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A−History
History · Panhandle

Panhandle’s post office opened in 1887, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 76% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Its Register listings are the Carson County Square House Museum, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Depot, Panhandle and the Panhandle Inn.

1887first post office
3on the National Register
29%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Panhandle began

When was Panhandle founded?

1887

The Panhandle post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 2,378139 years

How historic is Panhandle?

A−

More historic than 76% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Panhandle post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Panhandle’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Panhandle is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Panhandle’s overall grade.
Founding era1887, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194029.2% of homes (±8.3) · typical TX town 1.6% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register3 listings, 12.0 per 10,000 residents · typical TX town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 76%
NewerOlder

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 Panhandle’s 12.0 sits above most of its state (88% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.3 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 Panhandle’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 Panhandle are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Panhandle’s homes were built before 1958.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Panhandle’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Panhandle’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

How Panhandle came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Panhandle.

Read it all →

Panhandle derives its name from its central location in the Texas Panhandle. Originally named "Carson City", it was later changed to "Panhandle City".

In 1887, Panhandle obtained a post office, and in 1888, the city was planned as the terminus of the Panhandle and Santa Fe Railway. At that time, the city was surrounded by several large cattle ranches. The community soon acquired a bank, a mercantile store, a wagonyard, a school, a newspaper, and three saloons.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Panhandle, 1887 to 1967

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1887Post officeThe Panhandle post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1963Born hereKevin Brown is born here
  5. 1967BuiltCarson County Square House Museum is built
By decade

Panhandle, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Panhandle, TX, High School sign IMG 06322008Panhandle, TX, High School sign IMG 0632Panhandle sign IMG 06312008Panhandle sign IMG 0631East of2008East ofDowntown Panhandle IMG 06432008Downtown Panhandle IMG 0643TXMap-doton-Panhandle2004TXMap-doton-Panhandle
On the National Register

3 historic places in Panhandle

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
Carson County Square House Museum
Carson County Square House Museum, built 1967Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Depot, PanhandlePanhandle Inn
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Mission1
Spanish Colonial Revival1
Carson County Square House MuseumBuilt 1967
All 3 listings
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Depot, PanhandleBuilding · listed 2003Panhandle InnBuilding · listed 2017

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Questions about Panhandle’s history

What year was Panhandle founded?

The Panhandle post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Panhandle rank for history?

Panhandle is more historic than 76% 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 Panhandle?

Three places: the Carson County Square House Museum (listed 1973), the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Depot, Panhandle (2003) and the Panhandle Inn (2017).

How old are the homes in Panhandle?

29% of Panhandle’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.3 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1958.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.