Texas Historical Marker #17352
Starrville Community Center. #17352
17936 FM 16 E, Winona, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #07737
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. #7737
?, Winona, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #07760
Starrville Community. In 1852 the Rev. Joshua Starr, a Methodist minister from Alabama, bought 640 acres of land here on the Dallas-Shreveport Road. Platting Starrville, one of the earliest towns in Smith County, he sold lots with deed covenants against gambling and liquor. In 1853 he helped organize Starr Lodge No. 118, A. F. & A. M.; Methodists and Masons shared a 2-story building which the church bought from Starr in 1854. The post office was moved from nearby Gum Spring to Starrville in 1857. The town thrived with stores and overnight lodgings for freighters. It had grist mills, sawmills, foundries, and a wagon factory; music teachers, dentists, physicians, photographers. Its churches and schools were highly influential. The Methodists supported a female high school; the Baptists founded Ann Judson Female School. A Union academy, male high school, and female college also existed before the Civil War (1861-65). Bypassing of Starrville by the Tyler Tap Railroad in the 1870s brought population losses. In 1907 the post office and the Masonic Lodge were removed to Winona. The schools of Starrville and Baker Springs were consolidated in 1924, and later were merged with the Winona public school system. #7760
?, Winona, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #07739
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. #7739
?, Winona, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #07726
First Baptist Church of Winona. Established in 1849 by Pastor William H. Ray and 15 charter members, this church was originally called Harris Creek Baptist Church. The congregation met once a month in members' homes until a pine log church building was erected in 1850. A new sanctuary was constructed in 1855 about a mile from Winona. In 1858 the church established a cemetery west of the church building, later used as a community graveyard. African Americans were members of this church until Emancipation, but buried their dead in a separate section of the cemetery. A cyclone destroyed the sanctuary in 1878, but members rebuilt that year. In 1900 the church relocated to Winona, and in 1916 began holding services twice a month. A two-story brick church building was erected in 1927, and in 1929 the congregation changed its name to Winona Baptist Church. In 1941 the church voted to hold services full time, and in 1947 changed its name to the First Baptist Church of Winona. A centennial celebration was held in 1949. A larger facility was built in 1980, and additions were erected in 1987. The congregation offers traditional programs to its members and continues to support a variety of community outreach activities. (1997) #7726
212 Dallas St., Winona, TX, United States