Editing McLennan County, Texas (section)

==History==

McLennan County was created by the [[Texas Legislature]] in 1850 out of [[Milam County]]. The county seat, [[Waco]], had been founded as an outpost of the [[Texas Ranger Division|Texas Rangers]]. It was laid out by [[George B. Erath]], and was known by 1850 as Waco Village.

In the 1880s, pharmacist [[Charles Alderton]] developed the carbonated beverage that became known as [[Dr Pepper]]. The Dr Pepper business was headquartered in Waco, until it moved to [[Dallas, Texas]]. Waco is also home to the Dr Pepper Museum, housed in the 1906 building that was the first stand-alone facility used to bottle Dr Pepper.

According to local lore, the first sustained flight did not occur in [[Kitty Hawk, North Carolina]], but just outside Tokio (a small community in McLennan County) by a man flying a [[gyrocopter]]. During [[World War I]], McLennan County was home to at least one military airfield, [[Rich Field]]. In the aftermath of World War I, when social tensions were high as veterans returned, white racial violence broke out against blacks. The county had 15 lynchings, the second-highest number of any county in the state.

McLennan County's contributions to [[World War II]] include the reopening of Rich Field for use by the Air Force, and the opening of [[James Connally Air Force Base]]. The latter is now used as the [[TSTC Waco Airport]] and [[Texas State Technical College]]. County resident [[Doris Miller]] was awarded the [[Navy Cross]] for his heroism at [[Pearl Harbor]]; he was the first African American to earn such distinction. Local man [[John Connally|James Connally]] became known as a World War II fighter pilot.

===County Courthouse===
The current County Courthouse, the fourth to be built, is located in [[Waco, Texas|Waco]]. Completed in 1902 in the [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts]] style, it is the next-to-last example of architect [[James Riely Gordon]]'s Texas courthouses. Of the eighteen he designed, thirteen remain standing. The first county courthouse was completed in 1851 for $500, and was a two-story log cabin that was 30' x 30'. McLennan's second courthouse was a two-story brick building completed in 1857 for $11,000. The third courthouse was styled after Second Empire by architect [[W.C. Dodson]], and completed in 1877 at a cost of $24,894.50.
<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://texascourthouses.com/project/mclennan-county-courthouse/#:~:text=Constructed%201901%2D1902%2C%20the%20McLennan,Dodson%2C%20architect.|title = McLennan County Courthouse}}</ref>

===Institutions of higher education===
In 1886, [[Baylor University]] relocated from [[Independence, Texas]], to Waco and absorbed [[Waco University]]. During the early 20th century, McLennan County was home to as many as five colleges. In addition to Baylor, the other colleges included the predecessor to what is now known as [[Texas Christian University]] (now in [[Fort Worth]]), [[Paul Quinn College]] (relocated since to [[Dallas]]), and two other short-lived colleges.

In the 1960s, the Texas Legislature authorized [[McLennan Community College]], the first [[community college]] to use those words in the name. Around the same time, what is now the flagship institution of [[Texas State Technical College]] was founded as James Connally Technical Institute, as a member of the [[Texas A&M University System]]. Today, Baylor, McLennan Community College, and Texas State Technical College continue to operate in McLennan County. They educate a large portion of the college-bound high-school graduates from the county and the surrounding areas. McLennan Community College has also partnered with [[Tarleton State University]], [[Texas Tech University]], [[University of Texas Medical Branch]] in Galveston, and [[Midwestern State University]] to offer more than 50 bachelor's or master's degrees.

===1896 Crash at Crush===
[[Crush, Texas]], was a temporary "city" in McLennan County, about {{convert|15|mi|km}} north of Waco. It was established to stage a publicity stunt concocted by [[William Crush|William George Crush]] and the [[Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad]]. The stunt involved the collision of two 35-ton steam [[locomotive]]s in front of spectators, whom the railway transported to the event for $2 each. After strong promotion, on September 15, 1896, the event was delayed by an hour as the police maneuvered the crowd of more than 40,000 back to what was thought to be a safe distance.<ref name="crash"/>

The crews of the two engines tied the throttles open and jumped off. The two engines, pulling wagons filled with railroad ties, traveled a {{convert|4|mi|km|adj=on}} track and thunderously crashed into each other at a combined speed up to {{convert|120|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. The boilers exploded and sent steam and flying debris into the crowd. Three people were killed and about six were injured, including event photographer Jarvis "Joe" Deane, who lost an eye because of a flying bolt.<ref name="crash">{{cite web|title=The Crash at the Crush|url=http://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/viewform.asp?atlas_num=5309005315&site_name=Crash+at+Crush,+The&class=5000|publisher=Texas Historical Commission|access-date=November 26, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121082514/http://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/viewform.asp?atlas_num=5309005315&site_name=Crash+at+Crush,+The&class=5000|archive-date=November 21, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Ragtime composer [[Scott Joplin]] commemorated the event with "The Great Crush Collision March"; Joplin dedicated the composition to the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railway.<ref>Scott Joplin, "The Great Crush Collision" sheet music (Temple, TX: John R. Fuller, 1896). See Bill Edwards, [http://www.perfessorbill.com/pbmidi15.shtml Rags and Pieces by Scott Joplin.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606111507/http://www.perfessorbill.com/pbmidi15.shtml |date=June 6, 2009 }}</ref> Texas composer and singer Brian Burns wrote and recorded a song about the collision, "The Crash at Crush" (2001).

=== West fertilizer plant explosion ===
{{Main|West Fertilizer Company explosion}}

===Waco siege===
{{main|Waco siege}}

===Twin Peaks biker shootout===
{{main|2015 Waco shootout}}
On May 17, 2015, motorcycle clubs gathered at the Twin Peaks Restaurant in Waco for a Confederation of Clubs meeting. Upon arrival of a large contingent of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, mass violence erupted in the parking lot of Twin Peaks between members of the Bandidos and members of the Cossasks Motorcycle Club. This resulted in nine dead and 18 wounded in the melee between the rival outlaw motorcycle gangs. In 2019, all remaining charges were dropped by the new District Attorney, Barry Johnson.