Most of Eustace was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1988. Below: maps from 1960 on and the census since 1960.
The Eustace post office opened in 1900, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Jolo (1900), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 351 in 19602020 census: 1,137126 years
How historic is Eustace?
D
More historic than 15% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Eustace post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Eustace’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Eustace is more historic than 15% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Eustace’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 Eustace’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (34% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.3 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Eustace’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In November 2007, film crews led by actor/producer Andrew Stevens came to Eustace to film a movie called Fire from Below. The cast included Kevin Sorbo (Hercules) and Burton Gilliam (Blazing Saddles). Many Eustace locations were used, including a restaurant and gazebo on the town square, and a nearby private lake (dubbed "Lost Lake" in the film). Several Eustace residents were used as extras. According to the script, "Eustace" was retained as the name of the town setting depicted in the scenes shot in Eustace. Fire from Below was released in 2009.
Eustace’s post office has been open since 1900. Another post office, Jolo, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Eustace
1900–today
Jolo
1900–1900
19001960today
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Eustace’s history
What year was Eustace founded?
The Eustace post office opened in 1900, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Eustace rank for history?
Eustace is more historic than 15% of U.S. towns. 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.
How old are the homes in Eustace?
6% of Eustace’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.3 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 Wikipedia, 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.
