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Mcmullen courthousePhoto: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0
–Not graded
History · Tilden

Tilden’s post office opened in 1877, and 18% of its homes were built before 1940

1877first post office
0on the National Register
18%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Larry D. Moore · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Tilden began

When was Tilden founded?

1877

The Tilden post office opened in 1877, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Dog Town (1871), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 190149 years
Founding year: the first Tilden post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Tilden’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 Tilden are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Tilden’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Tilden’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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The story

How Tilden came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Tilden.

Read it all →

During the Civil War, a Home Guard post named Camp Rio Frio was built to protect the community from Apaches and bandits.

After the war, the community was called Dog Town and was reputed to be a lawless and bandit-filled place.

The first establishment was the Franklin Ranch in 1868, built by Ralph S. Franklin. Now the Lone Star Camp, it is a hunting and working ranch camp still owned by the Franklin Family.

In 1871, the community was granted a post office. The town's name was changed in honor of Samuel J. Tilden, the unsuccessful Democratic presidential candidate in the 1876 United States presidential election.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Tilden, 1871 to 1877

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1871Post officeThe Dog Town post office opens
  3. 1877Post officeThe Dog Town post office closes
  4. 1877Post officeThe Tilden post office opens
By decade

Tilden, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Tilden-tx2017-2(courthouse)2017Tilden-tx2017-2(courthouse)Mcmullen courthouse2008Mcmullen courthouseBracken Boat Ramp2006Bracken Boat RampTXMap-doton-Tilden2004TXMap-doton-Tilden
Famous people

Famous people close to Tilden

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

See all →
J
James CrumleyAmerican writer · b. 1939
Roy HeadAmerican musician · b. 1941
Anthony B. AkersAmerican diplomat · b. 1914
Felix Z. Longoria, Jr.Recipient of the Purple Heart medal · b. 1920
M
Mary Sally MatiellaAmerican government official · b. 1951
John B. Henry Jr.Military · b. 1916
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Tilden’s post office has been open since 1877. Another post office, Dog Town, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Dog Town
1871–1877
Tilden
1877–today
18701950today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Tilden’s history

What year was Tilden founded?

The Tilden post office opened in 1877, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 (4), 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.