McGregor

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm gonna give you every word it's got. On September 7, 1882, lots in a place called McGregor Springs went up for public auction. Now, this wasn't some quiet little notice tacked to a fence post.

The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad and the Texas and St. Louis Railway had advertised the event statewide. Two railroads.

Statewide. People knew something was happening out here in McLennan County. The community itself was named for Dr.

Gregor Carmichael McGregor, born in 1824 and gone in 1902, a pioneer Texas physician who had gone on to become a prominent Waco businessman. As the settlement grew away from the springs on Harris Creek, the name McGregor Springs got trimmed down, and folks just called it McGregor. People from nearby pioneer settlements, Banks and Eagle Springs among them, were among the first to pull up stakes and move their families and their businesses to the new town.

In fact, the post office was listed as Banks for a short time in 1882, which gives you some sense of just how close those communities were in those early days. The first school came along in 1883, when J.S. Greenlee opened the McGregor Academy, four years before the McGregor Independent School District was even created.

The town incorporated in 1886, and A.H. Crain was elected to serve as its first mayor. Sitting on major railroad lines, McGregor built itself up as an agricultural shipping center.

Then World War II arrived, and with it an ordnance plant, and the town experienced a period of intense growth. From a public auction on a September morning to a diversified economy and a rich heritage. That's McGregor, and the marker says it plain.

What the marker says

On September 7, 1882, lots in the town of McGregor Springs were sold at public auction. The event had been advertised statewide by the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad and the Texas and St. Louis Railway. The community was named for Dr. Gregor Carmichael McGregor (1824-1902), a pioneer Texas physician who later became a prominent Waco businessman. As the settlement grew away from the springs on Harris Creek, it became known as McGregor. Residents of such nearby pioneer settlements as Banks and Eagle Springs were among the first to move their families and businesses here. The post office was even listed as Banks for a short time in 1882. The first school,the McGregor Academy, was opened by J.S. Greenlee in 1883, four years before the McGregor Independent School District was created. The town ws incorporated in 1886 and A. H. Crain was elected to serve as the first mayor. Because of its location on major railroad lines, McGregor first developed as an agricultural shipping center. During World War II it experienced a period of intense growth due to the opening of an ordnance plant. Continued development has resulted from the town's diversified economy and rich heritage.