Paris’ post office opened in 1842, and 6 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 72% of U.S. towns · #48 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Paris was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1880.
The Paris post office opened in 1842, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1845. Another post office, Givens (1891), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 3,980 in 18802020 census: 24,476184 years
How historic is Paris?
B+
More historic than 72% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Paris post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1845.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Paris’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Paris is more historic than 72% of U.S. towns, #48 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Paris’ 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 Paris’ 2.8 sits above most of its state (78% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 7 historic buildings outnumber those of 73% 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 (±1.9 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1845 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 Paris’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
Present-day Lamar County was part of Red River County during the Republic of Texas. By 1840, population growth necessitated the organization of a new county. George Washington Wright, who had served in the Third Congress of the Republic of Texas as a representative from Red River County, was a major proponent of the new county. The Fifth Congress established the new county on December 17, 1840, and named it after Mirabeau B. Lamar, who was the first vice president and the second president of the Republic of Texas.
Lamar County was one of the 18 Texas counties that voted against secession on February 23, 1861.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The Paris post office opened in 1842, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1845.
How does Paris rank for history?
Paris is more historic than 72% of U.S. towns, #48 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 Paris?
6 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Samuel Bell Maxey House (listed 1971, the first). 7 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Paris?
7% of Paris’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.9 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1980.
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 (6), 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1907
1907
1907
