HOMES of OLNEY with Clifton Key
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The McKinney-Gadberry House
809 West Street, Olney, TX | Photo by Will Sadler
Dr. McKinney (1886-1968) acquired this lot twice in the early 1920s, and during his second ownership he constructed a dwelling on the lot in 1927. In the Oil Boom days, everyone became a dealer in lots as housing was scarce. Dr. McKinney and his wife Ruby came to Olney in 1912, and their longtime home in Olney was at 401 W. Main St., which they built in 1917. The McKinneys were the parents of three boys, with two of them being twins. Olney’s proximity to Archer City when the children were in high school gave the two communities a bond because the children will mingle, and the twin Calton married the Cowan heir from Archer City. Dr. McKinney was on the Olney Independent School District board of trustees for 18 years and on the board of Olney Hamilton Hospital from the death of Dr. Hamilton in 1933 until Dr. McKinney’s retirement in 1965.
In 1938, the McKinneys conveyed the house to Grandin Stilman Meabon (1880-1944) and wife Maude Jones Meabon (1891-1978). Mr. Meabon worked for Shell Oil, and they had ceased to house their local employees—necessitating that the employees would be responsible for their housing. Thus, the Meabons purchased this house for their residence. This fit well for their son Don (1915-2003) who was a star athlete in OHS. Their daughter Mona married Joe Hunt who was kin to the Hunt Family.
In 1944, the Meabons sold the house to Hubert and Dorothy Gadberry. Hubert’s Family had gotten to Young County in 1906 and owned a small farm on Olney Road. Hubert was a graduate of Texas A&M University. and ran a feed store and chicken hatchery for 30 years. In his retirement, Hubert worked for two years for Lutz and Boyd in the oil patch. In 1951, the Olney tornado struck the house with Mrs. Gadberry taking refuge in the central hallway. The house collapsed around her, but she survived and they rebuilt the house that is there today. The Gadberrys had a son, John and a daughter, Beverley. After Hubert’s death in 1990, Dorothy gave the house to John, who is still the owner.