Historic Narrative (cont.)

William Dexter Prince  William Dexter Prince purchased the property from the Land family in 1946.18 He came to Texas by train in the late 1890s from White Pine, Tennessee with his recently widowed mother, Martha “Mattie,” three brothers, Zade, Zach and Boss and a sister, Bessie. His mother got off the train in Plano because it reminded her of Tennessee. The family originally lived near downtown Plano. William Dexter Prince left home at age 12 and earned money working for his sister, Bessie Wright and her family. He worked in the Tulsa, Oklahoma oil fields for a short time and returned to Texas, receiving his business degree from Sherman Business College in 1921. He had four daughters Catherine, Martha, Peggy and Patsy and a son, Dexter, with his wife, Lillian, and lived on Armstrong Avenue in Highland Park. William Dexter Prince was a pioneer certified public accountant in Dallas, establishing the firm of Prince, Harris & Co., which merged with Arthur Young & Co. in 1953. He continued to purchase property in Plano, owning more than 1,000 acres at one time. Registered white-faced Hereford cattle grazed on his properties. As an avid golfer, he dreamed of building a golf course country club in Plano.

He also loved trees and was the first in the area to hand graft paper shell pecan buds onto the native pecan trees, grafting over 1,000 pecan trees along with his son, Dexter. For many years, people would come to the Prince property to gather pecans and thousands of pounds of paper shell pecans were harvested. People still enjoy coming to Bob Woodruff Park in the fall to gather pecans.

His grandson, William Dexter Prince II, remembers his childhood days of exploring and hunting in the area with his brothers, always returning home before dark, as red wolves were plentiful on the property and there were sightings of a black panther at one time. William Dexter Prince died in 1972. His grandsons, William Dexter Prince II and Larry Prince still reside in Plano.(19)

Claude C. Albritton Family  Claude C. Albritton, Sr., and Claude C. Albritton, Jr., purchased the property from William Dexter Prince in February 1951.20 Claude C. Albritton, Sr., was the youngest of seventeen children of Matthew Ford Albritton of Snowhill, Alabama. He was a businessman in Corsicana and moved his family to Dallas in 1929 when his only child, Claude C. Albritton, Jr., enrolled in Southern Methodist University (S.M.U.). Claude Jr. earned degrees in Geology and Geography from S.M.U. and received his Ph.D. in Geology from Harvard University. He was a Geology professor at S.M.U. and served as Dean of the Graduate School and Dean of the Library during his career. He and his wife, Jane Christman Albritton, had three children Jane, Claude III and Elizabeth Ann.

The land now known as Bob Woodruff Park was once The Albritton Farm, growing maize, corn, alfalfa, coastal Bermuda and pecans. It was a fertile area, but was subject to flooding so the crops were never very dependable. The floods also brought trash onto the property, and any children who visited the farm were paid a penny a can to pick the trash up. The land around the creek, thick with underbrush, required clearing. Claude Jr. relieved the stress of being a University Administrator by taking out saplings with a large ax, giving them names and then saying “off with their heads.” At the end of a day busy with clearing, friends and family would gather for a picnic and to roast marshmallows in the embers of brush bonfires.

The deep woods around the creek were often referred to as "Albritton’s Bottom". There the family would ride their horses. Boy and Girl Scout troops camped on the property over the years, setting up their tents in the lower woods and learning outdoor skills that earned them badges.

The Albritton Family wanted the land preserved for future generations and sold the property to the City of Plano in 1976.

Mrs. Albritton, now 86, reflects: “The impact of the Farm, now Bob Woodruff Park, on our children and their neighbors in the 3400 block of University Blvd. in University Park has been long lasting. From their early childhood through college years, they understood that the Farm was a place of refuge, a place to learn about nature, a place to appreciate an open space in a crowded world and to care for it for the future. The Farm was a place of fun: picnics, horse-back riding, campouts, 4th of July celebrations, a place to hike, to read a book, to dream by the creek or act out mock wars in trenches using mud balls as weapons. It was a place to safely learn to drive a four-on-the-floor Jeep, to learn the value of work and see the results of labor. The family and their friends who grew up loving the Farm with its special memories are so pleased that Bob Woodruff Park will be there always for future generations to dream in and enjoy.”(21)

Bob Woodruff Park  The City of Plano purchased the park land in 1976 from the Albritton Family. The park was originally named Oak Grove Park and was renamed Bob Woodruff Park in 1987 in dedication to Plano’s late City Manager, Robert H. Woodruff, Jr., who also served as the city’s Parks and Recreation Director from 1969 to 1978.

