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B−History
History · Lufkin

Lufkin’s post office opened in 1882, and 36 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 52% of U.S. towns · #122 of 642 in Texas. What drives it

Most of Lufkin was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1904 on, and the census since 1890.

1882first post office
36on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
12old photos & papers
35famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Lufkin’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Lufkin began

When was Lufkin founded?

1882

The Lufkin post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Keltys (1890), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 529 in 18902020 census: 34,143144 years

How historic is Lufkin?

B−

More historic than 52% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Lufkin post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Lufkin’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lufkin is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #122 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lufkin’s overall grade.
Founding era1882, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19404.5% of homes (±1.1) · typical TX town 1.6% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register36 listings, 48 historic buildings, 14.0 per 10,000 residents · typical TX town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 52%
NewerOlder
Texas towns of 2,500+ (642)Ahead of 81%

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 Lufkin’s 14.0 sits above most of its state (89% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 48 historic buildings outnumber those of 85% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B+. The pre-1940 share (±1.1 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

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 Lufkin’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Landmarks on the Register36 places on the National Register.Mapped building by building4 fire insurance maps, 1904 to 1922, drew every building in Lufkin.A town in old photos12 old photos, postcards and papers, 1893–1939.Famous sons and daughtersWilliam Delbert Gann, Allan Shivers and 33 more were born here.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

36 historic places in Lufkin

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

places listed
36
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
48
each building in a district counts
first listed
1988
Abercrombie-Cavanaugh House
Abercrombie-Cavanaugh HouseBanks-Ogg HouseBehannon-Kenley HouseBowers-Felts HouseBoynton-Kent HouseBrookshire, Houston-Yeates HouseByus-Kirkland HouseClark-Whitton HouseCorstone Sales CompanyEveritt-Cox HouseFenley Commercial BuildingG. E. Lawrence HouseHumason-Pinkerton HouseJ. H. Kurth HouseKennedy, A. C.-Runnells HouseKennedy, R. A.-J. M. Lowrey HouseKurth-Glover HouseLufkin Land-Long Bell-Buck HouseMarsh-Smith HouseNewsom-Moss HouseOld Federal Building-Federal CourthouseParker-Bradshaw HousePercy, Dr. Edward-Abney HousePerry, A. F. and Myrtle-Pitmann HousePerry, C. W. Archie-Hallmark HousePines TheatreTexas Highway Department ComplexTrout, Walter C.-White HouseBinion-Casper HouseHenderson, S. W.-Bridges HouseHoward Walker HouseMcClendon-Abney Hardware CompanyMcGilbert HouseRastus-Read HouseRussell-Arnold HouseStandley House
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Bungalow8
Craftsman/Bungalow4
Tudor Revival4
Classical Revival4
Victorian3
Mediterranean Revival2
Abercrombie-Cavanaugh HouseVictorian Queen Anne
Banks-Ogg HouseQueen Anne Victorian Cottage
Behannon-Kenley HouseCraftsman/Bungalow
Bowers-Felts HouseTudor Revival
Boynton-Kent HouseMediterranean Revival
Brookshire, Houston-Yeates HouseTudor Revival
Byus-Kirkland HouseCraftsman/Bungalow
Clark-Whitton HouseVictorian Cottage
All 36 listings
Corstone Sales CompanyBuilding · listed 1988Everitt-Cox HouseBuilding · listed 1988Fenley Commercial BuildingBuilding · listed 1988G. E. Lawrence HouseBuilding · listed 1988Humason-Pinkerton HouseBuilding · listed 1988J. H. Kurth HouseBuilding · listed 1988Kennedy, A. C.-Runnells HouseBuilding · listed 1988Kennedy, R. A.-J. M. Lowrey HouseBuilding · listed 1988Kurth-Glover HouseBuilding · listed 1988Lufkin Land-Long Bell-Buck HouseBuilding · listed 1988Marsh-Smith HouseBuilding · listed 1988Newsom-Moss HouseBuilding · listed 1988Old Federal Building-Federal CourthouseBuilding · listed 1988Parker-Bradshaw HouseBuilding · listed 1988Percy, Dr. Edward-Abney HouseBuilding · listed 1988Perry, A. F. and Myrtle-Pitmann HouseBuilding · listed 1988Perry, C. W. Archie-Hallmark HouseBuilding · listed 1988Pines TheatreBuilding · listed 1988Texas Highway Department ComplexBuilding · listed 1988Trout, Walter C.-White HouseBuilding · listed 1988Binion-Casper HouseBuilding · listed 1989Henderson, S. W.-Bridges HouseBuilding · listed 1988Howard Walker HouseBuilding · listed 1988McClendon-Abney Hardware CompanyBuilding · listed 1988McGilbert HouseBuilding · listed 1988Rastus-Read HouseBuilding · listed 1988Russell-Arnold HouseBuilding · listed 1988Standley HouseBuilding · listed 1988

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

Every building

Lufkin, building by building, 1904–1922

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.

