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WHITESBORO,
TEXAS
AKA Whitesborough
Grayson
County, Central
Texas North
33°39'35"N 96°54'22"W (33.659612, -96.905999)
US 377, US 82, Hwy 56, and Loop 441
15 Miles S of Oklahoma border on the Red River
17 Miles W of Sherman the county seat
13 Miles E of Gainesville
41 Miles N of Denton
80 Miles N of Dallas
ZIP code 76273
Area code 903
Population: 4,120 Est. (2019)
3,793 (2010) 3,760 (2000) 3,209 (1990)
Book Hotel Here › Sherman
Hotels |
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History in
a Pecan Shell
Whitesboro's namesake
was Ambrose B. White who moved into the area (then named Wolfpath)
in the late 1840s. But the White family wasn't the first to arrive.
The honor of "first settler" went to Robert Diamond. From 1858 - 1861
the White family ran White's Westview Inn which was a stop on the
Butterfield Overland Mail route. The community was then comprised
of about 14 families living in a small cluster of homes.
The town applied for a post office under the name Whitesborough
in 1860. After the Civil War the influx of Southerners to Texas
seemed to congregate at Whitesborough, bringing the town notoriety.
Gunplay was frequent and townsfolk spent their Saturday nights in
the safety of their homes. The town had a respectable population of
500 in 1873. By the late 1870s the town had received a railroad connection
through the MKT (the first out-of-state railroad to enter Texas).
Although it had previously been incorporated, in1887 the town was
reincorporated under the simplified name of Whitesboro.
The population in 1900 was around 1,200 which increased to 1,810 by
1920 when the town had a second railroad connection. The population
of Whitesboro declined during the Great Depression and WWII
- but by the late 50s it had returned to the level of the 1920 census.
By the late 60s it was 2,985 and has slowly increased to the present
3,793. |
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Bones Chapel
NW of Whitesboro
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, February 2007 |
Alberta Peach
Farm, Whiteboro, Texas
Vintage Postcard courtesy Dan
Whatley |
Whitesboro,
Texas Forum
Subject:
Remembering Whitesboro
I love living in small towns, and though I've moved to a medium
sized City, I still live out in the country since it's where I feel
most comfortable. I had found your site while googling Texas small
towns, since I've lived in a few and have enjoyed reading about
the towns I used to live in. (Small list: DeSoto, Ferris, Whitesboro,
and Kerens) There was a
small gap between '94 and '95 when I moved up to Massachusetts to
stay with my grandmother for a year. Here's some small memories
about Whitesboro from me:
I loved their Peanut Festival! They have some pictures on
their website of it. I remember being in KAD (Kids Against Drugs)
and marching in the festival one year. I was also in the band, and
remember when the Middle School was a part of the High School, and
the 6th grade band joined the High School band for one football
game during half time. I also remember in the 3rd grade, when Good
Morning America filmed their opening from our school. We all wore
our pep-rally shirts, stood out on the bleachers of the football
field, and sang "Oh What A Beautiful Morning" back when it was Paula
Zahn and Harry. If I remember correctly, I belive one year the band
placed 1st in the district.
I do hope more people send in information on their home towns; I
know there's nothing more insightful than personal experiences and
knowledge. - Sherryl Trowbridge (now Sherryl LaPrad), December 16,
2006
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Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
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