Farmersville to Host 19th Annual Collin County Preservation Celebration in April

Misty Wiebold can point to the three-story IOOF building on Main Street and name nearly every business that has operated there since the International Order of Odd Fellows raised it in the late 1800s. As chair of this year's Collin County Preservation Celebration and president of the Farmersville Heritage Museum, she knows the downtown block well enough to worry about it.

The 19th annual Preservation Celebration arrives in Farmersville on Saturday, April 25, and its timing is not accidental. Collin County added 46,694 residents between July 2023 and July 2024 alone, pushing the population to an estimated 1,254,658. The subdivisions and commercial corridors chasing that growth have already reshaped communities across the county. Farmersville, which sits east of the most congested development corridors, has so far kept its compact historic downtown largely intact. The celebration is meant to keep it that way.

"For us, preservation isn't just about buildings, it's about honoring and remembering our past, preserving our identity, and passing our story forward," Wiebold said.

The free event, hosted by the Collin County Historical Commission, runs from a morning brunch through afternoon programming in downtown Farmersville. The brunch menu draws from Farmersville's historical cookbooks, and specialty coffees will be served. After the formal program, attendees can walk to the Bain-Honaker House & Museum and the Farmersville Heritage Museum, both of which will have exhibits and activities open for the day. Speakers will cover restoration projects, available preservation grants and ways to volunteer.

This year's program will weave in stories tied to Farmersville's most shareable history: the town produced Audie Murphy, the most decorated American soldier of World War II; Gussie Nell Davis, who founded the Kilgore Rangerettes; and internationally recognized jazz guitarist Herb Ellis. All three are connected to the same streets where Saturday's event will be held.

The IOOF building anchors that story on the ground. It is the only three-story structure in Farmersville's downtown commercial district, and its roster of past tenants, including H.G. Shelby Hardware, Talbot's Funeral Home, Hunt's Dry Goods Department Store and Noltie Pickens Hardware and Furniture, spans more than a century of the town's commercial life. Its current owners have undertaken extensive interior renovations, making it a rare survivor in a county where development pressure tends to settle questions about old buildings quickly.

"For those who live in Collin County, this celebration is a rare opportunity to come together with community leaders, educators and preservation partners to recognize the places and people that have shaped our county in a truly meaningful way," Wiebold said.

An RSVP is requested for the April 25 event, supported locally by the Farmersville Heritage Museum and the Farmersville Historical Society. Texas Demographic Center projections estimate Collin County will reach 2.4 million people by 2060, doubling its current size. Whether the storefronts and lodge halls of Farmersville's Main Street survive that growth may hinge on how many people show up for events like this one.