Wood County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 44,843. Its county seat is Quitman. The county was named for George T. Wood, governor of Texas from 1847 to 1849.

History

The first documented European exploration of what is now Wood County took place in the late 18th century, when Pedro Vial, After marching all the way to Santa Fe in 1787, he headed east to Natchitoches. The French may have build a military post called Fort Ledout near Black Oak in Wood County, but other than the archeological evidence, little is known about any possible French settlements. Some Spanish and Mexican land grants were issued in the area, but settlement was sparse until after the Texas Revolution. The first White settler was Martin Varner. He built his home near the southeast side of what is now Hainsville at least by 1824. The first organized settlement was at Webster in 1845.

Early industry

Early industry included a number of sawmills, gristmills, steam mills, and cotton gins. A jug factory operated north of the Big Sandy Creek in the 1850s. A second jug factory was built some years later near Holly Creek. Two brick kilns are known to have been located in the area of Winnsboro. Wigley Furniture Company began operating in Mineola in 1874. A cane and rawhide-bottom chair factory opened in 1886. Tie-cutting became a major industry in the county in the 1870s with the coming of the railroads. Pine Mills, Perryville, Ogburn, Merrimac, Peach, and Fouke got their start as sawmill towns.

Adjacent counties

  • Hopkins County (north)
  • Franklin County (northeast)
  • Camp County (northeast)
  • Upshur County (east)
  • Smith County (south)
  • Van Zandt County (southwest)
  • Rains County (west)

National protected areas

  • Little Sandy National Wildlife Refuge

Communities

Municipalities and incorporated towns

The following are municipalities and towns which are incorporated under the laws of the state of Texas, meaning they have elected governments and officially recognized municipal, town, or village governments.

  • Alba
  • Hawkins
  • Mineola
  • Quitman
  • Winnsboro
  • Yantis

Census-designated place

  • Holly Lake Ranch

Unincorporated settlements and towns

The following are towns in Wood County, Texas which are not incorporated but recognized as active settlements through community centers, churches, and similar geographic, historic, and physical landmarks.

  • Cartwright
  • Coke
  • Crow
  • East Point
  • Forest Hill
  • Fouke
  • Golden
  • Hainesville
  • Hoard
  • Little Hope
  • New Hope
  • Oak Grove
  • Ogburn
  • Perryville
  • Pine Mills
  • Pineview
  • Pleasant Grove
  • Stout

Small communities, ghost towns, and former settlements

Wood County previously had a number of settlements. In 1884, there were 35 settlements in the county at which the Texas Legislature ordered schools to be established.

| align-fn = center

| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<br />1850–2010 2010

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|-

|White alone (NH)

|21,775

|26,069

|31,848

|35,628

|style='background: #ffffe6; |35,906

|88.17%

|88.73%

|86.66%

|84.90%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |80.07%

|-

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|2,553

|2,374

|2,243

|1,951

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,658

|10.34%

|8.08%

|6.10%

|4.65%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.70%

|-

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|53

|105

|167

|198

|style='background: #ffffe6; |227

|0.21%

|0.36%

|0.45%

|0.47%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.51%

|-

|Asian alone (NH)

|29

|39

|69

|156

|style='background: #ffffe6; |230

|0.12%

|0.13%

|0.19%

|0.37%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.51%

|-

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|x

|x

|8

|12

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1

|x

|x

|0.02%

|0.03%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%

|-

|Other race alone (NH)

|4

|5

|19

|8

|style='background: #ffffe6; |138

|0.02%

|0.02%

|0.05%

|0.02%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.31%

|-

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|x

|x

|296

|460

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,789

|x

|x

|0.81%

|1.10%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.99%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|283

|788

|2,102

|3,551

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,894

|1.15%

|2.68%

|5.72%

|8.46%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |10.91%

|-

|Total

|24,697

|29,380

|36,752

|41,964

|style='background: #ffffe6; |44,843

|100.00%

|100.00%

|100.00%

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

|}

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 44,843. The median age was 50.5 years. 18.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 28.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.7 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 82.2% White, 3.8% Black or African American, 0.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, &lt;0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 4.9% from some other race, and 7.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 10.9% of the population.

12.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 87.3% lived in rural areas.

There were 18,447 households in the county, of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.5% were married-couple households, 17.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2000, 36,752 people, 14,583 households, and 10,645 families were residing in the county. The population density was . The 17,939 housing units averaged . The racial makeup of the county was 89.11% White, 6.12% African American, 0.55% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 2.93% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. About 5.72% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race.

Of the 14,583 households, 26.70% had children under 18 living with them, 61.50% were married couples living together, 8.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.00% were not families. About 24.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.20% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.42, and the average family size was 2.85.

In the county, the age distribution was 21.80% under 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 22.90% from 25 to 44, 26.40% from 45 to 64, and 20.90% who were 65 or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was , and for a family was . Males had a median income of versus for females. The per capita income for the county was . About 10.80% of families and 14.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.50% of those under age 18 and 10.30% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Wood County includes the intersection of two major U.S. highways; US 69 and US 80 intersect in the city of Mineola's downtown area. Texas Highway 37 connects Mineola and Quitman off US 69.

