TCU Library

Ninnie Baird, founder of Mrs. Baird's Bread, and her granddaughters. Her life story is one of determination, resilience and triumph over hardship. Ninnie was born in 1869 in Gibson County, Tennessee. Her mother died when Ninnie was five years old. Her father remarried and she lived with her father and stepmother until her father died in 1882 when she was 73. She lived with her aunt for the next three years, until she met William Allen Baird, who was also an orphan. They were married in 1886, when Ninnie was seventeen years old and William was nineteen.

The couple settled near Trenton, Tennessee, where William built a house on family land and worked as a woodcutter. They moved in 1898 to Obion, Tennessee, where he was in the restaurant and bakery business. In 1901 the family, now with four children, moved to Fort Worth, where William introduced the first steam popcorn machine to the city at Seventh and Main streets. The bright red machine with its brass fittings and steam whistle became an instant success, and within eight months another one followed, at Fifth and Main. The success of the popcorn machines gave William the capital to buy another restaurant, for which Ninnie was the baker. She gained a reputation for her excellent bread, cakes, and pies.

Not long afterward, William became ill with diabetes, an untreatable disease in those days. By this time, the family had grown to eight children, and the three oldest, Bess, Dewey, and Hoyt, worked with their father and mother in the restaurant learning the bakery trade. All of the baking was done with a four-loaf, wood-burning oven that required splitting of wood and stoking to keep a constant temperature. The restaurant was recognized for its bakery products and had a thriving business in the neighborhood. With her husband's failing health, Ninnie recognized that she could make a living baking bread. So, in 1908, she sold the restaurant and founded Mrs. Baird's Bread. And the rest, as they say, is history. She died in 1961 at the age of 92.

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Our quilting workshop with Susan Howell was a great success! Students learned quilting techniques while gaining hands-on experience with the craft. 🧵

Treasures from the Vault – Episode 2 is live! 🎙️

Explore a first edition of "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave" by Frederick Douglass and discover the story behind one of history’s most powerful voices.

Listen now and uncover rare stories & hidden gems:

Treasures from the Vault Podcast Episode 2: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (First Edition)

What did 1776 mean beyond the American colonies?

Join faculty from the History Department for four short presentations exploring how independence was viewed across the Atlantic World. Stay for a Q&A and a rare opportunity to engage with original manuscript materials from Special Collections.

February 24, 2026
4:30 PM
Special Collections Reading Room, Mary Couts Burnett Library

Come hear, see, and experience history firsthand.