Preserving Frisco - Or Letting It Go?

The Gods of Progress have bestowed their graces all over
northern Texas. Lots of little communities have been either
swallowed up or exploded in unsurpassed growth. Frisco, TX is
of the latter variety.

Frisco, which received its post office in 1902, is named after
the San Fransisco/Texas/St. Louis rail road company. At first
the town was called Emerson, after a McKinney banker - but
the name sounded too much like Emberson (in Lamar County,
which doesn't even have a post office anymore), so it was
changed to honor the newly laid tracks. Frisco served as a
farming center for most of its life until the 1980s, when the
Dallas suburbs expanded clear across the prairie. As Plano,
just south of Frisco, began to build out towards SH 121, Frisco
urged consolidation and growth. Today, this once humble burg
has a population of over 67,000 people (gained within the last
20 years!!!) with more suburban developments being built all
the time.

But growth is good, right? Well...

It's true enough that if a community does not grow, it will soon
die off - even a level population won't encourage economic
prosperity. But explosive growth is BAD. Not only is
environmental habitat destroyed and landscape forever
marred, but suburban development tends to be so same in
appearance that in no way can diversity - and real, honest to
goodness neighborhoods - prosper. Instead, suburban
developments, with genteel names (and pretend-British
spelling) like Parke Ridge Centre and Summit Hill Crossing
become alienating and confining, and 'real' neighborhoods
suddenly become the bad part of town. And don't get me
started on those STUPID gated communities!

Slow, deliberate growth is the best method. City planners have
time to lay out roads, use available land (without having to add
more), and create real communities, with all sorts of housing
and shopping available within neighborhoods, not strip malls
along highways.

So Frisco is scrambling to preserve what's little left of its real
town. Frisco's history may be short, but evidence of its role in
the agricultural development of the Red River Valley (as well as
its location on the old Shawnee Trail), needs to be preserved.
The city is updating and restoring downtown, and a Frisco Rail
Road steam engine is getting all prettied up to sit in a park at
the western edge of the city center.

Some buildings, though, are in limbo. Grain silos are falling in,
the neglected calaboose sits in the middle of a field, and an old
church and rail road house are being moved from their original
locations to  - where? Who knows? I hope these old buildings
don't end up like the Yellow Victorian from Lewisville (the
oldest house in town), which was sold to a suburban
development to anchor its newly built, $200,000 + homes.

Limiting suburban development invariably will help build strong,
interdependent communities, and the first task should be to
keep a town's historical base intact! Who wants to live without
knowing their city, anyway?!
Frisco calaboose, used as a some-time tool shed
(a calaboose is a an archaic, one room jail cell
meant for small communities to hold offenders  
until they could be hauled off to county prison -
also known as a drunk tank).
Old house on the move. Where's it going??
Restoring Frisco's namesake
What is your opinion on suburban
development? Is all progress good, or should it
be kept in check? How do you feel about the
new suburban style? What is your community
doing to keep its heritage intact?

Drop me a line at robin@redriverhistorian.com!
Where's the distinction? Where's the history?
Preserving
Suburbia
Here's an update to my lament... who knows,
maybe the city leaders of Frisco read my
editorial?

The Museum of the American Railroad, which
is currently located at Fair Park in Dallas, will
be moving its whole operation to Frisco. Over
12 acres will be provided to the museum to
properly display and protect dozens of historic,
rolling stock. This is good news for the
incredibly hard working folks at the museum!