Wood County, 1850-1900 Page: 43
201 p. : ill., ports. ; 29 cm.View a full description of this book.
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RAILWAY STATION at GOLDEN
Winnsboro was settled in 1854 by W. R. McMillan
and his step-son, John E. Winn. The two men were
migrating from Rusk County when they came to the in-
tersection of the Quitman and Mt. Pleasant roads.
They made camp at the site and impressed with the
beauty and potentials decided to remain. The nearest
town in the county was Quitman, sixteen miles
southwest. A settlement called Cornersville was two
miles west. Another settlement, Webster, was
southwest of the site.
McMillan and Winn purchased 361 acres of land
and set about immediately to build houses for
themselves and a storehouse. They had been in the
mercantile business in Rusk County so they now moved
their entire stock to the new location called Crossroads.
A sign reading "Cheap Cash Store" adorned the front
of their store.
"Uncle Henry" Robinson built McMillan's house,
the first in Winnsboro. It was located near the north-
east corner of the cross-roads. The store house also
was on the northeast corner of the crossroads. Winn's
residence was built about one hundred yards west of
the cross-roads. A good well of water was located at the
intersection. It was equipped with a windlass with
bacon rind bearings, a rope and wooden bucket. The
well was a very popular gathering place for travelers
and freight haulers.
The next important step for McMillan and Winn
was the laying off of town lots and the naming of thetown. It was called Winnsborough in honor of John E.
Winn. Lots were given for business purposes with the
stipulation that no liquor would be sold within certain
limits. The following year another general merchandise
store was established by Drury Connally, followed by
one built by Vannoy and McGee. E. S. Moore es-
tablished a grocery store about 1857. Moore came to
the area in 1852.
In 1858 a wood work shop was erected in
Winnsboro by two Germans, Miller and Hekel. They
were said to be skilled workmen and to add materially
to the growth and prosperity of the new town.
Within a few years after settling in Winnsboro, W.
R. McMillan decided to take a medical course. He sold
his store to Isaac Faber, said to be the first Jewish
merchant in the county, and later returned to
Winnsboro to establish the first drug store.
The town's post office was established 6 March
1855 and W. R. McMillan was appointed postmaster.
Joseph W. Ward, E. S. Moore, and Hiram H. Cyrus
succeeded McMillan until the post office was discon-
tinued 7 February 1868. It was re-established 25 June
1874. Anderson McBride was appointed postmaster,
followed by J. G. Stewart, T. F. Shelton, Isham
Russell, J. R. Wright, and Isham Russell, who was
reappointed 7 August 1897.
When the first post office was established the of-
ficial name was Winnsborough. It was changed to
Winnsboro when John R. Wright was appointed post-ILA~~ ~
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Wood County, 1850-1900 (Book)
This text gives an overview of Wood County, Texas from roughly 1850 to 1900. It includes historical sketches of various aspects of life in the county as well as anecdotes. Genealogical information and documentation are also included for pioneer families in the area.
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Wood County Historical Society. Wood County, 1850-1900, book, 1976; Quitman, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth91051/m1/51/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .