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AHistory
History · Columbus

Columbus dates to 1821, and 23% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 93% of U.S. towns · #2 of 642 in Texas. What drives it

6 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 75 buildings. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1880.

1821founded
6on the National Register
23%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
6famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Columbus’ archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Columbus began

When was Columbus founded?

1821

Columbus dates its founding to 1821 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 1,959 in 18802020 census: 3,699205 years

How historic is Columbus?

A

More historic than 93% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1838.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Columbus’ History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Columbus is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns, #2 of 642 in Texas. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Columbus’ overall grade.
Founding era1821, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194023.4% of homes (±12.8) · typical TX town 1.6% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register6 listings, 78 historic buildings, 202 per 10,000 residents · typical TX town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 93%
NewerOlder
Texas towns of 2,500+ (642)#2 of 642

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 Columbus’ 202 sits above most of its state (98% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 78 historic buildings outnumber those of 88% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±12.8 points). Two sources give 1821.

Founding year: Wikidata (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 Columbus’ past

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

Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1890 and 1920, then more than doubled.A historic districtThe Colorado County Courthouse Historic District takes in 75 historic buildings.Mapped building by building6 fire insurance maps, 1885 to 1912, drew every building in Columbus.Landmarks on the Register6 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · People over time

Columbus, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,000188019001920194019601980200020202,199 in 1890Low: 1,433

Lost a third of its people between 1890 and 1920, then more than doubled.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

On the National Register

6 listings protect 78 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
6
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
78
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
Stafford Bank and Opera House
Stafford Bank and Opera HouseColorado County CourthouseColorado County Courthouse Historic DistrictState Highway 3 Bridge at the Colorado RiverHarrison-Hastedt House
BuildingsDistrictsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Second Empire1
Victorian1
Classical Revival1
Parker Through Truss Bridge1
I-plan1
Folk Victorian1
Stafford Bank and Opera HouseSecond Empire
Colorado County CourthouseVictorian
Colorado County Courthouse Historic DistrictDistrict
State Highway 3 Bridge at the Colorado RiverParker Through Truss Bridge
All 6 listings
Harrison-Hastedt HouseBuilding · listed 2004Old Spanish Trail from US 90 to I-10Structure · listed 2013

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

Every building

Columbus, building by building, 1885–1912

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 year, then a sheet.

Columbus fire insurance map, 1885, sheet 11885Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

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

The story

How Columbus came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Columbus.

Read it all →

The first American settlers arrived in 1821 on what is known as the legendary site of Montezuma's Indian village. In 1822, the Mexican government issued land grants to members of Stephen F. Austin's Old Three Hundred, who included Benjamin Beason (originally spelled "Beeson") and Abram Alley. Alley's 1830s log cabin has been preserved in Columbus and is used as a tool museum. Beason arrived in 1821, received his land grant in 1822, and settled along the Colorado River with his wife Elizabeth "Betsy" and family. By late December 1821, colonists Robert H. Kuykendall, with his brother Joseph and Daniel Gilleland, arrived in the area of present-day Columbus. In 1822, Benjamin Beason began operating a ferry across the Colorado River, and the settlement became known as Beason's Ferry or Beason's Crossing. Beason also established a gristmill, gin, and sawmill; his wife operated a boarding hous…

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Columbus, 1821 to 1981

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1821
    FoundingColumbus is established
  3. 1838Post officeThe Columbus post office opens
  4. 1870In the archiveFreight Depot, Columbus
  5. 20th century
  6. 1948Born hereDoug Rau is born here
  7. 1957On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1964Born hereRoland Mitchell is born here
  9. 1978Born hereMatt Schobel is born here
  10. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 3,923
  11. 1981Born hereBo Schobel is born here
By decade

Columbus, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1870s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s6 items
Freight Depot, Columbusc. 1870Freight Depot, ColumbusFreight Depot, Columbusc. 1870Freight Depot, ColumbusHotel in Columbus, Texasc. 1870Hotel in Columbus, TexasHotel in Columbus, Texasc. 1870Hotel in Columbus, TexasPassenger Depot, Columbus, Texc. 1870Passenger Depot, Columbus, TexPassenger Depot, Columbus, Texc. 1870Passenger Depot, Columbus, Tex
On the map

Columbus on the map, 1957 to 1981

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

Columbus on the 1957 USGS mapColumbus on the 1981 USGS map1957Columbus sheet · 1:24,000

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

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.

Freight Depot, Columbus
Retake this viewFreight Depot, Columbus, c. 1870

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

6 famous people were born in Columbus

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

See all →
B
Bo SchobelAmerican football player · b. 1981
Matt SchobelPlayer of American football · b. 1978
R
Roland MitchellAmerican football player · b. 1964
Doug RauAmerican baseball player · b. 1948
E
E. V. HillAmerican pastor · b. 1933
J
J. Waddy TateAmerican mayor · b. 1870
Help out

Finish Columbus’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewFreight Depot, Columbus: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

GliddenIts storyC−

Questions about Columbus’ history

What year was Columbus founded?

In 1821, according to Wikidata. Columbus’ post office opened in 1838, and the census of 1880 counted 1,959 people here.

How does Columbus rank for history?

Columbus is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns, #2 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.

What is on the National Register in Columbus?

6 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Stafford Bank and Opera House (listed 1973, the first), 1 historic district, the Colorado County Courthouse Historic District, with 75 contributing buildings, and 2 structures. 78 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Columbus?

23% of Columbus’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±12.8 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1969.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (6), 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.