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History · Kopperl

Kopperl’s post office opened in 1881, and 44% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1931 on.

1881first post office
0on the National Register
44%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Renelibrary · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Kopperl began

When was Kopperl founded?

1881

The Kopperl post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 164145 years
Founding year: the first Kopperl post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Kopperl’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 Kopperl are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Kopperl’s homes were built before 1964.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Kopperl’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Kopperl came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Kopperl.

Read it all →

Kopperl was founded in 1881. Named after Galveston banker and railroad tycoon Moritz Kopperl, the town was established as a regional shipping point along the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway. It is said that the population peaked at 329 in 1904 before declining to 225 by the 1970s, a figure it has maintained fairly consistently since. However, four years later, Washington reported in September 1908 that the population was 500, with 115 families.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Kopperl, decade by decade

Today1 recent
KopperlTexas1 (1 of 1)2018KopperlTexas1 (1 of 1)
On the map

Kopperl on the map, 1931 to 1966

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

Kopperl on the 1931 USGS mapKopperl on the 1966 USGS map1931Morgan 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 Kopperl.

Famous people

Famous people close to Kopperl

Nobody well known was born in Kopperl itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Willie NelsonAmerican country musician · b. 1933
Rafer JohnsonAmerican athlete and actor · b. 1934
Madge BellamyAmerican actress · b. 1899
Mary Ellen RudinAmerican mathematician · b. 1924
Brooke RollinsAmerican attorney and politician · b. 1972
Terry SouthernAmerican writer · b. 1924

Questions about Kopperl’s history

What year was Kopperl founded?

The Kopperl post office opened in 1881, 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 →
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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 (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.