Henderson’s post office opened in 1843, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 80% of U.S. towns · #32 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Henderson was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1972. 2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 39 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1870.
Founding year: the first Henderson post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Henderson’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Henderson is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns, #32 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Henderson’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 Henderson’s 30.6 sits above most of its state (93% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 41 historic buildings outnumber those of 84% 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 (±2.7 points) is firm at this size. 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 Henderson’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.
1885Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
On the National Register
2 listings protect 41 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
The city of Henderson was established by European Americans before the State of Texas was founded. It was developed on land donated by W.B. Ochiltree and James Smith; it became the county seat of Rusk County when an act of legislature created Rusk County on January 16, 1843. The First Methodist and First Baptist Churches were established in 1842 and 1845, respectively. Though a Baptist church was organized in 1845, the current First Baptist Church was reorganized in 1850. The first courthouse, made of wood, was completed in 1849. After the Civil War, the International and Great Northern Railroad crossed through Rusk County, but bypassed Henderson. In 1869, a White mob lynched five Black men without trial, including two preachers, in the public square outside the courthouse. In 1874, the Henderson and Overton Branch Railroad Company built a stretch of railroad connecting Henderson to the…
Passages that mention Henderson, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas ... from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects1893 · page 207Read the page →
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Henderson made great gains in population between 1880 and 1890, and the consideration of this will display the real town-building era in Henderson’s whole career. It will not be necessary to say more of the Trinity’s efforts to make a town at old Buffalo, which were intermittent and of but shadowy success; nor of
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
the;e till Lee's surrender at Appomattox in 1865. He came to Texas in 1867 and has resided continuously in Henderson county from that date, and from then he engaged in teaching school in Henderson County at various places, up to 1875, when he was elected district clerk of Henderson
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas ... from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects1893 · page 210Read the page →
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Henderson county was formed from Houston and Nacogdoches counties in 1846. It lies between the Trinity and Neches rivers, which form respectively its western and eastern boundaries. It was named in honor of James Pinckney Henderson, the first Governor of Texas after annexation.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Henderson County Texas1929 · page 171Read the page →
Read the text
In the Name and by the Authority of the State of Texas: The grand jurors of Henderson County and State of Texas duly empannelled as such at the February Term, A. D. 1887, of the District Court for Henderson County and State of Texas, upon their oaths present in and to the Honorable Disrtict Court of Henderson County and State of Texas, that Robert Giles, Alias Chinch Giles, in Henderson County and State of Texas, on the 1st day of October, A. D. 1886, did then and there with malice aforethought kill one Albert Williams by striking him with an axe, club, bludgeon or some kind of
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Henderson, 1843 to 1944
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.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Henderson’s history
What year was Henderson founded?
The Henderson post office opened in 1843, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Henderson rank for history?
Henderson is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns, #32 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 Henderson?
Two places: the Henderson Commercial Historic District (listed 1995) and the Elias and Mattie Crim House (2005).
How old are the homes in Henderson?
8% of Henderson’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.7 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1972.
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 (2), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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