More historic than 24% of U.S. towns · #294 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Seymour was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1965. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: the first Seymour post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1890.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Seymour’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Seymour is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns, #294 of 642 in Texas. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Seymour’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 Seymour’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (34% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C. The pre-1940 share (±2.9 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1890 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 Seymour’s 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.
Seymour was founded by settlers from Oregon, who called the town Oregon City; it was originally located where the Western Trail crossed the Brazos River, which flows just south of the townsite. A post office was established in 1879, when the town's name was changed to honor local cowboy Seymour Munday, after whom nearby Munday was also named. The census of 1880 shows 78 people living in the 901-square-mile county. The first settlers were ranchers. During those years, the Miller brothers established a large ranch with the headquarters some 10 miles south of Seymour on Miller Creek. About 50 men were in the Miller outfit, and some of these were reportedly outlaws. Not unusually, some of the cowboys rode into town and proceeded to "shoot it up". The Millers realized that law had come to Baylor County in 1884, and sold the ranch. It was the largest transaction ever made in northwest Te…
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Seymour. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1966Seymour West 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 Seymour.
Questions about Seymour’s history
What year was Seymour founded?
The Seymour post office opened in 1879, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1890.
How does Seymour rank for history?
Seymour is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns, #294 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.
How old are the homes in Seymour?
6% of Seymour’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1965.
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), 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.
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