The History of Wills Point, Texas

Wills Point takes its name from William Wills, an early settler who arrived in the area around 1848. The community that grew up here was officially founded in 1873, by which time it had become a well-established settlement in the rolling country of northwestern Van Zandt County.

Like so many East Texas towns, Wills Point's early life centered on farming and the land. But its growth would be powered by the railroad, which arrived the same year the town was founded and quickly transformed the crossroads into a regional center of trade.

The Texas and Pacific Railroad built a line through Wills Point in 1873, and the connection accelerated the town's growth dramatically. The railroad made it far easier for local farmers and ranchers to ship cotton, livestock, and goods to larger markets, and Wills Point became a regional hub for trade and commerce.

The town's prominence showed in its civic milestones. On July 21, 1884, Wills Point became the first community in Van Zandt County to incorporate. By 1896 it boasted seven churches, three public schools and the Wills Point Institute, hotels, cotton gins, a large public hall and opera house, a newspaper called the Chronicle, and the headquarters of the North Texas Land Company — a thriving small city for its era. In 1927 the T&P built a handsome brick depot here, the last brick depot constructed on the line from Dallas to Marshall.

Wills Point's modern identity took flight in 1995, when Governor George W. Bush officially named it the Bluebird Capital of Texas. The designation celebrates the Eastern Bluebirds that flock to the area, and birdwatchers come from across the region to see them. The town leaned into the honor, building festivals and civic pride around its feathered emblem.

Wills Point is also known as the 'Gateway to Tawakoni' for its access to Lake Tawakoni and its state park just to the south. Today the town blends its historic downtown — with brick-paved streets, antique shops, and old architecture — with its bluebird identity and lake-country location, a charming small town that has carried its 19th-century heritage into a colorful present.