The Menard post office opened in 1910, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Menardville (1868), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
2020 census: 1,348116 years
How historic is Menard?
B
More historic than 60% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Menard post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Menard’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Menard is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Menard’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 Menard’s 9.9 sits above most of its state (86% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% 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 (±7.7 points). 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 Menard’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first settlement at the site of what is now Menard was the Spanish Mission San Sabá and the Presidio of San Luís de Amarillas, both established in April 1757. The presidio was later replaced by the Presidio of San Sabá in 1761. Both were intended to protect New Spain's northern frontier from marauding Comanches. Due to the presidio's isolation, it suffered repeated attacks, and was finally abandoned in 1770. Stones from the old presidio walls were used by later settlers to build homes and fences. The ruins of the old presidio were reconstructed in 1936.
Menard’s post office has been open since 1910. Another post office, Menardville, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Menardville
1868–1910
Menard
1910–today
18601940today
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Menard
Pioneer RestRest HavenSacred Heart Catholic
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Menard’s history
What year was Menard founded?
The Menard post office opened in 1910, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Menard rank for history?
Menard is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns. 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 Menard?
One place: the Menard County Courthouse (listed 2003).
How old are the homes in Menard?
34% of Menard’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.7 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1950.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
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