History · Dallas

Dallas has 125 places on the National Register, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks

More historic than 79% of U.S. towns · #34 of 642 in Texas. What drives it

Dated to 1841 (Wikidata), with 5% of its homes built before 1940 and 31 historic districts holding 3,838 contributing buildings. Most of Dallas was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. Below: 7 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, the census since 1850, and every listing on the Register.

1841founded

125on the National Register

5%homes built before 1940

7old photos & papers

24famous people

Add an old photo Share a memory

From Dallas’ archive · credits on each photo

Quick answers

How Dallas began

When was Dallas founded?

1841

Dallas dates its founding to 1841 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1850.

First census: 1,073 in 18502020 census: 1,304,379185 years

How historic is Dallas?

A⁻

More historic than 79% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓

Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1844.The full story ↓

History grade

What drives Dallas’ History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Dallas is more historic than 79% of U.S. towns, #34 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A⁻

HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Dallas’ overall grade.

Founding era1841, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA⁻Homes built before 19405.1% of homes (±0.2) · typical TX town 1.6% · U.S. 8.4%C National Register125 listings, 3,838 historic buildings, 29.3 per 10,000 residents · typical TX town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4A⁺

All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 79%

NewerOlder

Texas towns of 2,500+ (642)Ahead of 95%

Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Dallas ranks #129 on History.

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 Dallas’ 29.3 sits above most of its state (92% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 3,838 historic buildings outnumber those of 100% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share (±0.2 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1841. A citywide figure averages neighborhoods that differ a lot.

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 Dallas’ past

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

A National Historic Landmark125 places on the National Register, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks.A historic districtThe Winnetka Heights Historic District takes in 581 historic buildings.Lost villages19 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Dallas, and 22 old place names are still on the map.Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1850 and 1860, then grew more than tenfold.

★ What stands out · On the National Register

125 listings protect 3,838 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. 2 are National Historic Landmarks, the highest tier. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed

125

National Historic Landmarks

Texas Centennial Exposition Buildings (1936-193…

historic buildings protected

3,838

each building in a district counts

first listed

1974

Swiss Avenue Historic District

BuildingsDistrictsStructures★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Commercial Style13

Classical Revival8

Tudor Revival8

Italian Renaissance8

Beaux Arts7

Bungalow7

★ Landmark

Texas Centennial Exposition Buildings (1936-1937)Art Deco

★ Landmark

Dealey Plaza Historic DistrictChicago · Built 1940

Swiss Avenue Historic DistrictClassical Revival

Sanger Brothers ComplexHigh Victorian Italianate

Dallas Union TerminalBeaux Arts

Alfred Horatio Belo HouseNeoclassical Revival

Dallas County CourthouseRomanesque Revival · Built 1892

Majestic TheatreRenaissance Revival · Built 1921

All 125 listings

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Dallas’s post office has been open since 1844. 19 other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Dallas

1844–today

White Rock

1848–1851

Eagle Ford

1858–1918

Reunion

1858–today

Lisbon

1870–1901

Five Mile

1874–1874

Frankford

1880–1904

Letot

1881–1907

Seagoville

1881–today

Kleburgh

1882–1887

18401930today

Hamlets and corners on the map

Arcadia ParkAudeliaBouchardColeEagle FordFruitdaleGiffordHighlandInwoodKenwoodKlebergLedbetter HillsMeadersOak CliffOldhamRawlinsReinhardtRennerRylieSargentWestwood ParkZacha Junction

Gone or out of use

Bob-O-Links Golf CourselocaleDallas Southwest Medical CenterhospitalGaston HospitalhospitalLifecare Hospital of Dallashospital

34family graveyards and cemeteries inside Dallas

Beeman MemorialCalvary HillCarverCockrellConfederateCoxCrown Hill Memorial ParkDallas CityDallas Fort Worth NationalFieldsFivemileForest LawnFugittGarvin MemorialGreenwoodGrove Hill Memorial ParkLa ReunionLaurel Land Memorial ParkLetotLincolnLisbonMcCreeMerrellMount CalvaryNorthaven ParkOak CliffOaklandPioneerSamuell - Crawford Memorial ParkShearith Israel Memorial ParkSparkman Hillcrest Memorial ParkTemple Emanu - ElWheatlandWhite Rock

See all 34

Beeman Memorial Cemetery · Calvary Hill Cemetery · Carver Cemetery · Cockrell Cemetery · Confederate Cemetery · Cox Cemetery · Crown Hill Memorial Park · Dallas City Cemetery · Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery · Fields Cemetery · Fivemile Cemetery · Forest Lawn Cemetery · Fugitt Cemetery · Garvin Memorial Cemetery · Greenwood Cemetery · Grove Hill Memorial Park · La Reunion Cemetery · Laurel Land Memorial Park · Letot Cemetery · Lincoln Cemetery · Lisbon Cemetery · McCree Cemetery · Merrell Cemetery · Mount Calvary Cemetery · Northaven Park · Oak Cliff Cemetery · Oakland Cemetery · Pioneer Cemetery · Samuell - Crawford Memorial Park · Shearith Israel Memorial Park · Sparkman Hillcrest Memorial Park · Temple Emanu - El Cemetery · Wheatland Cemetery · White Rock Cemetery

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story

How Dallas came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Dallas.

