Winona, Texas, Smith County. (original) (raw)
32�29'27"N 95�10'16"W (32.490836, -95.171100)
FM 16 and Highway 155
About 2 Miles N of I-20
About 14 Miles NE of Tyler the county seat
Population: 605 Est. (2018)
576 (2010) 582 (2000) 457 (1990)
Winona, Texas Area Hotels › Tyler Hotels
History in a Pecan Shell
The town dates from 1870 when it was established on the old Shreveport-Dallas Road. Later that decade it became a stop on the railroad � a branch line running from Tyler.
The community�s first post office operated from 1878 to 1879 but reopened the following year. The population was reported as 150 in 1892 and in 1914 the town had an estimated 600 citizens.
That same year Smith County�s first hard surface road connected Winona to Tyler. On the eve of the Great Depression Winona reported 800 residents which was soon reduced by half.
The construction of Camp Fannin during World War II gave the town a shot in the arm and a slight increase in population. It remained at 450 into the 1960s, declining to a mere 155 in the early 1970s.
With the completion of Interstate 20 in the late 1970s the population increased back to 450 and slowly increased to the present (2010) 576.
Elisha Everett Lott Historical Marker
On State Hwy 155, 2 miles S of Winona
Photo courtesy Gerald Massey, July 2011
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Historical Marker:
Elisha Everett Lott
(February 24, 1820 - January 17, 1864)Moved to Harrison County, Texas in 1840. Elected to the Republic of Texas Congress in 1842, he helped open this area of Texas for settlement. He moved here in 1845, and in 1846 was instrumental in the organization of Smith County and the selection of Tyler as the county seat. He helped promote steamboat navigation of the Sabine River and in 1853 was elected to the State Senate. A Confederate veteran of the Civil War, Lott died at his Starrville home in 1864 and is buried near this site in the Lott Family Cemetery.
1991
Winona, Texas Landmarks
Photo Gallery
The Kay House historical marker
Photo courtesy Gerald Massey, July 2011
Historical Marker:
The Kay House
South Carolina planter Francis Lemuel Kay (1814-1867) settled in Smith County in 1856. Between 1856 and 1860, Kay bought 640 acres of land and built this two-story home for his wife Mary Ellen (Black) (1826-1896) and their eleven children. By 1860 Kay owned and operated 1300 acres of farm and ranchland. The Kay family sold the property to the Combination Orchard Company in 1909, and the house became the headquarters for the company's pecan orchards. In 1937 the Hunt Oil Company bought the house and land and has continued to operate the pecan business.
1983
Smith County 1920s map showing Winona & Tyler
From Texas state map #10749
Courtesy Texas General Land Office
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