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–Not graded
History · Winston

Winston was first counted by the census in 1880, and 64% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1924 on and the census since 1880.

1880first census
0on the National Register
64%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Winston began

When was Winston founded?

1880

Winston first appears in the census in 1880.

First census: 304 in 18802020 census: 229146 years
Founding year: the first census.The full story ↓

What stands out about Winston’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Winston are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Winston’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 470 in 1890; 229 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Winston’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Winston’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Winston came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Winston.

Read it all →

Winston was originally called Crofton's Depot, and under the latter name was laid out in 1871 when the railroad was extended to that point. Other early variant names were "Winstonville" and "Emporia". The present name is after F. K. Winston, a railroad official. A post office called Winstonville was established in 1872, the name was changed to Emporia in 1879, and changed once more to Winston in 1885.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

People over time

Winston, census by census

010020030040050018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 470

Peaked at 470 in 1890; 229 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Winston’s Wikipedia page.

Timeline

Winston, 1885 to 1924

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1885Post officeThe Winston post office opens
  3. 1890CensusPopulation peaks at 470
  4. 20th century
  5. 1924On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Add from your album
On the map

Winston on the map, 1924 to 1984

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Winston. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Winston on the 1924 USGS mapWinston on the 1984 USGS map1924Winston sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Winston.

Famous people

Famous people close to Winston

Nobody well known was born in Winston itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Conrad BurnsAmerican politician · b. 1935
Wild Bill ElliottAmerican actor · b. 1904
E
Edward Harrison TaylorAmerican herpetologist · b. 1889
DeWitt Clarke JenningsAmerican actor · b. 1871
Joseph I. FranceAmerican politician · b. 1873
W
Walter PageAmerican jazz musician · b. 1900

Questions about Winston’s history

What year was Winston founded?

The Winston post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.