The History of Wills Point, Texas

Wills Point takes its name from William Wills, an early settler who arrived in the area in the 1840s. The community that grew up here was officially founded in 1873, when it was laid out along the new railroad in northwestern Van Zandt County.

Like so many East Texas towns, Wills Point's early life centered on farming and the land. But its growth would be powered by the railroad, which arrived the same year the town was founded and quickly transformed the crossroads into a regional center of trade.

The Texas and Pacific Railway built a line through Wills Point in 1873, and the connection accelerated the town's growth dramatically. The railroad made it far easier for local farmers and ranchers to ship cotton, livestock, and goods to larger markets, and Wills Point became a regional hub for trade and commerce.

The town's prominence showed in its civic milestones. On July 21, 1884, Wills Point became the first community in Van Zandt County to incorporate. By 1896 it boasted seven churches, three public schools and the Wills Point Institute, hotels, cotton gins, a large public hall and opera house, a newspaper called the Chronicle, and the headquarters of the North Texas Land Company — a thriving small city for its era. The railroad's legacy survives downtown, where the historic district has brick streets and a railroad depot museum.

Wills Point's modern identity took flight in 1995, when Governor George W. Bush officially named it the Bluebird Capital of Texas. The town leaned into the honor, building festivals and civic pride around its feathered emblem.

Wills Point is also known as the 'Gateway to Tawakoni' for its access to Lake Tawakoni and its state park about 10 miles to the north. Today the town blends its historic downtown — with brick-paved streets and old architecture — with its bluebird identity and lake-country location, a charming small town that has carried its 19th-century heritage into a colorful present.