McKinnon - Anderson House

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the McKinnon-Anderson House in Hill County. Now settle in, because this one's got layers. You've got a Georgian lawyer, a local banker, and a house that's been standing since 1896, and every one of them left a mark on it.

The house itself is Victorian style, put up that year by a man named A. P. McKinnon, born in 1849.

He was a prominent lawyer, and not one of those slick-talking types either. The marker makes a point of saying he was highly regarded for his strict ethics. That's the kind of reputation a man earns slowly and loses fast, and McKinnon held onto it.

He was a native of Georgia who made his way to Hillsboro in 1873 and built up a large practice. He even served as county attorney, 1878 to 1879. So by the time he put up this Victorian house in 1896, he'd been a fixture in that community for over two decades.

Then, in 1903, the house was sold. The new owner was Samuel Houston Anderson, born in 1863, died in 1939, a local banker. Now here's the detail that gets you: Anderson didn't just buy the place and move on.

He lived there for thirty-five years. Thirty-five years in one house says something about a man, or maybe it says something about the house. Then, since 1966, the home has been owned and preserved by Mr. and Mrs.

E. J. Ray.

A lawyer built it. A banker called it home for a generation. And a family made sure it was still standing for the rest of us to drive past and wonder about.

That house on the Hill County road has outlasted the men who made it famous, and it's still telling their story.

What the marker says

This Victorian style house was erected in 1896 by A. P. McKinnon (b. 1849), prominent local lawyer. A native of Georgia, he moved to Hillsboro in 1873 and built up a large practice. He was highly regarded for his strict ethics; served as county attorney 1878-79. The house was sold in 1903 to Samuel Houston Anderson (1863-1939), a local banker, who lived here for 35 years. Since 1966 the home has been owned and preserved by Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Ray. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1971