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History · Petersburg

Petersburg dates to 1891

Most of Petersburg was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1966. Below: maps from 1965 on and the census since 1930.

1891founded
0on the National Register
2%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Leaflet · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Petersburg began, and where its name came from

When was Petersburg founded?

1891

Petersburg dates its founding to 1891 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 548 in 19302020 census: 1,014135 years

How did Petersburg get its name?

Petersburg was named for Zack Peters and his wife, Margaret, who was the first postmistress.

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1895. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Petersburg’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 Petersburg are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,633 in 1980; 1,014 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Petersburg’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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People over time

Petersburg, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,6001,80019401960198020002020Peak: 1,633

Peaked at 1,633 in 1980; 1,014 people lived here in 2020.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

The story

How Petersburg came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Petersburg.

Read it all →

Petersburg was founded in 1891 as a post office in southeast Hale County. It was named for Zack Peters and his wife, Margaret, who was the first postmistress. In 1902, Ed M. White established a store at the site of the present community, and moved the post office 5 miles (8 km) southwest into Hale County. Although the townsite was platted in 1909, its population remained below 100 until the Fort Worth and Denver Railway was built through town in 1928. Wheat and grain sorghum (milo) were the main crops in the area until cotton was first planted in 1905.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Petersburg, 1891 to 1980

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1891
    FoundingPetersburg is established
  3. 1895Post officeThe Petersburg post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1965On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 1,633
By decade

Petersburg, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Petersburg TX from south2013Petersburg TX from southPetersburg Texas Sign 20102010Petersburg Texas Sign 2010Petersburg Texas Grain Elevator 2010b2010Petersburg Texas Grain Elevator 2010bPetersburg Texas Grain Elevator 20102010Petersburg Texas Grain Elevator 2010TXMap-doton-Petersburg2004TXMap-doton-Petersburg
On the map

Petersburg on the map, 1965 to 1986

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

Petersburg on the 1965 USGS mapPetersburg on the 1986 USGS map1965Petersburg sheet · 1:24,000

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Petersburg

Nobody well known was born in Petersburg itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Buddy HollyAmerican rock and roll singer · b. 1936
Chace CrawfordAmerican actor · b. 1985
C
Conrad VernonAmerican film and television director, storyboa… · b. 1968
Trae YoungAmerican basketball player · b. 1998
Natalie MainesAmerican singer; lead vocalist for Dixie Chicks · b. 1974
James H. ClarkAmerican entrepreneur and computer scientist · b. 1944

Questions about Petersburg’s history

What year was Petersburg founded?

In 1891, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Petersburg’s post office opened in 1895, and the census of 1930 counted 548 people here.

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 Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikipedia, 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.