McLennan County (Master)

NUMBER MARKERS IN COUNTY - 230

Have- 208 Need-22

Named for Neil McLennan an early settler. County seat is Waco. I'm going to be honest when I was still back in Australian the only thing I knew about Waco was tragedy that occurred in 1993 when the followers of David Korash and police clashed and resulted in the death of more than 80 followers and 4 police. It did colour the way I viewed Waco or at least what I expected prior to visiting. What I found was a university town, a large rural community with a strong connection to their immigrant roots. Now of course Waco is almost trendy with people lined up to visit Magnolia, due to the popularlity of Chip and Joanna Gaines' TV show, Fixer Upper. Has this changed the face of Waco? I would have to say in some ways, YES!!! I is still a college town but there are more restaurants, more tourists and it was definately harder to get a room in my favorite Waco hotel. Hotel Indigo 🙁. The farmers market had a lot of visitors and I'm not sure this would have always been the case. We have eaten in a lot of different restaurants in Waco, including Elite Cafe before it became Magnolia, George's, where I learnt to appreciate chicken fried steak. (see picture below), the famous Health Camp, Ninfa's (which I thought was okay but Steve says it doesn't touch the original location in Houston. Lastly one of my favorite Texas restaurants of all time Diamondbacks.
As to the markers, it's hard to know where to start to talk about them. McLennan County feels messy to me. We have been visiting here since the beginning of our hobby in 2005. McLennan County Historical Commission is robust and have added new marker consistedly over the years. There are markers on private property in Goodall Cemetery, Hogle Cabin, Watt Caufield Ranch, the Ross Oak and Site of Torrey's Trading post that we have yet to visit. The Torrey's Trading Post is a centennial marker and apparently the owner has blocked all access, it looks like it may have become a battle of wills as McClennan would dearly love to recolate the marker, which I believe has fallen over. Usually, in our experience, people with markers on private do allow access as long as you ask, it seems undestandable that they want to know who is on their property. These markers we know exist, it's simply as access issue and sometime knowing exactly who to ask. Texans are cautious but also very proud of their history and it is the exception when they don't want to share it. St. Paul's Espiscopal Church had a medallion, which was part of the 1960's mark program, the church does not know where it is. The Aquilla Bridge Truss and Bosque River Crossing of the 1841 Texas Santa Fe Expediton markers were broken off at the pole, I think McLennan may replace them eventually. Giles Homestead burnt down a quite a while ago thus the medallion was lost. Belle Plain is listed in the Texas Historical Commission but I believe and I could be wrong and I think the s just an entry error and does not exist in McLennan County. The Paul Quinn College marker I believe was taken to Dallas where the campus is still active. The marker for Central Texas Baptist Sanitarium, I have no idea where this is, we cpuld not find it at 3000 Herring Avenue. Second Baptist Church of Waco was removed from the site of the old church but has not made it to the site of the new church. H. & T. C. Railroad marker may or may not be missing? There are new markers that we have yet to visit. Here is my last dilemma. There is a book entitled Historical Markers of McLennan County by Charles Scott Adams, the author has died. The marjority of markers listed in the authors book are also listed in the Texas Historical Commission atlas but there are some not there, thing is in the last couple of years a couple they have popped up there as well so now I am unsure if they actual geniune markers???? I have written to McLennan County and hope they will be able to clarify.

MCLENNAN COUNTY Historical markers