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History · Braxton

Braxton’s post office opened in 1881, and 21% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1968 on and the census since 1910.

1881first post office
0on the National Register
21%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Kevin C Magee 101234 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Braxton began

When was Braxton founded?

1881

The Braxton post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 286 in 19102020 census: 186145 years
Founding year: the first Braxton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Braxton’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 Braxton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Braxton’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Braxton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Braxton.

Read it all →

The village of Braxton was named after Ira Braxton Standifer, the son of a physician. The population of Braxton as of 2015 was 181. Braxton is approximately 9 miles north of Mendenhall, the county seat of Simpson County and 19 miles north of Magee, Simpson County's largest city. In 2015, the town of Braxton welcomed a brand new town hall. The current mayor of Braxton is Stephanie Lee. In 2020, the population of Braxton was 179.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Braxton, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Braxton Post Office 12019Braxton Post Office 1Braxton Community Center2019Braxton Community CenterMSMap-doton-Braxton2007MSMap-doton-Braxton
On the map

Braxton on the map, 1968 to 1984

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

Braxton on the 1968 USGS mapBraxton on the 1975 USGS mapBraxton on the 1984 USGS map1968Braxton sheet · 1:24,000

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

People over time

Braxton, census by census

0100200300192019401960198020002020Peak: 286

Between 141 and 286 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Braxton

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

See all →
Faith HillAmerican country singer · b. 1967
Robert JohnsonAmerican blues singer and guitarist · b. 1911
Eudora WeltyAmerican short story writer, novelist and photo… · b. 1909
LeAnn RimesAmerican singer and actress · b. 1982
C
Candice PattonAmerican actress · b. 1985
M
M.C. GaineyAmerican actor · b. 1948

Questions about Braxton’s history

What year was Braxton founded?

The Braxton post office opened in 1881, 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 →
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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), 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.