Mount Vernon first appears in the census in 1870. Two smaller post offices, Keith's (1848) and Lone Star (1850), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 223 in 18702020 census: 2,491156 years
How historic is Mount Vernon?
B+
More historic than 66% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mount Vernon is more historic than 66% of U.S. towns, #72 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Mount Vernon’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 Mount Vernon’s 122 sits above most of its state (96% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 31 historic buildings outnumber those of 82% 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 (±6.0 points).
Founding year: the first census (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 Mount Vernon’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Mount Vernon started as a settlement near the Fanning Springs (on Holbrook Street south of the present town square). Affidavits filed to establish land titles soon after the Texas Revolution document the settlement by squatters in Spanish Texas commencing in 1818.
By 1848 the United States government established a post office, and in 1849 a formal town site was laid out on land donated by Stephen and Rebecca Keith for the town of Mount Vernon. Since there were two other Mount Vernons in Texas, the post office was called "Keith" and then "Lone Star" before the name "Mount Vernon" became available in 1875. Franklin County was carved out of Titus County in 1875, and Mount Vernon was elected county seat in competition with other communities.
The Mount Vernon post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Mount Vernon rank for history?
Mount Vernon is more historic than 66% of U.S. towns, #72 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 Mount Vernon?
Two places: the Edwards, M.L. & Co. Building (listed 2018) and the Mount Vernon Downtown Historic District (2018).
How old are the homes in Mount Vernon?
12% of Mount Vernon’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.0 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1985.
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 (2), 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) 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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