I am doing this post today in honor of 28 year old Son, Toby. You may be asking yourself, "what does Young Toby have to do with Anna, Texas?" I answer because he lives there. Here's the scoop : Today Toby the Younger passed his test to get his Class A CDL. He's gonna be a trucker, like his Grandpa. I figured that if a town like Anna was home to such an enterprising young (not mention handsome, funny, suave and debonaire like his Dad) man, then a post about said town was warranted, nay, demanded. To put it simply, I found a way to spotlight an achievement of no small magnitude to tell my Son that I love him. OK? And damned if I didn't do it. :)
Back to Anna...the area (northeast of McKinney in Collin County) that is now Anna was settled as early as the 1840's, but it wasn't until 1867 that storekeeper John L. Greer built the first house and established the first business there.The Houston and Texas Central railroad arrived in 1873, but it was ten years later when "Anna" actually became a town. With a population of under 600 in the 1920's, according to the website for the City of Anna, there are today over 8000 residents. At this point, I'll turn the history of Anna over Anna-born-and-bred-Town Historian Chester A. Howell.
Toby, I am very proud of you, Son. Give 'em Hell (in a good way) on the highways of Texas. Your Grandpa is counting on it.