Winona, TX

Winona sits at the junction of Farm Road 16 and State Highway 155 in northeastern Smith County, three miles north of Owentown. Its first durable connections were a road and a railroad: the Dallas-Shreveport Road became FM 16, and the Tyler Tap Railway reached Winona in 1877. By 1892 the settlement had a telegraph office, four general stores, a drugstore, a mill and cotton gin, and 150 residents. The railroad and farm trade made the town a service point for the surrounding countryside.

The town's later history runs through its churches and schools. Camp Fannin, an infantry replacement training center, operated three miles south during World War II and brought 27 local businesses into operation in 1943. Seven local schools were consolidated into Winona ISD in 1952, and the district remains one of the community's defining institutions. The 2020 census counted 623 residents. Winona's current map is still tied to the roads, school district, churches, and regional Tyler orbit that grew from the old rail-and-cotton center.