More historic than 28% of U.S. towns · #261 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Most of Silsbee was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. Below: maps from 1955 on and the census since 1940.
The Silsbee post office opened in 1894, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Woodrow (1913), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 2,525 in 19402020 census: 6,935132 years
How historic is Silsbee?
C
More historic than 28% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Silsbee post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Silsbee’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Silsbee is more historic than 28% of U.S. towns, #261 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 Silsbee’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 Silsbee’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 still be C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.3 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 Silsbee’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 Silsbee yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Silsbee is a town in Hardin County, Texas, United States. Its population was 6,935 at the 2020 census. It is 21 miles (34 km) north of Beaumont and part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area.
Its first post office opened in 1894. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 6,611 to 6,935 (+5%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Silsbee, 1894 to 1979
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Silsbee. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1955Silsbee sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Silsbee.
People over time
Silsbee, census by census
Between 2,525 and 7,684 people in every census since 1940.
9 censuses, 1940–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Silsbee’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices and burying grounds
Silsbee’s post office has been open since 1894. Another post office, Woodrow, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Silsbee
1894–today
Woodrow
1913–1918
18901960today
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Silsbee
KnuppleRest Haven
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Silsbee’s history
What year was Silsbee founded?
The Silsbee post office opened in 1894, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Silsbee rank for history?
Silsbee is more historic than 28% of U.S. towns, #261 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 Silsbee?
8% of Silsbee’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.3 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 1976.
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 (3), 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) 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.
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