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History · Crowell

Crowell’s post office opened in 1890, and 31% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1921 on, and the census since 1910.

1890first post office
0on the National Register
31%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Crowell’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Crowell began

When was Crowell founded?

1890

The Crowell post office opened in 1890, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 1,341 in 19102020 census: 769136 years
Founding year: the first Crowell post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Crowell’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,946 in 1930; 769 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Crowell’s homes were built before 1956.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Crowell’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewCrowell, Texas tornado damage 1942: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Crowell, census by census

05001,0001,5002,000192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,946

Peaked at 1,946 in 1930; 769 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story so far

Crowell, in brief

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

Crowell ( KROH-əl) is a city and the county seat of Foard County, Texas, United States. The population was 769 at the 2020 census, down from 948 at the 2010 census.

Its first post office opened in 1890. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 948 to 769 (-19%).

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

Timeline

Crowell, 1890 to 1966

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1890Post officeThe Crowell post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1918Born hereMarvin Whited is born here
  5. 1930CensusPopulation peaks at 1,946
  6. 1937Born hereDon Kidd is born here
  7. 1942In the archiveCrowell, Texas tornado damage 1942
  8. 1966On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Crowell, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1940s1 item
Crowell, Texas tornado damage 19421942Crowell, Texas tornado damage 1942
1950s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today8 recent
Robert L. Foard, Crowell, Texas Historical Marker2016Robert L. Foard, Crowell, Texas Historical MarkerFoard County Courthouse, Crowell, Texas Historical Marker2016Foard County Courthouse, Crowell, Texas Historical Ma…First Officials Of Foard County, Crowell, Texas Historical Marker2016First Officials Of Foard County, Crowell, Texas Histo…Crowell, TX2016Crowell, TXCrowell City Limit2016Crowell City LimitBattle of Pease River2016Battle of Pease RiverCrowell Texas Building Park2012Crowell Texas Building ParkGraincoop2005Graincoop
On the map

Crowell on the map, 1966 to 1985

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

Crowell on the 1966 USGS mapCrowell on the 1985 USGS map1966Crowell 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 Crowell.

Every building

Crowell, building by building, 1921

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 sheet.

Crowell fire insurance map, 1921, sheet 11921Sheet 1 of 10
BrickWoodStone

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

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.

Crowell, Texas tornado damage 1942
Retake this viewCrowell, Texas tornado damage 1942, 1942

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

2 famous people were born in Crowell

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

See all →
D
Don KiddAmerican politician · b. 1937
M
Marvin WhitedAmerican football player · b. 1918

Questions about Crowell’s history

What year was Crowell founded?

The Crowell post office opened in 1890, 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 (9), 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.