Jack Marion Cross and Ruby Hazel Shannon Cross were lifelong agricultural advocates whose devotion to rural youth and community service left an enduring mark on East Texas. Married on March 23, 1940, in Hugo, Oklahoma, the couple shared a 64-year partnership defined by hospitality, hard work, and youth mentorship. Life and Partnership In 1965, the Cross family relocated with their daughter Marka to a farm west of Winnsboro, Texas. Jack announced he was "don huntin' for a farm

John Johnson's blacksmith shop was a prominent business in Winnsboro, located on Franklin Street, an area commonly referred to as "Smoky Row" due to the considerable smoke produced by coal fires from the shops.

This is a neat old photo of the Winnsboro Express building, taken around 1912. You'd have found it right at the corner of Broadway and Main, just south of the old city hall.

When you read these old news articles, it may seem like yesterday for some of you, but to a lot of younger folks, it's "ancient history,"...