author
Mrs. Arch McKay
Remembered for helping preserve the story of Jefferson, Texas, this community-minded compiler co-created a local history that still introduces readers to the town’s early years. Her work has the feel of a civic scrapbook, gathering voices, memories, and newspaper accounts into one place.
1 Audiobook
A History of Jefferson, Marion County, Texas, 1836-1936
by Mrs. Arch McKay, Mrs. H. A. Spellings
About the author
Mrs. Arch McKay is credited as the co-compiler, with Mrs. H. A. Spellings, of A History of Jefferson, Marion County, Texas, 1836-1936. The pamphlet was created to mark a century of Jefferson’s history and to collect material about the town from newspapers, earlier writers, and local residents.
The book presents Jefferson as an important East Texas river port and trading center, and it was clearly shaped by a strong sense of local pride. Its original front matter says the work was compiled as a record of "items of interest" about their hometown, with proceeds intended for the Women’s Auxiliary of Christ Episcopal Church.
Reliable biographical details about Mrs. Arch McKay herself are scarce in the sources I could confirm. What does come through clearly is her role as a local historian and community preserver—someone who helped gather and pass along Jefferson’s story for later generations.