Golden is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Wood County, Texas 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 docume ...

, at the intersection of Farm to Market Roads 1799 and 779 off U.S. Highway 69 approximately four miles northwest of the city of Mineola, in the southwestern section of Wood County. It's eighty miles east of downtown

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Early history

The Golden area was settled initially as early as 1865. The community wasn't formally formed until the late 1870s, when a sawmill was constructed by C.W. Tucker. The Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad built through Golden in 1881 on its Greenville to Mineola line. The town was named after railway construction engineer John Golden. The railroad tie cutting industry added to the local agrarian economy. The Friendship school was established around 1880, and may have previously been part of a community of the same name. By 1885, Golden had a post office, and the community had a population of 100 by 1890. A bank opened in the city in 1907. The community had a population zenith of 650 in 1914 and boasted a telephone connection, and the ''Golden Rule'', a community newspaper.

Decline

By 1925, population had dwindled to 400. The bank closed in 1931. The Golden School District reported 232 students in 11 grades by 1932. Population continued to fall throughout the middle of the 20th century. In 1965, the railroad abandoned its line through Golden. The Golden schools ultimately merged with Alba schools to form Alba-Golden ISD.

Sweet Potato Festival

Every fourth Saturday in October since 1982, the town hosts a

Sweet Potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the Convolvulus, bindweed or morning glory family (biology), family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a r ...

Festival. This celebration has been featured twice on ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...

''.

Education

Public education in the community of Golden is provided by the Alba-Golden Independent School District.

Notable people

Kacey Musgraves Kacey Lee Musgraves (born August 21, 1988) is an American country singer. She has won six Grammy Awards, seven Country Music Association Awards, and three Academy of Country Music Awards. Musgraves self-released three solo albums and one as Texa ...

(b. 1988), Grammy-winning country music artist, singer, and songwriter. *

Harold Simmons Harold Clark Simmons (May 13, 1931 – December 29, 2013) was an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist whose banking expertise helped him develop the acquisition concept known as the leveraged buyout (LBO) to acquire various corporat ...

(May 13, 1931 – December 28, 2013), businessman, owner of Contran Corporation.

References

Sources

Golden, Texas
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Texas Escapes
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Unincorporated communities in Wood County, Texas Unincorporated communities in Texas {{WoodCountyTX-geo-stub