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History · Blanket

Blanket’s post office opened in 1875, and 34% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1889 on and the census since 1920.

1875first post office
0on the National Register
34%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Renelibrary · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Blanket began

When was Blanket founded?

1875

The Blanket post office opened in 1875, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 472 in 19202020 census: 369151 years
Founding year: the first Blanket post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Blanket’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 Blanket are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18895 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1985. Watch Blanket change.Old housesHalf of Blanket’s homes were built before 1960.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Blanket’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Blanket’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 map

Blanket on the map, 1889 to 1985

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

Blanket on the 1889 USGS mapBlanket on the 1894 USGS mapBlanket on the 1966 USGS mapBlanket on the 1978 USGS mapBlanket on the 1985 USGS map1889Brownwood 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 Blanket.

The story so far

Blanket, in brief

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

Blanket is a town located in Brown County in west-central Texas, United States. The population was 369 at the 2020 census. The town takes its name from nearby Blanket Creek.

Its first post office opened in 1875. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 390 to 369 (-5%).

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

Timeline

Blanket, 1875 to 1890

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1875Post officeThe Blanket post office opens
  3. 1889On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 1890Born hereThomas Vernor Smith is born here
By decade

Blanket, decade by decade

Today12 recent
First and 152016First and 15Blanket,Texas huddle2016Blanket,Texas huddleBlanket Texas game2016Blanket Texas gameBlanket Texas Tunnel2016Blanket Texas TunnelBlanket Texas Mascot2016Blanket Texas MascotBlanket, Texas2013Blanket, TexasBlanket, Texas store2013Blanket, Texas storeBlanket, Texas church2013Blanket, Texas churchBlanket, Texas Community Center2013Blanket, Texas Community CenterBlanket, Texas City Hall2013Blanket, Texas City HallBlanket Texas Cheer2008Blanket Texas CheerTXMap-doton-Blanket2004TXMap-doton-Blanket
People over time

Blanket, census by census

0100200300400500192019401960198020002020Peak: 472

Between 318 and 472 people in every census since 1920.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

Questions about Blanket’s history

What year was Blanket founded?

The Blanket post office opened in 1875, 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 →
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 (12), 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.