Historical Marker to honor Edmond A. Wynne

To preserve the history of Canton, the Canton Main Street Program dedicates a Historical Marker each year in honor of a historically important building or location or a person important in the history of establishing this community.

Edmond A. Wynne, “Father” of the Wynne Community, will be honored with the dedication of an official Texas Historical Marker on Saturday, June 25. The ceremony and unveiling of the Historical Marker will begin at 9 a.m. in the recently restored Hillcrest Cemetery, located on North Trades Day Boulevard

(SH 19), Canton. Granddaughters of Mr. Wynne will participate in the unveiling, accompanied by other Wynne family members.

Edmond Wynne, born in 1850 into slavery, moved with his family Into Van Zandt County about 1866 during the turbulent Civil War Reconstruction period. Surviving these trying times, he bought land and attracted other black settlers to the area. He donated land for the construction of churches and encouraged the formation of a school for the children of the community.

Edmond Wynne’s story follows the shaping of the American nation after the Civil War and demonstrates the struggles of a people adjusting to living in a free society and their struggles to establish a stable community.

The Wynne Community, formed more than 135 years ago, is now one of the older, still intact black communities in the State of Texas.