Punkin Center

Haynesville, also known as Punkin Center, is five miles north of Electra on State Highway 25/240 in northwestern Wichita County. The community was established in 1890 and derived its name from that of Henry Haynes, a county commissioner and local farmer. The community developed in the early 1900s because of the paving of State Highway 25. Haynes built a general store on the newly paved road, and a service station also opened there. Haynesville has also had other businesses, including cotton gins, a beer hall, and a liquor store. During the twentieth century its population has ranged from sixty to 100 residents. In 1990 Haynesville reported a population of sixty. The community is also known locally as Punkin Center. Once a settlement separate from but very near Haynesville, Punkin Center, according to local lore, derived its name from a pumpkin painted on a sign advertising a local blacksmith. With the paving of State Highway 25, the two communities grew together and took the name Haynesville, though Punkin Center remains a commonly used nickname and appears below the official name on local signs.