During his tenure, the city’s parks system received national recognition and awards. Bob Woodruff was instrumental in the land acquisition and development of the park and spent leisure time at the lake on the north side of the park.(22)

Bibliography

1. Cox, Paul W. and Patty Leslie. Texas Trees A Friendly Guide. Texas: Corona, 1999.

2. Texas Forest Service. Texas Big Tree Registry.

3. Plano, Texas The Early Years. Texas: Friends of the Plano Public Library, 1996.

4. Haggard, Margarite, Shirley Schell, and Frances Wells. “History of the Muncey Massacre.”

5. Texas Historical Commission. Official Texas Historical Markers. Muncey Massacre. January 2002.    (http://www.thc.state.tx.us/markersdesigs/madmark.html)

6. Piara Certificate #71, File # Fan-1-249, Deed and Patent Records. Texas General Land Office, Archives and Records Division, Austin, Texas.

7. File #s Fan 1-249 and Fan 1-315, Deed and Patent Records. Texas General Land Office, Archives and Records Division, Austin, Texas. Collin County Deed Records, Volume E, p. 125. Collin County Clerk, McKinney, Texas.

8. Collin County District Court Minutes, Volume A, p. 380, Collin County District Court, McKinney, Texas.

9. Fannin County District Court Minutes, Volume B, pp. 151, 186, 234, 275, 328, 373, 436, 437, 484, 583 and Volume C, pp. 233, 273, 334, 358, 426, 427 and 433. Fannin County District Court, Bonham, Texas. Collin County Deed Records, Volume 43 p. 194. Collin County Clerk, McKinney, Texas.

10. Fannin County Folks and Facts. Texas: Taylor Publishing Company, 1977.
    Plano, Texas The Early Years. Texas: Friends of the Plano Public Library, 1996.

11. Texas Historical Commission. Official Texas Historical Markers. Dr. Daniel Rowlett. January 2002. (http://www.thc.state.tx.us/markersdesigs/madmark.html).

12. Collin County Deed Records. Volume L, pp. 574 and 575, Volume U, pp. 205-206, 218, 220, 334, Volume W p. 347 and 677, Volume X, p. 623. Collin County Clerk, McKinney, Texas.

13. Plano, Texas The Early Years. Texas: Friends of the Plano Public Library, 1996.

14. Judson, Nancy. E-mail interviews. January 2002.
    

15. Collin County Deed Records, Volume U pp.427-428 and Volume 75 pp. 501-515. Collin County Clerk, McKinney, Texas. Collin County District Court Minutes. Volume Q , p. 73. Collin County District Court, McKinney, Texas.

16. Collin County in Pioneer Times, Selections from the George Pearis Brown Papers. “W.T. Land.” Collin County Historical Society. Plano, Texas The Early Years. Texas: Friends of the Plano Public Library, 1996.

17. Gunter, George T., descendent of William T. Land. Personal Interviews. January 2002.

18. Collin County Deed Records, Volume 372, pp. 455-457 and 463-464. Collin County Clerk, McKinney, Texas.

19. Nichols, Martha “Marty” Prince. Personal Interviews. January 2002.
    Prince, William Dexter II. E-mail Interviews. December 2001 and January 2002.
    Prince, Lester. E-mail Interviews. January 2002.

20. Collin County Deed Records, Volume 424, pp.11-12. Collin County Clerk, McKinney, Texas.

21. Albritton, Mrs. Jane. Personal Interviews. December 2001 and January 2002.
    Albritton, Claude III. Personal Interview. January 2002.
    Albritton, Jane. “The Farm.” January 2002. Edited by Jane Albritton. January 2002.

22. Torroella, Luis. “Board takes first step to rename Oak Grove Park.” Dallas Morning News.
    Sawicki, Michael. “Head-on crash kills Plano city manager.” Dallas Times Herald. 19 July 1987: B1 and B4.
    
    

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Evelyn G. Harding who did all of the research, interviews, writing and photo collection. Without her hard work and dedication, this project never would have gotten off the ground. Thanks also to Bob Winn for assisting with the historical research and to George T. Gunter, William Prince II, Marty Prince Nichols, Lester Prince, Jane C. Albritton and her children Jane, Claude III and Elizabeth Ann for sharing their photographs and memories. A special thanks to Renee Burke-Brown, Plano’s Urban Forester, who was responsible for the idea to recognize the Bicentennial tree on Arbor Day and explore the history.

Presettlement drawing - Bell, Marianne. “ Reality & Ideal.” Frontier Family Life. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1998.