A Guide to the History of Richardson, Texas: Structures

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Historic Structures in or near Richardson

McKAMY SPRING

From the forthcoming book, RICHARDSON: A History of One of the Biggest Small Cities in Texas

McKamy Springcar
It's said that Richardson Mayor Tom McKamy built the stonework that protects the spring that lay on his property. Author photo.

On land that once belonged to Richardson banker Frank Bowser was a natural spring, now called McKamy Spring, from which water still bubbles up out of the ground and then flows eastward into Floyd Branch--the steep-banked but narrow stream that transected his property. According to legend, Native Americans had used this spring as a source of drinking water as far back in time as 1690, although how that date was determined (and when and by whom), seems to be a mystery. Although the name of the spring was changed in 1953 to honor Tom McKamy, the first mayor of Richardson, until that time it was universally known as Bowser Spring. Today, the spring and the rounded rough rock cover that protects it form the centerpiece of an attractive new 1.94 acre park, laid out by the City of Richardson in 2009. The text of a nearby historical marker reads:

Before any European or American settlers entered Texas, Native American tribes passed through the Richardson area and likely camped around what is now known as McKamy Spring. These tribes met with settlers, one of the friendliest being the Yoiuane (later absorbed by the Tonkawa), Comanche, Kickapoo, Seminoles and Cherokee around North Texas may have also used McKamy Spring, one of the few natural above-ground springs still in existence in the area. The early American settlement of Breckenridge, which preceded Richardson, made frequent use of the spring then known as Bowser Spring. After a railroad line was built nearby, Breckenridge faded away, as the new town of Richardson was built closer to the railroad. By 1925, the town became officially incorporated, with Thomas McKamy as its first Mayor.

Thomas Franklin McKamy was born in Carrollton in 1889. His family owned and operated a drug and general merchandise store in Richardson. After his father's death in 1907, McKamy and his brother took over the business. McKamy expanded into ownership of other businesses in the area. McKamy came to serve various positions in the local government, including Mayor. He drew from Bowser Spring to supply water to the drills in constructing wells and other eater systems in the town. The spring also supplied water for machinery in the construction of the US Highway 75 Central Expressway. He later purchased the land around the spring and built a home there in 1953. The spring became renamed as McKamy Spring, and Thomas McKamy himself placed a marker there to acknowledge the original Native Americans who likely used this spring. (2015)

Location (Google Maps)
McKamy Spring Park, Brick Row, Richardson