Lampasas’ post office opened in 1857, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 65% of U.S. towns · #75 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 59 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: the first Lampasas post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1883.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Lampasas’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lampasas is more historic than 65% of U.S. towns, #75 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 Lampasas’ 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 Lampasas’ 82.1 sits above most of its state (95% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 63 historic buildings outnumber those of 86% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.0 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1883 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 Lampasas’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
For his services in the Texas Revolution, John Burleson received 1,280 acres (5.2 km2) of land and established a permanent settlement in the 1850s. The city was first named Burleson, but the name was gradually changed to Lampasas Springs because of the existence of seven mineral springs. When the county was created in 1856, the law specified "The county seat shall be same name as the county." The city of Lampasas was officially incorporated in 1883.
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.
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.
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.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Lampasas’ history
What year was Lampasas founded?
The Lampasas post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1883.
How does Lampasas rank for history?
Lampasas is more historic than 65% of U.S. towns, #75 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 Lampasas?
Three places: the Phillips and Trosper Buildings (listed 1987), the Markward Homestead (2016) and the Lampasas Downtown Historic District (2004).
How old are the homes in Lampasas?
11% of Lampasas’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.0 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1970.
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 (5), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
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