Lufkin fire insurance map, 1904, sheet 11904Sheet 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.

By decade

Lufkin, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1890s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s–1930s12 items
Train wreck near Lufkin in 18931893Train wreck near Lufkin in 1893High school building1913High school buildingTexas - Diboll through Donna1917Texas - Diboll through DonnaMixing plaster1939Mixing plasterAfter dinner coffee, restaurant1939After dinner coffee, restaurantLaying track at Southern Paper mill. Lufkin, Texas1939Laying track at Southern Paper mill. Lufkin, TexasConstruction of foundation for paper mill. Lufkin, Texas1939Construction of foundation for paper mill. Lufkin, Te…Construction of foundation for paper mill. Lufkin, Texas1939Construction of foundation for paper mill. Lufkin, Te…Blacksmith shop, Southern Paper Mill construction shed1939Blacksmith shop, Southern Paper Mill construction shedBlacksmith shop, Southern Paper Mill construction shed1939Blacksmith shop, Southern Paper Mill construction shedRailroad gang, Southern Paper Mill construction crew1939Railroad gang, Southern Paper Mill construction crewSteam shovel at work at paper mill. Lufkin, Texas1939Steam shovel at work at paper mill. Lufkin, Texas
1940s–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
The story

How Lufkin came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Lufkin.

Read it all →

By 1820 Anglo settlers had started to arrive in the Angelina County. The Burris Family established themselves in the area. Before Lufkin was officially founded, a band of night riders allegedly lynched Jim Burris, John D. Gann, William Anglin, and another man for opposing the Confederate cause.

ChaptersPre-FoundationRailroad era 1882–18901890s, early 1900s, and timber boomGolden era of expansion 1938–1945Cultural expansion and mid-to-late twentieth centuryRecent history

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Lufkin, 1878 to 1968

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1878Born hereWilliam Delbert Gann is born here
  3. 1882Post officeThe Lufkin post office opens
  4. 1890Post officeThe Keltys post office opens
  5. 1893In the archiveTrain wreck near Lufkin in 1893
  6. 20th century
  7. 1907Born hereAllan Shivers is born here
  8. 1913In the archiveHigh school building
  9. 1939In the archiveMixing plaster
  10. 1944Born hereKen Houston is born here
  11. 1949On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  12. 1960Born hereFred Reynolds is born here
  13. 1968Post officeThe Keltys post office closes
On the map

Lufkin on the map, 1949 to 1980

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

Lufkin on the 1949 USGS mapLufkin on the 1950 USGS mapLufkin on the 1980 USGS map1949Lufkin 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 Lufkin.

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.

Train wreck near Lufkin in 1893
Retake this viewTrain wreck near Lufkin in 1893, 1893

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Lufkin, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,0001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 35,067

Between 529 and 35,067 people in every census since 1890.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Famous people

35 famous people were born in Lufkin

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

See all →
W
William Delbert GannAmerican businessman · b. 1878
Allan ShiversPolitician · b. 1907
K
Ken HoustonAmerican football player and coach · b. 1944
F
Fred ReynoldsAmerican basketball player · b. 1960
K
Keddric MaysAmerican basketball player · b. 1984
Natasha MackAmerican-Montenegrin basketball player · b. 1997
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Lufkin’s post office has been open since 1882. Another post office, Keltys, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Lufkin
1882–today
Keltys
1890–1968
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
HertyKeltys
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Lufkin
Garden of MemoriesGlendaleWhitehouse

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Lufkin’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewTrain wreck near Lufkin in 1893: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

HudsonIts storyC−

Questions about Lufkin’s history

What year was Lufkin founded?

The Lufkin post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Lufkin rank for history?

Lufkin is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #122 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 Lufkin?

36 listings: 36 buildings, among them the Abercrombie-Cavanaugh House (listed 1988, the first). 48 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Lufkin?

5% of Lufkin’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.1 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1981.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (2), the Library of Congress (10), the National Register of Historic Places (36), 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.