The McKinney Homestead is a former

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

home built between 1850 and 1852 by Thomas F. McKinney, owner of the surrounding land. The two-story homestead was continuously occupied until it burned in the 1940s. Archaeological investigations in 1974 determined the house was built with limestone quarried from Onion Creek. The framing

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

was cypress and

cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae *Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona * ...

, both abundant on McKinney's land. The same wood was used for the doors, window frames and

roof A roof ( : roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of te ...

shakes. The house was approximately twenty foot by forty foot and had two stories. There were three rooms on each floor and a covered

porch A porch (from Old French ''porche'', from Latin ''porticus'' "colonnade", from ''porta'' "passage") is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance of a building. A porch is placed in front of the facade of a building it commands, and form ...

both upstairs and downstairs. Most of McKinney's land and the house were sold to James W. Smith in 1885, Smith's grandchildren granted to the state of Texas in 1974. It opened as McKinney Falls State Park in 1976. The former homestead was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1974. It has since been stabilized to prevent further deterioration of the stone structure. The ruins can be accessed via the park's designated "Homestead Trail."McKinney Falls – Homestead Trail
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References

Houses in Austin, Texas Ruins on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Austin, Texas Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas Buildings and structures completed in the 1850s Burned houses in the United States {{Texas-struct-stub