The area was initially settled by several pioneer families in the early 1890s. A school opened in 1891 and a post office was established on March 14, 1892. The community was named after Ballinger attorney W.J. Wingate. By the 1920s, Wingate had a bank and several other businesses. A new high school was constructed around the same time. In 1940, Wingate had an estimated population of 250. A modest buffalo-ranching industry was launched by Vester Parrish in 1961. Wingate's population stood at just over 200 in 1990. On July 1, 1991, the Wingate Independent School District was annexed into Winters ISD. By 2000, roughly 132 residents were living in Wingate.
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, 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.
