Fredericksburg dates to 1846, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 88% of U.S. towns · #5 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
4 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 367 buildings. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1894 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1848.
History grade
What drives Fredericksburg’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fredericksburg is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #5 of 642 in Texas. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fredericksburg’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 Fredericksburg’s 326 sits above most of its state (99% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 372 historic buildings outnumber those of 96% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±4.5 points). Two sources give 1846.
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 Fredericksburg’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
On the map
Fredericksburg on the map, 1894 to 1982
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fredericksburg. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1894Fredericksburg sheet · 1:125,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Fredericksburg.
Every building
Fredericksburg, building by building, 1896–1915
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.
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
The story so far
Fredericksburg, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Fredericksburg yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Fredericksburg is a city in and the county seat of Gillespie County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 Census, this city had a population of 10,875. Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 and named after Prince Frederick of Prussia. Old-time German residents often referred to Fredericksburg as Fritztown, a nickname that is still used in some businesses. It is located 70 miles northwest of San Antonio, and approximately 80 miles west of Austin. This city is also notable as the center of Texas German, a dialect spoken by the first generations of German settlers who initially refused to learn English. Fredericksburg shares many cultural characteristics with New Braunfels, which had been establi…
Fredericksburg was established in 1846. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 10,530 to 10,875 (+3%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Fredericksburg, 1846 to 1980
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
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.
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.
In 1846, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Fredericksburg’s post office opened in 1848, and the census of 1850 counted 754 people here.
How does Fredericksburg rank for history?
Fredericksburg is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #5 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 Fredericksburg?
4 listings: 3 buildings and 1 historic district, the Fredericksburg Historic District, with 367 contributing buildings. 372 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Fredericksburg?
12% of Fredericksburg’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.5 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1986.
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 (5), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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.
1855
1941