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History · Houston

Houston was first counted by the census in 1930, and 39% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Vincelette Futuro House. Below: maps from 1918 on and the census since 1930.

1930first census
1on the National Register
39%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Houston began, and where its name came from

When was Houston founded?

1930

Houston first appears in the census in 1930. Another post office, Houston Station (1864), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 254 in 19302020 census: 38196 years

How did Houston get its name?

Houston was named for John W. Houston.

More on the name

The town was named after John W. Houston who was Delaware's Secretary of State from 1841 to 1844.

Founding year: the first census. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Houston’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Houston are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Houston’s homes were built before 1947.On the map since 19185 editions of the USGS map, 1918 to 1993. Watch Houston change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Houston’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Houston’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Houston came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Houston.

Read it all →

The Town was first incorporated in 1913, right before a local election was to be held. A total of five Commissioners were elected for a total of a two-year term. Other positions within the town were also voted on, including a clerk, treasurer, tax collector, alderman, and town constable. From then on, these elected figures would meet four times every year, to pass ordinances and rules to govern the town, including tax regulations.

The town's "incorporated" status was amanded various times throughout the years.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

On the map

Houston on the map, 1918 to 1993

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Houston. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Houston on the 1918 USGS mapHouston on the 1944 USGS mapHouston on the 1955 USGS mapHouston on the 1981 USGS mapHouston on the 1993 USGS map1918Harrington sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Houston.

Timeline

Houston, 1864 to 1937

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1864Post officeThe Houston Station post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1918On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1937Post officeThe Houston Station post office closes
  6. 1937Post officeThe Houston post office opens
By decade

Houston, decade by decade

Today3 recent
2022-07-15 16 11 40 View of an approaching thunderstorm from Broad Street at Mill Street in20222022-07-15 16 11 40 View of an approaching thundersto…2022-07-15 16 08 11 View of an approaching thunderstorm from Broad Street at Mill Street in20222022-07-15 16 08 11 View of an approaching thundersto…2022-07-15 16 05 04 View of an approaching thunderstorm from Broad Street at Mill Street in20222022-07-15 16 05 04 View of an approaching thundersto…
On the National Register

1 historic place in Houston

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
2023
Vincelette Futuro House
Buildings
All 1 listings
Vincelette Futuro HouseBuilding · listed 2023

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Houston, census by census

010020030040050019401960198020002020Peak: 487

Between 254 and 487 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Houston’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Houston

Nobody well known was born in Houston itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Annie Jump CannonAmerican astronomer · b. 1863
Teri PoloAmerican actress · b. 1969
Doug HutchisonAmerican actor · b. 1960
Madison BrengleAmerican tennis player · b. 1990
Bryan StevensonAmerican lawyer, social reformer and academic · b. 1959
Ruth Ann MinnerAmerican politician and businesswoman · b. 1935
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Houston’s post office has been open since 1937. Another post office, Houston Station, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Houston Station
1864–1937
Houston
1937–today
18601940today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Houston’s history

What year was Houston founded?

The Houston post office opened in 1930, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Houston?

One place: the Vincelette Futuro House (listed 2023).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (3), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.