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B+History
History · Houston

Houston’s post office opened in 1837, and 3 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 71% of U.S. towns · #26 of 100 in Mississippi. What drives it

Most of Houston was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 70 buildings. Below: maps from 1953 on and the census since 1870.

1837first post office
3on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
7famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Houston began

When was Houston founded?

1837

The Houston post office opened in 1837, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 400 in 18702020 census: 3,797189 years

How historic is Houston?

B+

More historic than 71% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Houston post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Houston’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Houston is more historic than 71% of U.S. towns, #26 of 100 in Mississippi. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Houston’s overall grade.
Founding era1837, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19405.2% of homes (±3.7) · typical MS town 4.5% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register3 listings, 72 historic buildings, 192 per 10,000 residents · typical MS town 71.9 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 71%
NewerOlder
Mississippi towns of 2,500+ (100)Ahead of 75%

Mississippi towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Mississippi town has 71.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Houston’s 192 sits above most of its state (74% of Mississippi towns have fewer) while its 72 historic buildings outnumber those of 87% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.7 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

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.A historic districtThe Houston Historic District takes in 70 historic buildings.Deep rootsA post office since 1837: 189 years of Houston.
★ 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
On the National Register

3 listings protect 72 historic buildings

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

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
72
each building in a district counts
first listed
1978
Houston Carnegie Library
Houston Carnegie Library, built 1909Judge Bates House, built 1845Houston Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Prairie1
Stick Style1
Vernacular1
Greek Revival1
Houston Carnegie LibraryPrairie · Built 1909
Judge Bates HouseVernacular · Built 1845
Houston Historic DistrictDistrict

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

Timeline

Houston, 1837 to 1994

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1837Post officeThe Houston post office opens
  3. 1845BuiltJudge Bates House is built
  4. 20th century
  5. 1909BuiltHouston Carnegie Library is built
  6. 1909Born hereBukka White is born here
  7. 1932Born hereDavid R. Bowen is born here
  8. 1953On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1963Born hereTerry Catledge is born here
  10. 1994Born hereChris Jones is born here
The story

How Houston came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Houston.

Read it all →

Native American groups had long used the future Chickasaw County for millennia before the coming of European settler colonialists. Eventually the natives were essentially forced out of the area. An 1832 treaty finally made the area secure for settlement, and emigrants rapidly moved in. The formation of Chickasaw County was authorized on February 9, 1836, and a few days later a committee was authorized to determine the location of the county seat. Judge Joel Pinson offered to donate land for development of this seat, and on July 8, 1836, his offer was accepted. Pinson named the settlement Houston in honor of Sam Houston, a childhood friend.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Houston, decade by decade

Today10 recent
Aaron's Drycleaners2018Aaron's DrycleanersBobby Baird is a third-generation owner of Baird Machine Shop2016Bobby Baird is a third-generation owner of Baird Mach…Downtown scene, including an old Coca-Cola advertising sign2016Downtown scene, including an old Coca-Cola advertisin…Old, rusted trucks outside the Baird Machine Shop2016Old, rusted trucks outside the Baird Machine ShopThe Dixie Diner, managing to stay level2016The Dixie Diner, managing to stay levelOld Lion Oil gas-station sign2016Old Lion Oil gas-station signChickasaw County Courthouse dome2016Chickasaw County Courthouse domeCorner drug store2016Corner drug storeHoustonMSSign2016HoustonMSSignJudge Bates House2014Judge Bates House
On the map

Houston on the map, 1953 to 1984

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 1953 USGS mapHouston on the 1963 USGS mapHouston on the 1984 USGS map1953West Point sheet · 1:250,000

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

People over time

Houston, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,50018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 4,079

Between 400 and 4,079 people in every census since 1870.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

Famous people

7 famous people were born in Houston

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Bukka WhiteAmerican singer-songwriter · b. 1909
Chris JonesAmerican football player · b. 1994
David R. BowenAmerican politician · b. 1932
Terry CatledgeAmerican basketball player · b. 1963
Rosa Lee TuckerAmerican librarian · b. 1866
James W. St. ClairAmerican football, basketball, and baseball coa… · b. 1885
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Houston’s post office has been open since 1837.

Gone or out of use
Houston Christian ChurchchurchHouston Female Collegiate InstituteschoolMississippi Normal Collegeschool

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 1837, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Houston rank for history?

Houston is more historic than 71% of U.S. towns, #26 of 100 in Mississippi. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Houston?

Three places: the Houston Carnegie Library (listed 1978), the Judge Bates House (1982) and the Houston Historic District (2013).

How old are the homes in Houston?

5% of Houston’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.7 points), against a typical 4.5% for a Mississippi town; the median home was built in 1975.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (3), the Library of Congress (7), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.