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History · Hackberry

Hackberry’s post office opened in 1888

Most of Hackberry was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. Below: maps from 1935 on and the census since 1920.

1888first post office
0on the National Register
1%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Hackberry began

When was Hackberry founded?

1888

The Hackberry post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 247 in 19202020 census: 926138 years
Founding year: the first Hackberry post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Hackberry’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 Hackberry are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,699 in 2000; 926 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hackberry’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Hackberry’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
People over time

Hackberry, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,6001,800192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,699

Peaked at 1,699 in 2000; 926 people lived here in 2020.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

The story

How Hackberry came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hackberry.

Read it all →

The community of Hackberry was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ike in September 2008. Ike's 22-foot (6.7 m) storm surge crawled 60 miles (97 km) inland and devastated Hackberry. The small community was flooded by the high storm surge and all structures (houses, churches, buildings, etc.) were affected. Flooding caused by the hurricane killed many cattle and other farm animals.

The community also suffered severe damage in Hurricane Rita, in 2005, and again suffered severe damage due to the landfall of Category 4 Hurricane Laura in the late evening and early morning of August 27, 2020, Hackberry being within the eyewall of the storm.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hackberry, 1888 to 2000

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1888Post officeThe Hackberry post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1935On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 21st century
  6. 2000CensusPopulation peaks at 1,699
By decade

Hackberry, decade by decade

Today12 recent
President Trump Visits Cameron LNG Export Terminal2019President Trump Visits Cameron LNG Export TerminalHackberry Bridge 14051812082014Hackberry Bridge 1405181208Hackberry Bridge 1405181204 Louisiana2014Hackberry Bridge 1405181204 LouisianaMoonset over2011Moonset overHomemade Cracklins - Donuts and Kolaches2011Homemade Cracklins - Donuts and KolachesHackberry Hug - Louisiana Army National Guard2008Hackberry Hug - Louisiana Army National GuardFEMA - 39197 - Hackberry Library Annex in Louisiana2008FEMA - 39197 - Hackberry Library Annex in LouisianaFEMA - 16663 - Photograph by Win Henderson taken on 10-03-2005 in Louisiana2005FEMA - 16663 - Photograph by Win Henderson taken on 1…FEMA - 16662 - Photograph by Win Henderson taken on 10-03-2005 in Louisiana2005FEMA - 16662 - Photograph by Win Henderson taken on 1…FEMA - 16661 - Photograph by Win Henderson taken on 10-03-2005 in Louisiana2005FEMA - 16661 - Photograph by Win Henderson taken on 1…FEMA - 16660 - Photograph by Win Henderson taken on 10-03-2005 in Louisiana2005FEMA - 16660 - Photograph by Win Henderson taken on 1…LAMap-doton-Hackberry2004LAMap-doton-Hackberry
On the map

Hackberry on the map, 1935 to 1955

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

Hackberry on the 1935 USGS mapHackberry on the 1955 USGS map1935Hackberry sheet · 1:31,680

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Hackberry

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

See all →
Janis JoplinAmerican singer · b. 1943
Zachary LeviAmerican actor · b. 1980
Babe Didrikson ZahariasAmerican golfer and athlete · b. 1911
Robert RauschenbergAmerican painter and graphic artist · b. 1925
Kay PanabakerAmerican actress · b. 1990
Lucinda WilliamsAmerican rock, folk, blues, and country music s… · b. 1953
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Hackberry’s post office has been open since 1888.

Gone or out of use
West Hackberry Strategic Petroleum Reserveoilfield

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

Questions about Hackberry’s history

What year was Hackberry founded?

The Hackberry post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 (12), 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.