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History · Balmorhea

Balmorhea dates to 1906

Most of Balmorhea was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1969. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1985 on, and the census since 1960.

1906founded
0on the National Register
9%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Balmorhea’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Balmorhea began

When was Balmorhea founded?

1906

Balmorhea dates its founding to 1906 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1960.

First census: 604 in 19602020 census: 408120 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1908.The full story ↓

What stands out about Balmorhea’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 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 765 in 1990; 408 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Balmorhea’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Balmorhea’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 viewRestaurant: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Balmorhea, census by census

02004006008001960198020002020Peak: 765

Peaked at 765 in 1990; 408 people lived here in 2020.

7 censuses, 1960–2020.

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

The story

How Balmorhea came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Balmorhea.

Read it all →

Balmorhea was platted in 1906. Its founders were Ernest D. Balcom, H. R. Morrow, and John and Joe Rhea; the town's name is an amalgamation of their surnames.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Balmorhea, 1906 to 1990

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1906
    FoundingBalmorhea is established
  3. 1908Post officeThe Balmorhea post office opens
  4. 1939In the archiveRestaurant
  5. 1985On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1990CensusPopulation peaks at 765
By decade

Balmorhea, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s3 items
Restaurant1939RestaurantCorner post fence construction near Balmorhea, Texas1939Corner post fence construction near Balmorhea, TexasUntitled photo, possibly related to: Restaurant1939Untitled photo, possibly related to: Restaurant
1940s–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
Today4 recent
Springs near2013Springs nearPost Office, Balmorhea, TX, 03-10-20112011Post Office, Balmorhea, TX, 03-10-2011Balmorhea Public Library Facade2009Balmorhea Public Library FacadeBalmorhea Park2009Balmorhea Park
On the map

Balmorhea on the map in 1985

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Balmorhea.

Balmorhea on the 1985 USGS map1985Fort Davis sheet · 1:100,000

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

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.

Restaurant
Retake this viewRestaurant, 1939

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Balmorhea

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

See all →
Virginia True BoardmanActress · b. 1889
Frances NordstromAmerican actress and playwright · b. 1883

Questions about Balmorhea’s history

What year was Balmorhea founded?

In 1906, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Balmorhea’s post office opened in 1908, and the census of 1960 counted 604 people here.

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 (4), the Library of Congress (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.