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History · Ladonia

Ladonia’s post office opened in 1858, and 28% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Haden House. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1896 on, and the census since 1870.

1858first post office
1on the National Register
28%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Ladonia’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Ladonia began

When was Ladonia founded?

1858

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

First census: 516 in 18702020 census: 597168 years
Founding year: the first Ladonia post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Ladonia’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 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,713 in 1920; 597 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1896 to 1919, drew every building in Ladonia.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ladonia’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewLadonia, Fannin County, Texas: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Ladonia, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,6001,80018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,713

Peaked at 1,713 in 1920; 597 people lived here in 2020.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

Every building

Ladonia, building by building, 1896–1919

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.

Ladonia fire insurance map, 1896, sheet 11896Sheet 1 of 3
Edition
BrickWoodStone

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

The story

How Ladonia came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ladonia.

Read it all →

The area was first settled around 1840. Originally called McCownville, its name was changed to Ladonia in 1857, supposedly in honor of A. T. Donitz. Its population grew late in the 19th century when the Gulf Colorado Santa Fe Railroad went through Ladonia, making it a shipping point for corn, cotton, and grain crops. Because of this, the population increased rapidly to 1,500 in the 1890s and peaked at over 2,000 by the turn of the 20th century. However, Ladonia suffered during the Great Depression. At a population of 1,199 thereafter, it never recovered, but continued to decrease in population, falling to 658 in 1990 and 612 in 2010.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Ladonia, 1858 to 1964

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1858Post officeThe Ladonia post office opens
  3. 1888Born hereStan Gray is born here
  4. 1891In the archiveLadonia, Fannin County, Texas
  5. 1894BuiltHaden House is built
  6. 20th century
  7. 1909Born hereRobert T. Bartley is born here
  8. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 1,713
  9. 1964On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Ladonia, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1890s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s2 items
Ladonia, Fannin County, Texas1891Ladonia, Fannin County, TexasOld map-Ladonia-18911891Old map-Ladonia-1891Map
1900s–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
Today9 recent
Ladonia October 2015 06 (City Hall)2015Ladonia October 2015 06 (City Hall)Ladonia October 2015 05 (West Plaza Street)2015Ladonia October 2015 05 (West Plaza Street)Ladonia October 2015 02 (Ladonia Volunteer Fire Department)2015Ladonia October 2015 02 (Ladonia Volunteer Fire Depar…Ladonia October 2015 01 (United States Post Office)2015Ladonia October 2015 01 (United States Post Office)Ladonia42013Ladonia4Ladonia32013Ladonia3Ladonia22013Ladonia2Ladonia12013Ladonia1TXMap-doton-Ladonia2004TXMap-doton-Ladonia
On the map

Ladonia on the map, 1964 to 1991

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

Ladonia on the 1964 USGS mapLadonia on the 1985 USGS mapLadonia on the 1991 USGS map1964Ladonia 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 Ladonia.

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.

Ladonia, Fannin County, Texas
Retake this viewLadonia, Fannin County, Texas, 1891

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 historic place in Ladonia

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1980
Haden House
Haden House, built 1894
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Eastlake1
Haden HouseEastlake · Built 1894

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Ladonia

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

See all →
S
Stan GrayMajor League Baseball player · b. 1888
R
Robert T. BartleyAmerican administrator · b. 1909

Questions about Ladonia’s history

What year was Ladonia founded?

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

What is on the National Register in Ladonia?

One place: the Haden House (listed 1980).

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 (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.