Later owned by E.W. Teddlie family it is restored in 1871. Winn Parish was officially created by the state legislature in 1851 from lands originally belonging to the bordering parishes of Rapides, Natchitoches and Catahoula. Official organization was completed in 1852. In 1869 Winn Parish gave up part of its original area for the formation of a new southern neighbor, Grant Parish. Winnfield, the parish seat since its organization is located in the geographical center of the parish.
Some debate still continues about the naming of the parish.
Original documents show that the original legislation named the new parish Dugdemona after the river that traverses its borders. When the state seceded from the Union in 1861, Winn Parish briefly seceded from Louisiana and became the Free State of Winn. During the Civil War the parish was the site of some minor skirmishes. Confederate forces defeated a Union detachment sent to destroy the salt works in the area. After the war bandits roamed the Natchez Trace that ran through the parish.