Canton in Van Zandt County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Edmund A. Wynne

Photographed by James Hulse, May 19, 2024

1. Edmund A. Wynne Marker

Inscription. The Wynne community of Canton is one of the oldest African American communities in Texas. Its namesake, Edmund Arnold Wynne, was born June 18, 1850, in Cherokee County to a family of slaves. His family moved to the Big Rock area of Van Zandt County in 1866. By 1869, just four years after emancipation, his father, Henry Wynne, managed to buy 100 acres of land. In July 1871, Edmund married Martha Shaw, and joined the state militia to stop the general lawlessness that had developed in opposition to Reconstruction. Edmund purchased his own land in 1876 and in 1879, he sold for one dollar an acre of this land to the Colored Methodist Church of Clear Springs, the name for the African American community which had formed in the Big Rock area. He and his father also established Clear Springs School for African American children. By 1882, Edmund sold his land at Big Rock and moved to Canton where he purchased another farm. After Martha died in 1883, Edmund married Ella Lawley.

As Edmund Wynne became more successful in farming, he supported what would be known as the Wynne community, aiding neighbors in becoming self-sufficient and even in raising money to build a mill. His own success and involvement also attracted other former slaves and struggling families to move to the area. In 1888 he sold for one dollar land for the site of the Promise Land Colored Methodist Church, used for church and school. He actively participated in the education of the Black community, helping keep the respected educator Rufus Hardin as a teacher at one of the schools until 1896. One of the schools that Edmund sold land to in 1902 eventually became renamed Wynne School. In 1896, Ella died and Edmund married Ann Preisley Matthews that year, after a lifetime of community involvement, Edmund Wynne died on April 1, 1931.

Erected 2015

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by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 18218.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Education • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical date for this entry is April 1, 1931.

Location. 32° 33.542′ N, 95° 51.685′ W. Marker is in Canton, Texas, in Van Zandt County. It is on North Trade Days Boulevard (State Highway 19) north of East Dallas Street. The marker is located in the Hillcrest Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 367 N Trade Days Blvd, Canton TX 75103, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South

and in the Piney Woods.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Thomas Jefferson Towles (about 300 feet away, measured in

The Edmund A. Wynne Gravestone and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, May 19, 2024

2. The Edmund A. Wynne Gravestone and Marker

a direct line); Hillcrest Cemetery (about 300 feet away); Canton: The Misplaced County Seat (about 600 feet away); First Monday Trades Day (about 600 feet away); The Free State Stockade (about 700 feet away); Dixie Hotel (approx. 0.2 miles away); Caldwell Walton Raines (approx. 0.2 miles away); Oran Milo Roberts (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Canton.

The view of the Edmund A. Wynne Marker in the cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, May 19, 2024

3. The view of the Edmund A. Wynne Marker in the cemetery

Credits. This page was last revised on May 23, 2024. It was originally submitted on May 23, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 836 times since then and 125 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 23, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.