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History · Temple

Temple’s post office opened in 1902, and 19% of its homes were built before 1940

1902first post office
0on the National Register
19%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Temple began

When was Temple founded?

1902

The Temple post office opened in 1902, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Botsford (1902), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 862124 years
Founding year: the first Temple post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Temple’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 Temple are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Temple’s homes were built before 1959.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Temple’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Temple’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 so far

Temple, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Temple yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Temple is a town in Cotton County, Oklahoma, United States. It is 5 miles (8.0 km) south and 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Walters, the county seat. The population was 862 at the 2020 census, a decline of 14.0 percent from 1,002 at the 2010 census. The town is named for the celebrated trial lawyer of Texas and Oklahoma Territory, Temple Lea Houston (1860–1905), the youngest son of General Sam Houston.

Its first post office opened in 1902. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,002 to 862 (-14%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Temple, 1902 to 1931

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1902Post officeThe Botsford post office opens
  3. 1902Post officeThe Botsford post office closes
  4. 1902Post officeThe Temple post office opens
  5. 1904Born herePepper Martin is born here
  6. 1919Born hereSpec Sanders is born here
  7. 1931Born hereLaDonna Harris is born here
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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Famous people

3 famous people were born in Temple

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

See all →
LaDonna HarrisAmerican politician, Native American activist · b. 1931
Pepper MartinMajor League Baseball player · b. 1904
S
Spec SandersAmerican football player · b. 1919
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Temple’s post office has been open since 1902. Another post office, Botsford, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Botsford
1902–1902
Temple
1902–today
19001960today

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

Questions about Temple’s history

What year was Temple founded?

The Temple post office opened in 1902, 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 Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.