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History · Jewett

Jewett’s post office opened in 1871

Most of Jewett was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1987. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1956 on, and the census since 1880.

1871first post office
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Jewett began

When was Jewett founded?

1871

The Jewett post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 227 in 18802020 census: 793155 years
Founding year: the first Jewett post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Jewett’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.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,167 in 2010; 793 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Jewett’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Jewett’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 viewAlger "Texas" Alexander: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Jewett, census by census

02004006008001,0001,20018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,167

Peaked at 1,167 in 2010; 793 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story so far

Jewett, in brief

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

Jewett is a city in Leon County, Texas, United States. Its population was 793 at the 2020 census. It was laid out in 1871 by the International Railroad Company.

Its first post office opened in 1871. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,167 to 793 (-32%).

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

Timeline

Jewett, 1871 to 2010

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1871Post officeThe Jewett post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1902Born hereWally Dashiell is born here
  5. 1922Born hereRomus Burgin is born here
  6. 1925In the archiveAlger "Texas" Alexander
  7. 1929Born hereFritz Von Erich is born here
  8. 1956On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 21st century
  10. 2010CensusPopulation peaks at 1,167
By decade

Jewett, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1920s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1920s1 item
Alger "Texas" Alexander1925Alger "Texas" Alexander
1930s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today7 recent
James and Julia Anderson House Jewett Wiki2024James and Julia Anderson House Jewett WikiState Bank of Jewett, TX IMG 22952011State Bank of Jewett, TX IMG 2295Jewett, TX, City Hall IMG 22902011Jewett, TX, City Hall IMG 2290First Baptist Church, Jewett, TX IMG 22942011First Baptist Church, Jewett, TX IMG 2294Farmers State Bank, Jewett, TX IMG 22912011Farmers State Bank, Jewett, TX IMG 2291Comfort Suites, Jewett, TX IMG 22922011Comfort Suites, Jewett, TX IMG 2292TXMap-doton-Jewett2004TXMap-doton-Jewett
On the map

Jewett on the map, 1956 to 1982

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

Jewett on the 1956 USGS mapJewett on the 1965 USGS mapJewett on the 1982 USGS map1956Jewett 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 Jewett.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Alger "Texas" Alexander
Retake this viewAlger "Texas" Alexander, 1925

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Jewett’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

3 famous people were born in Jewett

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

See all →
Fritz Von ErichAmerican professional wrestler · b. 1929
R
Romus BurginUnited States Marine · b. 1922
W
Wally DashiellAmerican baseball player · b. 1902

Questions about Jewett’s history

What year was Jewett founded?

The Jewett post office opened in 1871, 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 (8), 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.