Winona

History

Middleton was a town that developed in the 19th century two miles west of Winona's present location. Some locals consider it the predecessor to Winona. After the railroad was built to the east of Middleton, development shifted to what became Winona, bypassing Middleton. The first European-American settler in the area, which was originally part of Carroll County, was Colonel O.J. Moore, who arrived from Virginia in 1848. He agreed to the railroad being constructed through his property, and a station was built in 1860 near his plantation home. As a result of the railroad line and station being built here rather than Middleton, Winona was founded and began to grow. The railroad attracted business, which developed around the station as Moore sold off some property. Winona was incorporated as a town on May 2, 1861. Settlers were attracted because of the railroad access, and Winona became a busy trading town. Captain William Witty, an early settler from North Carolina, was for years a leading Winona merchant and established the first bank in the county. Other names of early settlers were Curtis, Burton, Palmer, Spivey, Townsend, Hart, Turner and Campbell. The early businesses were mainly grocery stores. In 1871, the Reconstruction-era state legislature organized Montgomery County from portions of Carroll and other counties, and Winona was designated as its county seat. A yellow fever epidemic struck the area in 1878 and resulted in the deaths of many residents. Some people left the town in an effort to outrun the epidemic, which spread with river passengers throughout the waterways of the Mississippi Delta and nearby counties. In April 1888, a great fire destroyed almost the entire business section of the town. Forty of the 50 businesses burned. In 1890 the state passed…

Geography

Winona is in western Montgomery County, north of Jackson, the state capital, and south of Grenada via I-55. U.S. Route 51 passes through the west side of the city, while U.S. Route 82 runs through the north side of the city on a four-lane bypass. US 51 leads north to Duck Hill and south the same distance to Vaiden, while US 82 leads east to Starkville and west to Greenwood. I-55 passes through the westernmost part of the city, with access from Exit 185 (US 82). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Winona has a total area of , of which , or 0.24%, are water.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• WINONA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · Winona · 627 students · 13.9:1 ratio
• WINONA SECONDARY SCHOOL
  High · Winona · 517 students · 13.3:1 ratio
• WINONA VOC COMPLEX
  High · Winona