Winona in Smith County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

The Kay House

Photographed by Amanda Hartley, July 7, 2010

1. The Kay House Marker

Inscription. South Carolina planter Francis Lemuel Kay (1814-1867) settled in Smith County in 1856. Between 1856 and 1860, Kay bought 640 acres of land and built this two-story home for his wife Mary Ellen (Black) (1826-1896) and their eleven children. By 1860 Kay owned and operated 1300 acres of farm and ranchland. The Kay family sold the property to the Combination Orchard Company in 1909, and the house became the headquarters for the company's pecan orchards. In 1937 the Hunt Oil Company bought the house and land and has continued to operate the pecan business.
Karen Ann Kay Esberger & E. James Esberger

Erected 1983 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 7737.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1856.

Location. 32° 30.523′ N, 95° 10.052′ W. Marker is in Winona, Texas, in Smith County. It is on State Highway 155 one mile north of Farm to Market Road 16, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Winona TX 75792, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South,

specifically in the Deep 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 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: First Baptist Church of Winona (approx. 1.2 miles away); Elisha Everett Lott (approx. 2.6 miles away); Starrville Community

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(approx. 4.1 miles away); Scouts of Texas Army (approx. 4.1 miles away); Harris Creek Cemetery (approx. 4.1 miles away); Nicholas Wren 1807-1859 (approx. 4.1 miles away); Starrville Community Center (approx. 4½ miles away); Henry "Ragtime Texas" Thomas (approx. 5.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Winona.

The Kay House Marker and House image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Amanda Hartley, July 29, 2010

2. The Kay House Marker and House

The Kay House image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Amanda Hartley, July 29, 2010

3. The Kay House

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on July 22, 2010, by Amanda Hartley of Tyler, Texas. This page has been viewed 3,704 times since then and 146 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on July 22, 2010, by Amanda Hartley of Tyler, Texas. 2, 3. submitted on July 30, 2010, by Amanda Hartley of Tyler, Texas. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.