Winchell 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 ...

in Brown County,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, United States.

History

Winchell was founded sometime before 1900 and was originally named Broadtown or Brown Town for E.J. Broad, who built a store in the area. Its name was changed to Winchell in 1903, most likely for B.L. Winchell, who was the president of the

Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway The Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway, chartered under the laws of Texas on June 1, 1885, was part of a plan conceived by Buckley Burton Paddock and other Fort Worth civic leaders to create a transcontinental route linking New York, Fort Worth, ...

that built a track from there to

Brady Brady may refer to: People * Brady (surname) * Brady (given name) * Brady (nickname) * Brady Boone, a ring name of American professional wrestler Dean Peters (1958–1998) Places in the United States * Brady, Montana, a census-designated pla ...

. The first postmaster was Charles Wilson. Other buildings sprang up along the track, which included a depot and several businesses. It had a

cotton gin A cotton gin—meaning "cotton engine"—is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation.. Reprinted by McGraw-Hill, New York and London, 1926 (); a ...

, several businesses, and 300 residents in 1914. A decade later, all buildings burned and were never rebuilt, causing the postal service to continue until 1958. In the early 1930s, Winchell had two churches, three businesses, and several scattered houses along the highway. Another business was built in 1940 and had 90 residents, then lost two businesses in 1962. Both businesses disappeared in 1965. Its population was estimated to have dropped to 10 in 2010, then grew to 20 in 2019.

Geography

Winchell is located approximately 21 miles southwest of Brownwood along U.S. Highway 377 in southwestern Brown County, near the McCulloch County line.

Education

In the 1920s, Winchell had a two-story school building with four teachers employed. By the next decade, its high school joined the

Brookesmith Independent School District Brookesmith Independent School District is a public school district based in the community of Brookesmith, Texas (USA). Located in Brown County, a small portion of the district extends into Mills County. Academic achievement In 2009, the scho ...

, while the elementary school followed suit in the 1940s. Today, Winchell is served by the

Rochelle Independent School District Rochelle Independent School District is a public school district based in the community of Rochelle, Texas (USA). The district has one school, Rochelle School that serves students in grades kindergarten through twelve. Academic achievement In ...

References

Unincorporated communities in Brown County, Texas Unincorporated communities in Texas {{BrownCountyTX-geo-stub