Mesquite’s post office opened in 1874, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 37% of U.S. towns · #194 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 17 buildings. Most of Mesquite was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Below: maps from 1959 on and the census since 1890.
The Mesquite post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Haught's Store (1866) and Lawson (1897), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 135 in 18902020 census: 150,108152 years
How historic is Mesquite?
C+
More historic than 37% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Mesquite post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Mesquite’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mesquite is more historic than 37% of U.S. towns, #194 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Mesquite’s overall grade.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Mesquite ranks #277 on History.
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 Mesquite’s 1.1 sits above most of its state (73% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 17 historic buildings outnumber those of 79% of U.S. towns.
Newer cities are common at Mesquite’s size: in the typical U.S. city of 100,000 or more, 5% of homes predate 1940.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B. The pre-1940 share (±0.7 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 Mesquite’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Centuries before American settlers moved into the area, Mesquite was an open prairie land and a key trading ground for indigenous peoples. The Ionies were a western tribe located close to present-day Fort Worth. The Tawakonies were in present-day Dallas. Finally, the Caddo were the native farmers of the Mesquite land. From 1680 to 1790, after harvest was over, these three tribes held an annual tournament and trading fair.
Passages that mention Mesquite, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Memorial and biographical history of Dallas County, Texas ..1892 · page 335Read the page →
Read the text
said county asking that an election be held to determine whether or not the town situated upon the land hereinafter described, to wit: The town of Mesquite, Dallas county, Texas, should be incorporated under the general laws of the State of Texas with the following limits, to wit: Beginning at the southeast corner of the W. Lakey survey;
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Memorial and biographical history of Dallas county, Texas ... Containing a history of this important section of the great state of Texas, from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time ... and biographical mention of many of its pioneers, a1892Read the page →
Read the text
are the articles of incorporation incorporating the town of Mesquite, as appears on the Commissioners' Court minutes: Whereas, on the lGth day of November, a. i). 18S7, J. M. Knox and twenty-four other resident citizens of the village of Mesqnite, in Dallas county. Texas, filed an application in the office of the county judge of
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Memorial and biographical history of Dallas County, Texas ..1892 · page 422Read the page →
Read the text
In September, 1872, Mr. Johnson came to Dallas as resident engineer, in charge of the construction of the Texas & Pacific Railway between Mesquite and Eagleford. In 1873 he had charge of the track-laying on the Texas & Pacific Railway from Dallas to Grand Salina, and again in 1880 and 1881 he was in charge of the track, bridges, depots
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Mesquite, 1866 to 1999
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Mesquite post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Mesquite rank for history?
Mesquite is more historic than 37% of U.S. towns, #194 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 Mesquite?
One place: the Stephen Decatur Lawrence Farmstead (listed 1999).
How old are the homes in Mesquite?
1% of Mesquite’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1983.
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 (12), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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 old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2012
2012
2012
2012
2011
2011
2009
2009
2009
2009
2009
2005
