A Guide to the History of Richardson, Texas: Special Features

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Special Features

Incorporation Centennial Commemoration

Sunday, June 22, 2025 and Monday, June 23, 2025
Group Guided Tour of Historic Downtown Richardson and Incorporation Centennial Plaque Unveiling Ceremony

Group Guided Tour of Historic Downtown Richardson
Incorporation Centennial tour group, June 22, 2025
Photo courtesy Richardson Mayor Amir Omar.

On Sunday afternoon, June 22, 2025, about three dozen Richardson citizens, including Mayor Amir Omar and City Councilman Arefin Shamshul, gathered in Historic Downtown Richardson, to enjoy refreshing non-alcholic beverages served by Beyond-the-Bar and also to take a tour of the 100 block of East Main Street, guided by Richardson historian Dr. Steven Butler, author of A Sesquicentennial History of Richardson, Texas, Volume One, and Volume Two. Before the tour began, the earliest arriving participants gathered for a group photo in the shade of the DART tracks, which was originally the right-of-way of the Houston & Texas Central Railway, the company that founded Richardson in 1873 and named it after H.&T.C. Secretary A. S. Richardson.

In the background of the photo above can be seen a 12 x 20 foot banner, welcoming visitors to "Historic Downtown Richardson." It was hanging from the very same building where the election of June 22, 1925 took place, in which of 125 voters, 112 approved incorporation of the City of Richardson and elected grocery-store owner Tom McKamy the city's first mayor.

Watch portions of the Incorporation Centennial Tour on YouTube.

Incorporation Centennial Plaque Unveiling
City or Richardson Incorporation Centennial plaque unveiling

At 4 p.m. on Monday, June 23, 2025, Richardson Mayor Amir Omar and four city council members--Arefin Shamsul, Curtis Dorian, Joe Corcoran, and Jennifer Justice--along with a small crowd of Richardon citizens and City employees, gathered at Fountain Park (NW corner of E. Main Street and Greenville Avenue) to hear a speech by Mayor Omar and then to unveil a plaque, suggested by historian Steven Butler at a February city council meeting, calling attention to the 100th anniversary of the election of 1925, in which voters approved the incorporation of the City of Richardson and elected Tom McKamy the city's first Mayor (along with Earl Huffhines and T. A. Berryman, commissioners).

In his brief address, Mayor Omar called attention not only to the historic election that created the City of Richardson, but also pointed out that since 1925, Richardson has grown and prospered, from a city of approximately 500 people to more than 120,000 in 2025.

Interestingly, Fountain Park is directly across the street from the site of the city's first water tower, artesian well, and pump house, which were built with money raised by the bonds that the City of Richardson sold for that purpose, a city water system being the primary reason for incorporation in 1925.

Watch the Incorporation Centennial Plaque Unveiling on YouTube.

Richardson Mayor Amir Omar speaks while four city council members look on.

Historians Stacey Davis and Dr. Steven Butler

Librarian Stacey Davis and Dr. Butler

Incorporation Centennial plaque

The Incorporation Centennial Plaque unveiled in Fountain Park, June 23, 2025.