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History · Fort Towson

Fort Towson’s post office opened in 1832, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

Most of Fort Towson was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Its Register listing is the Willie W. Wilson House. Its Register listing is the Willie W. Wilson House. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1901 on, and the census since 1910.

1832first post office
1on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Fort Towson’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Fort Towson began, and where its name came from

When was Fort Towson founded?

1832

The Fort Towson post office opened in 1832, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 697 in 19102020 census: 492194 years

How did Fort Towson get its name?

Fort Towson was named for nearby Fort Towson, which had been established in May 1824 and named for General Nathan Towson, a hero of the War of 1812.

Founding year: the first Fort Towson post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Fort Towson’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19013 editions of the USGS map, 1901 to 1985. Watch Fort Towson change.Boom and bustPeaked at 965 in 1920; 492 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsA post office since 1832: 194 years of Fort Towson.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Fort Towson’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps -…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Fort Towson on the map, 1901 to 1985

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

Fort Towson on the 1901 USGS mapFort Towson on the 1971 USGS mapFort Towson on the 1985 USGS map1901Alikchi sheet · 1:125,000

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

People over time

Fort Towson, census by census

02004006008001,000192019401960198020002020Peak: 965

Peaked at 965 in 1920; 492 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story

How Fort Towson came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Fort Towson.

Read it all →

The fort was first established to protect the southern border of the Indian Territory against Spanish colonies to the south. After Indian Removal and the resettlement of the Choctaw in the area, the fort was revived to protect Doaksville, a mile to the west. It became the economic capital of the Choctaw Nation. Fort Towson Landing was located at the head of navigable waters of the Red River. The site was located in Towson County, one of the constituent counties comprising the Apukshunnubbee District of the Choctaw Nation.

The Choctaw allied with the Confederacy in the Civil War. Chief Peter Pitchlynn surrendered on behalf of the Choctaw in June 1865.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Fort Towson, 1832 to 1923

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1832Post officeThe Fort Towson post office opens
  3. 1847Post officeThe Fort Towson post office closes
  4. 1851Born hereFrank Abercrombie is born here
  5. 1880In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Oklahoma - Choctaw County - ED 12-1 - ED 12-27
  6. 20th century
  7. 1901On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1902In the archiveTownsite Limits of Fort Lawson, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, Depot Station Grounds o…
  9. 1903Post officeThe Fort Towson post office opens
  10. 1906BuiltWillie W. Wilson House is built
  11. 1915Born hereGordon Wilson is born here
  12. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 965
  13. 1923Born hereWin Williams is born here
By decade

Fort Towson, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s–1900s4 items
1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Oklahoma - Choctaw County - ED 12-1 - ED 12-2718801940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Oklahoma - Ch…1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Oklahoma - Choctaw County - ED 12-1 - ED 12-2718801940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Oklahoma - Ch…Townsite Limits of Fort Lawson, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, Depot Station Grounds on the Center Line of the Arkan…1902Townsite Limits of Fort Lawson, Choctaw Nation, India…St. Louis, San Francisco & New Orleans Railroad Company, Frisco System Showing Extra Right of Way at Fort Towson, Choct…1903St. Louis, San Francisco & New Orleans Railroad Compa…
1910s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today1 recent
OKMap-doton-FortTowson2004OKMap-doton-FortTowson
Every building

Fort Towson, building by building, 1916

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

Fort Towson fire insurance map, 1916, sheet 11916Sheet 1 of 2
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Oklahoma - Choctaw County - ED 12-1 - ED 12-27
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Oklahoma - Choctaw County - ED 12-1 - ED 12-27, 1880

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Fort Towson’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 historic place in Fort Towson

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
1982
Willie W. Wilson House
Willie W. Wilson House, built 1906
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival1
Victorian1
All 1 listings
Willie W. Wilson HouseBuilding · listed 1982

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

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Fort Towson

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

See all →
F
Frank AbercrombieAmerican baseball player · b. 1851
G
Gordon WilsonAmerican football player · b. 1915
W
Win WilliamsAmerican football player · b. 1923
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

Fort Towson had its own post office from 1832 to 1847.

Fort Towson
1832–1847
Fort Towson
1903–today
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
West Fort Towson

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

Questions about Fort Towson’s history

What year was Fort Towson founded?

The Fort Towson post office opened in 1832, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Fort Towson?

One place: the Willie W. Wilson House (listed 1982).

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 (5), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.