Read it all →

Indigenous tribes in North Texas included the Caddo, Tawakoni, Wichita, Kickapoo and Comanche. Spanish colonists claimed the territory of Texas in the 18th century as a part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. Later, France also claimed the area but never established much settlement. In all, six flags have flown over the area preceding and during the city's history: those of France, Spain, and Mexico, the flag of the Republic of Texas, the Confederate flag, and the flag of the United States of America.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Dallas in 1892

Passages that mention Dallas, cut from the printed page as they were published.

**Memorial and biographical history of Dallas County, Texas ..**1892 · page 289Read the page →
Read the text
One of the most exciting events in the early history of Dallas county was that of the burning of the town of Dallas in July, 1860. Some of the citizens at that time differed in their opinions as to the origin of the fire.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Memorial and biographical history of Dallas county, Texas ... Containing a history of this important section of the great state of Texas, from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time ... and biographical mention of many of its pioneers, a1892Read the page →
Read the text
One of the most exciting events in the early history of Dallas county was that of the burning of the town of Dallas in July, 1SC0. Some of the citizens at that time differed in their opinions as to the origin of the fire.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

After the close of the war he returned to Tennessee, settling near Fort Donelson and engaging in farming. He came to eastern Texas in 1870, and to Dallas in 1872, and shipped the first five cars of lumber on the Texas Pacific railroad to Dallas. He is now the oldest continuous contractor in tlie ci… — **Memorial and biographical history of Dallas County, Texas ..**1892 · page 835Read the page →
Read the text
After the close of the war he returned to Tennessee, settling near Fort Donelson and engaging in farming. He came to eastern Texas in 1870, and to Dallas in 1872, and shipped the first five cars of lumber on the Texas Pacific railroad to Dallas. He is now the oldest continuous contractor in tlie city of Dallas, having engaged in the business here
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

ald) Cole, natives of Virginia. The father moved to Tennessee in an early day, where he was a fanner and physician. He was one of the early practitioners of Dallas county, an.'' in 1S29 went to xYrkaipsas, settling in Washington county, where he improved a farm, and in 1843 again came to Dallas cou… — Memorial and biographical history of Dallas county, Texas ... Containing a history of this important section of the great state of Texas, from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time ... and biographical mention of many of its pioneers, a1892Read the page →
Read the text
ald) Cole, natives of Virginia. The father moved to Tennessee in an early day, where he was a fanner and physician. He was one of the early practitioners of Dallas county, an.'' in 1S29 went to xYrkaipsas, settling in Washington county, where he improved a farm, and in 1843 again came to Dallas county, lie took lip a claim of 640 acres,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Dallas, 1841 to 1986

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

19th century
1841
FoundingDallas is established
1844Post officeThe Dallas post office opens
1848Post officeThe White Rock post office opens
1851Post officeThe White Rock post office closes
1858Post officeThe Eagle Ford post office opens
1890In the archiveFirst Presbyterian Church
1892BuiltDallas County Courthouse is built
20th century
1903In the archiveGreetings from Dallas, Texas
1904BuiltJohn Hickman Miller House is built
1910In the archivePanorama #2
1918Post officeThe Eagle Ford post office closes
1921BuiltMajestic Theatre is built
1931On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
1940BuiltDealey Plaza Historic District is built
1964Born hereMelinda Gates is born here
1968Born hereOwen Wilson is born here
1978Born hereUsher is born here
1986LandmarkTexas Centennial Exposition Buildings (1936-1937) named a National Historic Landmark

By decade

Dallas, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1890s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s–1910s7 items

1890First Presbyterian Church

1903Greetings from Dallas, Texas

1903Greetings from Dallas, Texas, Oriental Hotel

1905Weaving cotton cloth

1910Panorama #2

1910Panorama #1

1911Buckner Orphans Home

1920s–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

On the map

Dallas on the map, 1931 to 1995

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

1931Carrollton 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 Dallas.

Every building

Dallas, building by building, 1885–1922

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.

Dallas fire insurance map, 1885, sheet 3

1885Sheet 3 of 18

Edition

Sheets

+17 more at the Library of Congress

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.

Retake this viewFirst Presbyterian Church, 1890

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

Retake this view · +15

People over time

Dallas, census by census

Lost a third of its people between 1850 and 1860, then grew more than tenfold.

18 censuses, 1850–2020.

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

Famous people

24 famous people were born in Dallas

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

See all →

Melinda GatesAmerican philanthropist · b. 1964

UsherAmerican R&B singer · b. 1978

Owen WilsonAmerican actor · b. 1968

Nick JonasAmerican singer, actor and musician · b. 1992

Robin WrightAmerican actress · b. 1966

Sharon TateAmerican actress and model · b. 1943

Help out

Finish Dallas’s story

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

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

Retake an old viewFirst Presbyterian Church: stand where they stood+15 Share 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.

RowlettIts storyD Garland3 historic placesC⁺Rockwall1 historic placeC Irving2 historic placesC⁻Cedar Hill5 historic placesB Grand PrairieIts storyC⁻CarrolltonIts storyD Mesquite1 historic placeC⁺CoppellIts storyD HeathIts storyC⁻

Questions about Dallas’ history

What year was Dallas founded?

In 1841, according to Wikidata. Dallas’ post office opened in 1844, and the census of 1850 counted 1,073 people here.

How does Dallas rank for history?

Dallas is more historic than 79% of U.S. towns, #34 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 Dallas?

125 listings, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks: 92 buildings, 31 historic districts with 3,723 contributing buildings, and 2 structures. 3,838 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Dallas?

5% of Dallas’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1981.

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 the Library of Congress (7), Wikidata (5), the National Register of Historic Places (125), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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