The History of Winnsboro, Texas
Winnsboro sits at the junction of State Highways 11 and 37 in northeastern Wood County, about fifteen miles northeast of the county seat at Quitman, with its edge reaching into Franklin County. Its history runs from a frontier settlement named for an English pioneer to a railroad-fed trade center that endured the cotton bust and reinvented itself around lakes, arts, and a historic downtown.
Here's how Winnsboro came to be.
Wynn's Settlement
Winnsboro was first settled in the early 1850s and named after John E. Wynn, an Englishman who settled in the area. The name was originally spelled Wynnsborough, but when a post office was established in 1855 it was rendered Winnsborough, and in 1893 city leaders shortened it to the Winnsboro we know today.
The early community grew slowly in the rich farm country of the upper Piney Woods. By 1861 it had a post office, two general stores, and a church — a modest crossroads settlement awaiting the railroad that would transform it. After the Civil War, development began to accelerate, setting the stage for the town's first real boom.
The Railroad Years
The railroad made Winnsboro a town. In 1876 the East Line and Red River Railroad built a narrow-gauge line west from Jefferson, and Winnsboro grew into an important local shipping center for the cotton, timber, and produce of the surrounding country. By 1885 the incorporated town had Baptist, Methodist, and Cumberland Presbyterian churches, eight steam grist and cotton gins, an opera house, and around 700 residents.
A second railroad sealed its prosperity. When the Texas Southern Railroad built through in 1904, Winnsboro flourished, and by 1914 the community boasted four banks, two potteries, a public library, a cottonseed mill, two weekly newspapers, and a population of about 2,300 — a busy market town at the heart of a productive farming region.
Bust, Recovery, and Reinvention
Hard times followed the boom. The Great Depression and collapsing cotton prices battered the local economy in the early 1930s, and by 1936 the population had slipped to about 1,900. As elsewhere in cotton-country East Texas, the town had to find a new footing once the old farm economy faded.
Winnsboro recovered after World War II, gaining a hospital, a high school, and a 917-acre lake, and growing steadily from the mid-1960s onward. By 2000 the city had about 3,584 residents and hundreds of businesses. Today Winnsboro is a lake-country town of roughly 3,650, anchored by its 'Red Raider' schools, a CHRISTUS hospital, manufacturers like Keller's Creamery, and a Texas Main Street downtown known for its arts district and the decades-old Autumn Trails festival.
Timeline
Early 1850s
The area is settled and named for John E. Wynn, an English pioneer; the name is first spelled Wynnsborough.
1855
A post office is established, and the name is rendered Winnsborough.
1876
The East Line and Red River Railroad builds west from Jefferson, making Winnsboro a shipping center.
1893
City leaders shorten the town's name to Winnsboro.
1904
The Texas Southern Railroad builds through; by 1914 the town has four banks, two potteries, and about 2,300 people.
1930s
The Depression and falling cotton prices cut the population to roughly 1,900 by 1936.
Notable People
John E. Wynn
The English settler for whom Winnsboro is named; he settled the area in the early 1850s, and the town grew up around the crossroads that took his name.
Wright Haskell Langham
Born in Winnsboro in 1911, a biochemist who joined the Manhattan Project and Los Alamos and became a world authority on plutonium in the body — so much so he was nicknamed 'Mr. Plutonium.'
Johnny Sayles
Born in Winnsboro in 1937, an R&B and soul singer of the 1960s whose powerful voice and stage presence drew comparisons to James Brown during his Chicago recording years.
FAQ: History of Winnsboro
Winnsboro is named for John E. Wynn, an Englishman who settled the area in the early 1850s. The name was first spelled Wynnsborough, became Winnsborough when a post office opened in 1855, and was shortened to Winnsboro in 1893 at the request of city leaders.
Winnsboro grew into a town after the Civil War, especially once the East Line and Red River Railroad arrived in 1876 and made it a shipping center. A second railroad, the Texas Southern, came in 1904, and by 1914 the town had four banks, two potteries, and about 2,300 residents.
Early Winnsboro thrived on cotton, timber, and farm trade, with steam grist and cotton gins, a cottonseed mill, and two potteries among its businesses. The railroads let area farmers ship goods to market, making the town a busy regional trade and shipping center.
Winnsboro's notable natives include Wright Haskell Langham (1911), a Manhattan Project and Los Alamos biochemist known as 'Mr. Plutonium,' and Johnny Sayles (1937), an R&B and soul singer of the 1960s. The town itself is named for English settler John E. Wynn.
Business Owner?
Want Your Business Featured in Winnsboro?
People are searching for businesses like yours in Winnsboro. Get listed in our city guide and local directory so they can find you.