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History · Murchison

Murchison’s post office opened in 1883

Most of Murchison was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. Below: maps from 1985 on and the census since 1970.

1883first post office
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Murchison began

When was Murchison founded?

1883

The Murchison post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Lindsey (1881), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 432 in 19702020 census: 516143 years
Founding year: the first Murchison post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Murchison’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Murchison are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Murchison’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Murchison’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Murchison, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Murchison yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Murchison is a city in Henderson County, Texas, United States. The population was 516 at the 2020 census.

Its first post office opened in 1883. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 594 to 516 (-13%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Murchison, 1881 to 1985

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1881Post officeThe Lindsey post office opens
  3. 1883Post officeThe Lindsey post office closes
  4. 1883Post officeThe Murchison post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1926Born hereJoe Scott is born here
  7. 1943Born hereRoy M. Hopkins is born here
  8. 1985On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Murchison, decade by decade

Today1 recent
A fetching cowgirl-themed advertising sign for the Wagon Wheel Antique Mall in the town of Murchison in Henderson Count…2014A fetching cowgirl-themed advertising sign for the Wa…
On the map

Murchison on the map, 1985 to 1991

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

Murchison on the 1985 USGS mapMurchison on the 1991 USGS map1985Tyler sheet · 1:100,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Murchison.

People over time

Murchison, census by census

0100200300400500600198020002020Peak: 594

Between 432 and 594 people in every census since 1970.

6 censuses, 1970–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Murchison

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

See all →
Joe ScottAmerican football player · b. 1926
R
Roy M. HopkinsAmerican politician · b. 1943
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Murchison’s post office has been open since 1883. Another post office, Lindsey, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Lindsey
1881–1883
Murchison
1883–today
18801950today

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

Questions about Murchison’s history

What year was Murchison founded?

The Murchison post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From the Library of Congress (1), 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.