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History · Cross Plains

Cross Plains dates to 1860, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Robert E. Howard House. Its Register listing is the Robert E. Howard House.

1860founded
1on the National Register
17%homes built before 1940
2famous people
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Quick answers

How Cross Plains began

When was Cross Plains founded?

1860

Cross Plains dates its founding to 1860 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1877.

2020 census: 899166 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1877.The full story ↓

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

Start Cross Plains’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Cross Plains’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Cross Plains came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Cross Plains.

Read it all →

Cross Plains was settled in the late 19th century and was known as Turkey Creek and Schleicher before a post office opened in 1877 under the name Cross Plains. The town experienced rapid growth in the 1880s, going from 25 people in 1880 to 175 by 1885. The population was 600 in 1911, the year the town was incorporated. The Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad was built through the town in 1912, which, combined with the discovery of oil near the city in 1925, led to a business boom. The population surpassed 1,200 by 1940 and remained stable until declining after the 1970s.

Chapters2005 wildfire

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Cross Plains, 1860 to 1967

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1860
    FoundingCross Plains is established
  3. 1877Post officeThe Cross Plains post office opens
  4. 1892Born hereGertrude Beasley is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1967Born hereJohn Hanke is born here
By decade

Cross Plains, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Cross Plains Public Library Mural2009Cross Plains Public Library MuralTXMap-doton-CrossPlains2004TXMap-doton-CrossPlains
On the National Register

1 historic place in Cross Plains

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1994
Robert E. Howard House
Robert E. Howard House
Buildings
Robert E. Howard HouseBuilding

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Cross Plains

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

See all →
John HankeAmerican businessman · b. 1967
Gertrude BeasleyAmerican memoirist · b. 1892

Questions about Cross Plains’ history

What year was Cross Plains founded?

In 1860, according to Wikidata. Cross Plains’ post office opened in 1877.

What is on the National Register in Cross Plains?

One place: the Robert E. Howard House (listed 1994).

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 (2), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.