Major highways

  • 20px U.S. Highway 69
  • 20px U.S. Highway 80
  • 20px State Highway 11
  • 20px State Highway 37
  • 20px State Highway 154
  • 20px State Highway 182

Farm to market roads

Wood County includes all or part of these Texas Farm To Market roads:

  • 20px FM 14
  • 20px FM 17
  • 20px FM 49
  • 20px FM 69
  • 20px FM 115
  • 20px FM 288
  • 20px FM 312
  • 20px FM 514
  • 20px FM 515
  • 20px FM 778
  • 20px FM 779
  • 20px FM 852
  • 20px FM 1254
  • 20px FM 1483
  • 20px FM 1643
  • 20px FM 1647
  • 20px FM 1795
  • 20px FM 1799
  • 20px FM 1801
  • 20px FM 1804
  • 20px FM 2088
  • 20px FM 2225
  • 20px FM 2422
  • 20px FM 2455
  • 20px FM 2659
  • 20px FM 2869
  • 20px FM 2911
  • 20px FM 2966
  • 20px FM 3056

Railroads

Wood County is currently served by Amtrak's Texas Eagle passenger railway line. The railroad tracks which run through the southern portion of Wood County and through Mineola are currently owned and operated by Union Pacific.

Airports

Wood County is served by three airports, located in Mineola, Quitman, and Winnsboro:

  • Mineola Wisner Field is identified as 3F9. This airport was established in 1917, and has been operated by the same family owners since 1926.<!-- not needed It is also known as the Mineola Airport and Wisner Field. -->
  • Wood County Airport (Mineola/Quitman Airport) is a public airport owned by Wood County.
  • Winnsboro Municipal Airport is located south of the city of Winnsboro and is a municipally owned airport facility.

Media

Wood County is in the Tyler-Longview media market. It is currently served by two local newspapers, and daily newspapers and television stations from other parts of the East Texas area.

Newspapers

Wood County has five newspapers published within its borders: Wood County Now, Wood County Monitor, Winnsboro News, Yantis Tymes, and The Community Chronicle. The Winnsboro News also serves Franklin County, as Winnsboro is split between the two counties.

; Wood County Monitor

In August 2016, two of the county's longstanding newspaper operations, the Mineola Monitor and the Wood County Democrat, were merged by their owner, Bluebonnet Publishing. Prior to that, the Mineola Monitor operated under its own masthead in Mineola, and the Wood County Democrat operated under its own masthead in Quitman. Staffing at the newspapers did not change, and the staffs of both newspapers were merged. is a weekly newspaper in Winnsboro, serving Wood and Franklin Counties. In August 2003, the newspaper gained notoriety for publishing an editorial by publisher Tom Pendergast outing an LGBTQ couple living in the city.

;Wood County Now

In 2020, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, a free news source available by social media and online was established. Owner Amanda Duncan originally created the social-media accounts to keep residents informed of the pandemic and rising case numbers, and to help showcase small businesses that were financially struggling. Within eight months, the news outlet grew to be the largest social-media and online news source in Wood County.

Radio stations

Wood County is served by two local radio stations.

;KWNS

KWNS is a Southern Gospel radio station located in Winnsboro. It broadcasts at 104.7 FM. Under Curry's tenure, the station was referred to by its ownership and on-air personalities as, "K M Double O," and on-air personalities were not allowed to call the station "KMOO," with the last three letters pronounced in a manner similar to a noise made by cattle. Curry sold the station in 1995 when he planned to embark on a race for Wood County judge as a Democrat, a race he ultimately lost.

Government

Wood County is located within District 5 of the Texas House of Representatives. Wood County is located within District 1 of the Texas Senate.

Wood County is represented in the Texas House of Representatives by the Republican Bryan Hughes, a lawyer in Mineola and a native of Wood County. The county is split between two different U.S. congressional districts, the First and the Fifth Congressional Districts. Thus, the county is represented by Congressman Nathaniel Moran and Congressman Lance Gooden. The county is currently represented in the Texas Senate by Kevin Eltife.

The current county judge is Lucy Hebron, elected in 2018. As county judge, Hebron is both the county's chief administrator and judge of the constitutional county court, which handles misdemeanor cases.

In 2017, former Sheriff Jim Brown and former Chief Deputy Miles Tucker were arrested for various offenses stemming from a shooting incident over access to an oilfield lease. Two of the felony charges were dismissed, however four misdemeanor charges remain pending.

Historic election results

In spite of an increasing number of voters in every U.S. presidential election since 1992, the percentage of registered Wood County voters turning out to vote in presidential elections has fallen about 10% between 1992 and 2012.

<!-- PresRow should be -->

<!-- U.S. SenRow should be -->

<!-- U.S. SenRow should be -->

<!-- T.X. GovRow should be -->

Elections mapped by Precinct

thumb|206x206px|2024 Primary Results. All precincts were won by Donald Trump. The numbers denote total percentage of the votes awarded to Trump, not margin of victory.

2024

Republican: Donald Trump won every precinct with total percentages of over 80%. Nikki Haley came in second in every precinct.

For more election results in Wood County, see this group of maps.

Education

Early schools

There were a number of so-called "subscription schools" in Wood County after 1854, when free public schools in Texas were on the rise due to legislative action. In 1852, a log schoolhouse in the western part of the county near Chaney Crossing on Lake Fork was built. By 1854, school was being taught in Quitman. By 1859, Quitman had three schools that required tuition to be paid.

  • Mineola
  • Winnsboro

Institutions and businesses with special state designations

Texas Business Treasure Award recipients (Texas Historical Commission Designation)

  • Broadway Barber Shop (Mineola)
  • Wisener Field (Mineola)
  • First National Bank of Winnsboro
  • R.H. McCrary Hardware (Winnsboro)

Notable people

  • Willie Brown, California politician
  • Bryan Hughes, Texas state representative
  • Bobby Ray Inman, U.S. Navy Admiral
  • Ray Price, singer/songwriter; member of the Country Music Hall of Fame
  • Harold Simmons, American billionaire businessman
  • Sissy Spacek, Academy Award-winning actress
  • Kacey Musgraves, musician
  • Mack Tuck, professional basketball player and coach

See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Wood County, Texas
  • Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Wood County

References