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B−History
History · Jacksboro

Jacksboro’s post office opened in 1858, and 2 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 55% of U.S. towns · #114 of 642 in Texas. What drives it

Most of Jacksboro was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1969. Below: maps from 1921 on and the census since 1880.

1858first post office
2on the National Register
8%homes built before 1940
7famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Jacksboro began

When was Jacksboro founded?

1858

The Jacksboro post office opened in 1858, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 387 in 18802020 census: 4,184168 years

How historic is Jacksboro?

B−

More historic than 55% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Jacksboro post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Jacksboro’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Jacksboro is more historic than 55% of U.S. towns, #114 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Jacksboro’s overall grade.
Founding era1858, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19408.3% of homes (±5.2) · typical TX town 1.6% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register2 listings, 5 historic buildings, 11.5 per 10,000 residents · typical TX town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 55%
NewerOlder
Texas towns of 2,500+ (642)Ahead of 82%

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 Jacksboro’s 11.5 sits above most of its state (87% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.2 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 Jacksboro’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 Jacksboro are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.A National Historic Landmark2 places on the National Register, including Fort Richardson, a National Historic Landmark.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Jacksboro’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Jacksboro’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
On the National Register

2 historic places in Jacksboro

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmark
1
Fort Richardson
historic buildings protected
5
each building in a district counts
first listed
1966
Fort Richardson
Jack County CourthouseFort Richardson★
Buildings★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Modern Classical1
★ Landmark
Fort RichardsonBuilding
Jack County CourthouseModern Classical

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Jacksboro came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Jacksboro.

Read it all →

Jacksboro was first settled in the 1850s, with newcomers attracted by land offers from the Texas Emigration and Land Office. Originally called "Mesquiteville", the community grew up along the banks of Lost Creek and spread out over the pastureland between Lost Creek and the waters of the West Fork of Keechi Creek. It was renamed "Jacksboro" in 1858, when it became the county seat, in honor of brothers William and Patrick Jack, veterans of the Texas Revolution. Regular postal service began in 1859. Jacksboro was located on one route of the Butterfield Overland Mail.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Jacksboro, 1858 to 1963

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1858Post officeThe Jacksboro post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1906Born hereMike Brumbelow is born here
  5. 1914Born hereDarrell Lester is born here
  6. 1937Born hereDon Massengale is born here
  7. 1940Born hereAnthony 'Scooter' Teague is born here
  8. 1960On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1963LandmarkFort Richardson named a National Historic Landmark
By decade

Jacksboro, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Jacksboro2 (1 of 1)2017Jacksboro2 (1 of 1)First bank building in jack county tx2014First bank building in jack county txMain Street Bistro2012Main Street BistroJacksboro rexall drug wiki2009Jacksboro rexall drug wikiJacksboro, TX sign Picture 22192008Jacksboro, TX sign Picture 2219TXMap-doton-Jacksboro2004TXMap-doton-Jacksboro
On the map

Jacksboro on the map, 1960 to 1982

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

Jacksboro on the 1960 USGS mapJacksboro on the 1982 USGS map1960Jacksboro sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Jacksboro.

Every building

Jacksboro, building by building, 1921

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 sheet.

Jacksboro fire insurance map, 1921, sheet 11921Sheet 1 of 5
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

People over time

Jacksboro, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 4,533

Between 387 and 4,533 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

7 famous people were born in Jacksboro

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

See all →
A
Anthony 'Scooter' TeagueAmerican actor · b. 1940
D
Don MassengaleAmerican professional golfer · b. 1937
D
Darrell LesterAmerican football center · b. 1914
M
Mike BrumbelowAmerican football player and coach, basketball … · b. 1906
A
Abe MartinAmerican football player and coach, college ath… · b. 1908
D
David SpillerAmerican politician · b. 1961
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Jacksboro’s post office has been open since 1858.

Gone or out of use
Fort Richardsonmilitary
1cemetery inside Jacksboro
Oakwood

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

Questions about Jacksboro’s history

What year was Jacksboro founded?

The Jacksboro post office opened in 1858, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Jacksboro rank for history?

Jacksboro is more historic than 55% of U.S. towns, #114 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 Jacksboro?

Two places: the Fort Richardson (listed 1966) and the Jack County Courthouse (2012).

How old are the homes in Jacksboro?

8% of Jacksboro’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.2 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1969.

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).

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 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.