More historic than 6% of U.S. towns · #581 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Lumberton was built recently: 0.5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2001. Below: maps from 1955 on and the census since 1980.
The Lumberton post office opened in 1909, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, Hooks Switch (1888), Ariola (1901) and Fletcher (1914), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 2,480 in 19802020 census: 13,554117 years
How historic is Lumberton?
D
More historic than 6% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Lumberton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Lumberton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lumberton is more historic than 6% of U.S. towns, #581 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lumberton’s 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 Lumberton’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (34% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±0.5 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 Lumberton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Lumberton had its own post office from 1909 to 1914. Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Hooks Switch
1888–1901
Ariola
1901–1907
Lumberton
1909–1914
Fletcher
1914–1926
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Fletcher
1cemetery inside Lumberton
Walton
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Lumberton, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Lumberton yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Lumberton is a town in Hardin County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,557 at the 2020 census, up from 11,943 at the 2010 census. Lumberton is the home of Village Creek State Park. The town is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area.
Its first post office opened in 1909. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 11,943 to 13,554 (+13%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Lumberton, 1888 to 1998
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lumberton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1955Silsbee 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 Lumberton.
People over time
Lumberton, census by census
Grew from 2,480 people in 1980 to 13,554 in 2020, 5 times over.
5 censuses, 1980–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Lumberton’s Wikipedia page.
Questions about Lumberton’s history
What year was Lumberton founded?
The Lumberton post office opened in 1909, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Lumberton rank for history?
Lumberton is more historic than 6% of U.S. towns, #581 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.
How old are the homes in Lumberton?
0.5% of Lumberton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 2001.
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 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.
