a man who could've lived like a king and chose to live like a farmer. That man was Augustus M.

Wilson, and his story is one of the stranger, finer things Texas ever produced. Gus was born in 1845 in Tennessee, and by 1849 he was making the move to Collin County with his parents and six siblings. He'd spend nearly his whole life there, out in the Ash Grove Community, six miles north of McKinney, on land his family had worked from the start.

The house his father built was a log home — modest, two rooms. That's where it all began. Now, Gus inherited that farm, and when he did, he added three rooms to the house.

He invested the money from his crops back into land. Then he bought stocks and bonds. He put money into railroads.

And before long, Gus Wilson was very, very rich. Here's the part where the story turns on you. He didn't live like it.

Not one bit. He dressed like the hardworking farmer he was. He kept things simple.

You'd have walked right past this man on the road and never guessed he was sitting on a considerable fortune. That was just fine with Gus. He did have his pleasures.

He was an avid traveler — boasted, in fact, that he never missed a world's fair, save for the 1933 Chicago Century of Progress. That was the one that got away. Every other one, Gus was there.

But what Gus Wilson became famous for — and I mean famous across the whole country — was the giving. He paid off the debts of hardworking farmers and their families throughout the county. He gave money to churches, several of them, and he didn't much care what denomination they were.

He built a school building with room for three teachers and a library. He enjoyed giving away automobiles to friends. Just gave them away.

Like it was nothing. Stories about Gus spread, and newspapers ran articles about the bachelor of Collin County and his fortune that he was handing off piece by piece. People knew about him from all around the country.

And here's where it gets a little wild — Wilson would receive hundreds of marriage proposals in the mail after those articles ran. Hundreds. He never did marry.

Gus died at age ninety. He is buried in the Wilson family burial grounds right there adjacent to his home. By the time he went, he had given away almost all of it — an estimated eight hundred thousand dollars.

And in 1935, the Texas State Senate hung a portrait of Gus Wilson in the senate chamber to honor his philanthropic service to Collin County. A two-room log house. A fortune built from crops and railroads and bonds.

And nearly every dollar of it given away before the end. That's the measure of Augustus M. Wilson.

What the marker says

Augustus M. Wilson was a self-made man who lived in Collin County nearly his whole life, giving his fortune away to needy community members. He was born in 1845 in Tennessee and moved with his parents and six siblings to Collin County in 1849. He lived on his family farm located six miles north of McKinney in the Ash Grove Community. The log house built by his father was modest, with two rooms. Gus added three rooms to the farm house once he inherited it and invested money from his crops in land. Wilson also bought stocks and bonds and invested in railroads. He soon was very rich, but denied the rich lifestyle. He lived a simple life, dressing as the hardworking farmer that he was. Gus was an avid traveler and boasted that he never missed a world's fair except for the 1933 Chicago century of progress. Gus was known for his philanthropy towards county residents and often paid off debts of hardworking farmers and their families. People knew of him from all around the country as stories circulated about the bachelor of Collin County and his considerable fortune that he was giving away. Wilson would receive hundreds of marriage proposals in the mail after articles were published about him. He never did marry. Gus was religious and gave money to several churches regardless of denomination. He also built a school building with room for three teachers and a library. Gus also enjoyed giving away automobiles to friends. He died at age 90 and is buried in the Wilson family burial grounds adjacent to his home. At the time of his death, Gus had given away almost all of his money, an estimated $800,000. In 1935, the Texas State Senate hung a portrait of Gus in the senate chamber to honor his philanthropic service to Collin County.