Decatur dates to 1854, and 4 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 52% of U.S. towns · #120 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Decatur was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1988. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1857.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Decatur’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Decatur is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #120 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Decatur’s overall grade.
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 Decatur’s 10.8 sits above most of its state (87% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 8 historic buildings outnumber those of 74% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.3 points). Two sources give 1854.
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 Decatur’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
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.
Wise County was established in 1856, and Taylorsville (in honor of Zachary Taylor) was made the county seat.
Absalom Bishop, an early settler and member of the Texas Legislature, opposed naming the town after a Whig Party member, and in 1858, arranged to have the name changed to Decatur, in honor of naval hero Stephen Decatur.
In 1857, a post office was opened, and the first school was established in 1857. In the early 1860s, a courthouse was erected.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Decatur. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1930Boyd 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 Decatur.
People over time
Decatur, census by census
Grew from 579 people in 1880 to 6,538 in 2020, more than tenfold.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Decatur’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices and burying grounds
Decatur’s post office has been open since 1857. Another post office, Taylorsville, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Decatur
1857–today
Taylorsville
1857–1858
18501940today
1cemetery inside Decatur
Oaklawn
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Decatur’s history
What year was Decatur founded?
In 1854, according to Wikidata. Decatur’s post office opened in 1857, and the census of 1880 counted 579 people here.
How does Decatur rank for history?
Decatur is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #120 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 Decatur?
4 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Administration Building, Decatur Baptist College (listed 1971, the first). 8 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Decatur?
6% of Decatur’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.3 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1988.
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 (4), Wikipedia, 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.
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