In 1856 McKinney was still a small farming village with a courthouse built of rough pine logs. Houses, for the most part, were simple log huts. A few nearby farms were fenced with rails and pickets. Prior to the Civil War, buildings in McKinney were built entirely of wood. Most of the lumber was hauled from the Caddo Lake cypress groves near Jefferson in east Texas.
Cypress is almost impervious to rot and insects, making it a superior building material.
Collin County was lush with flora and wildlife. Quail, prairie chickens, wild turkey, and deer were daily visitors to the outskirts of town. Bears, panthers, and even diamond-back rattlesnakes made an occasional appearance. In 1856 Joseph P. Stewart opened a grocery store downtown, followed by Abraham Rhine who opened a dry goods store. James W. Thomas published the city's first newspaper, the McKinney Messenger, in 1858 and the Tucker Hotel was completed prior to 1860.