Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Loraine

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
History · Loraine

Loraine’s post office opened in 1890

Most of Loraine was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1959. Below: maps from 1969 on and the census since 1910.

1890first post office
0on the National Register
9%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Loraine began

When was Loraine founded?

1890

The Loraine post office opened in 1890, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 633 in 19102020 census: 504136 years
Founding year: the first Loraine post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Loraine’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 Loraine are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,045 in 1950; 504 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Loraine’s homes were built before 1959.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Loraine’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Loraine’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
People over time

Loraine, census by census

02004006008001,000192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,045

Peaked at 1,045 in 1950; 504 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story so far

Loraine, in brief

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

Loraine is a town in Mitchell County, Texas, United States. The population was 504 at the 2020 United States Census.

Its first post office opened in 1890. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 602 to 504 (-16%).

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

Timeline

Loraine, 1890 to 1969

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1890Post officeThe Loraine post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1910Born hereGlenn E. Smiley is born here
  5. 1918Born hereEldon Brooks Mahon is born here
  6. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 1,045
  7. 1960Born hereJ. D. Sheffield is born here
  8. 1969On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Loraine, decade by decade

Today2 recent
West Texas2010West TexasTXMap-doton-Loraine2004TXMap-doton-Loraine
On the map

Loraine on the map, 1969 to 1985

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

Loraine on the 1969 USGS mapLoraine on the 1985 USGS map1969Loraine 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 Loraine.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Loraine

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

See all →
J
J. D. SheffieldMedical director, physician, and Texas state le… · b. 1960
E
Eldon Brooks MahonUnited States federal judge · b. 1918
G
Glenn E. SmileyAmerican clergyman · b. 1910

Questions about Loraine’s history

What year was Loraine founded?

The Loraine post office opened in 1890, 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 (2), 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.