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History · Crawford

Crawford’s post office opened in 1871

Most of Crawford was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. Below: maps from 1931 on and the census since 1900.

1871first post office
0on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Renelibrary · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Crawford began

When was Crawford founded?

1871

The Crawford post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1897.

First census: 443 in 19002020 census: 887155 years
Founding year: the first Crawford post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1897.

What stands out about Crawford’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 Crawford are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Crawford’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Crawford’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

Crawford, in brief

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

Crawford is a town located in western McLennan County, Texas, United States. Crawford is part of the Waco Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 887. The town was incorporated on August 12, 1897. It is best known as the home of the 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush. He currently resides part-time at the Prairie Chapel Ranch, which is located just outside Crawford, Texas.

Its first post office opened in 1871. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 717 to 887 (+24%).

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

Timeline

Crawford, 1871 to 1931

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1871Post officeThe Crawford post office opens
  3. 1898Born hereJohn D. Hickerson is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1919Born hereStrick Shofner is born here
  6. 1931On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Crawford, decade by decade

Today6 recent
TXMap-doton-Crawford2004TXMap-doton-CrawfordVladimir Putin in the United States 13-16 November 2001-422001Vladimir Putin in the United States 13-16 November 20…Vladimir Putin in the United States 13-16 November 2001-412001Vladimir Putin in the United States 13-16 November 20…Vladimir Putin in the United States 13-16 November 2001-402001Vladimir Putin in the United States 13-16 November 20…Vladimir Putin in the United States 13-16 November 2001-392001Vladimir Putin in the United States 13-16 November 20…Vladimir Putin in the United States 13-16 November 2001-012001Vladimir Putin in the United States 13-16 November 20…
On the map

Crawford on the map, 1931 to 1957

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

Crawford on the 1931 USGS mapCrawford on the 1957 USGS map1931Valley Mills sheet · 1:62,500

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

People over time

Crawford, census by census

02004006008001900192019401960198020002020887

Grew from 443 people in 1900 to 887 in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Crawford

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

See all →
John D. HickersonAmerican diplomat · b. 1898
S
Strick ShofnerAmerican baseball player · b. 1919

Questions about Crawford’s history

What year was Crawford founded?

The Crawford post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1897.

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 Wikimedia Commons (6), 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.