History of Whitesboro TX

At the start of the settlement of Whitesboro, the settlement was called Wolfpath. Whitesboro has also been known as “The City of the Divide” because of the watershed characteristics. However, the town was finally officially named in honor of Captain Ambrose White.

How the Town Grew

When Captain White came to the town, he established the Westview Inn. The Butterfield Overland Mail operation had a line that passed north of Sherman, Texas which was in very close proximity to the area. The Inn was used by the mail like to stagecoaches to change their teams. 

In 1860 a post office began operating in the name of Whitesboro. And on June 2, 1873, Whitesborough was incorporated. The town was growing rapidly. By 1900 the population was 1,214, and by 1920 it had increased to 1,810. Surrounded by farms producing cotton, corn, wheat, and oats, and served by two rail lines, by the mid-1920s the town had become a commercial center.

However, like many Texas towns, the population of Whitesboro declined slightly during the 1930s and 1940s. This was due to the Great Depression and World War II. But after the war, the population steadily increased and Whitesboro now had manufacturers of clothing, metal products, and petroleum products.  Whitesboro’s population increased from 1,854 in 1957 to 2,985 in the late ’60s. By 2000 the population of Whitesboro was 3,760.