More historic than 12% of U.S. towns · #447 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Brownfield was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1964. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1969 on, and the census since 1930.
Founding year: the first Brownfield post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Brownfield’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Brownfield is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #447 of 642 in Texas. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Brownfield’s overall grade.
Few Texas towns list much on the Register (a typical Texas town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Brownfield’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (34% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.4 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 Brownfield’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1903, town promoters W. G. Hardin and A. F. Small purchased the county's central lot, platted the site, and named the town after the Brownfield ranching family. To boost chances of becoming the county seat, they granted a lot to every county voter.
The town's early years saw the construction of essential structures, including the courthouse, school, and churches. Hill's Hotel became the first business, housing the inaugural post office. On June 28, 1904, Brownfield secured the county seat designation, narrowly defeating Gomez in an election. The Brownfield State Bank opened in 1905, serving multiple counties and parts of eastern New Mexico.
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.
Brownfield’s post office has been open since 1904.
Brownfield
1904–today
Tokio
1912–today
19001960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Tokio
1cemetery inside Brownfield
Old County
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Brownfield’s history
What year was Brownfield founded?
The Brownfield post office opened in 1904, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Brownfield rank for history?
Brownfield is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns, #447 of 642 in Texas. 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.
How old are the homes in Brownfield?
5% of Brownfield’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.4 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1964.
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 (5), 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.
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