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History · Gorman

Gorman’s post office opened in 1889, and 24% of its homes were built before 1940

1889first post office
0on the National Register
24%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Gorman began

When was Gorman founded?

1889

The Gorman post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Shinoak (1888), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

2020 census: 976137 years
Founding year: the first Gorman post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Gorman’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Gorman are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Gorman’s homes were built before 1951.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Gorman’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Gorman’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Gorman, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Gorman yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Gorman is a city in Eastland County, Texas, United States. Its population was 976 at the 2020 census, down from 1,083 at the 2010 census.

Its first post office opened in 1889. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,083 to 976 (-10%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Gorman, 1888 to 1940

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1888Post officeThe Shinoak post office opens
  3. 1889Post officeThe Shinoak post office closes
  4. 1889Post officeThe Gorman post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1938Born hereBen Barnes is born here
  7. 1940Born hereJoe Isbell is born here
By decade

Gorman, decade by decade

Today1 recent
TXMap-doton-Gorman2004TXMap-doton-Gorman
Famous people

2 famous people were born in Gorman

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

See all →
Ben BarnesAmerican politician · b. 1938
J
Joe IsbellAmerican football player · b. 1940
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Gorman’s post office has been open since 1889. Another post office, Shinoak, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Shinoak
1888–1889
Gorman
1889–today
18801950today

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

Questions about Gorman’s history

What year was Gorman founded?

The Gorman post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.