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History · Gordon

Gordon dates to 1881, and 35% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1959 on, and the census since 1890.

1881founded
0on the National Register
35%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Gordon’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Gordon began

When was Gordon founded?

1881

Gordon dates its founding to 1881 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 378 in 18902020 census: 470145 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1883.The full story ↓

What stands out about Gordon’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.Old housesHalf of Gordon’s homes were built before 1956.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Gordon’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Gordon’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 viewFirstSchoolGordonTexas1882: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Gordon came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Gordon.

Read it all →

Gordon's history begins in 1864 with the founding of the community of Hampton, Texas. The town of Gordon was planned by the Texas and Pacific Railway one mile south of Hampton in 1874. The new town was named Gordon after the civil engineer responsible for surveying the townsite land. The railroad was built through the area in 1880, and the following year Hampton was moved to meet the railroad. The first classes at the Gordon School were held in 1882, and the post office opened on October 17, 1883 with local businessman Robert Rogan serving as the community's first postmaster. Gordon High School was built in 1887, and by 1889 Gordon possessed five general stores, three drug stores, three hotels, three cotton gins, and a reported population of 300 residents.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Gordon, 1881 to 1998

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1881
    FoundingGordon is established
  3. 1883Post officeThe Gordon post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1911Born hereDelk M. Oden is born here
  6. 1917Born hereThurman Tucker is born here
  7. 1959On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1998In the archiveFirstSchoolGordonTexas1882
By decade

Gordon, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s1 item
FirstSchoolGordonTexas18821998FirstSchoolGordonTexas1882
Today7 recent
Gordon Texas2 (1 of 1)2018Gordon Texas2 (1 of 1)Gordon Texas (1 of 1)2018Gordon Texas (1 of 1)Gordontx42012Gordontx4Gordontx12012Gordontx1Gordon texas dowtown 12009Gordon texas dowtown 1Gordon Texas2005Gordon TexasTXMap-doton-Gordon2004TXMap-doton-Gordon
On the map

Gordon on the map, 1959 to 1984

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

Gordon on the 1959 USGS mapGordon on the 1984 USGS map1959Gordon 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 Gordon.

People over time

Gordon, census by census

01002003004005006001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 609

Between 349 and 609 people in every census since 1890.

12 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Gordon

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

See all →
Thurman TuckerAmerican baseball player · b. 1917
Delk M. OdenAmerican Army general · b. 1911

Questions about Gordon’s history

What year was Gordon founded?

In 1881, according to Wikidata. Gordon’s post office opened in 1883, and the census of 1890 counted 378 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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 (8), 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) 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.