On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Shadybrook is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns, #298 of 642 in Texas. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Shadybrook’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 Shadybrook’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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.3 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Shadybrook’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Shadybrook yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Shadybrook is a census-designated place (CDP) in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, Shadybrook had a population of 2,400. The CDP is located in the northwestern corner of the county adjacent to Lake Palestine, and takes its name from a gated community located on either side of Farm to Market Road 346. It is 16 miles (26 km) northwest of Jacksonville and 21 miles (34 km) southwest of Tyler. The CDP includes the namesake development along with other developments and individually owned houses in the area. A map of the CDP is shown here.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,967 to 2,400 (+22%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Shadybrook is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns, #298 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 Shadybrook?
7% of Shadybrook’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.3 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 2003.
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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.
