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Washburn, TXPhoto: Charles Henry · CC BY 2.0
–Not graded
History · Washburn

Washburn’s post office opened in 1888

Most of Washburn was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1965. Below: maps from 1956 on.

1888first post office
0on the National Register
8%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Charles Henry · CC BY 2.0
Quick answers

How Washburn began, and where its name came from

When was Washburn founded?

1888

The Washburn post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 116138 years

How did Washburn get its name?

Washburn was named after railroad official D.W. Washburn, who was also friends with, and a son-in-law of, Union Pacific Railroad President Grenville M. Dodge.

Founding year: the first Washburn post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

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

Start Washburn’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Washburn’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 Washburn came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Washburn.

Read it all →

Washburn was part of the JA Ranch from 1876 until its division in 1887. Robert E. Montgomery, who owned section 98, established this townsite at the ending point of the Fort Worth and Denver Railway in August of that same year. It was named after railroad official D.W. Washburn, who was also friends with, and a son-in-law of, Union Pacific Railroad President Grenville M. Dodge. Two water wells, a double pump station, a coal chute, a section house, a depot, and stock pens were all established in the community along the Denver Road. Another railroad track was built to Panhandle in 1888 to connect it to the Southern Kansas Railway. Washburn grew to have tents, dugouts, and board shacks and was a base of operations for settlers, ranchers, and other nearby communities. A post office was established at Washburn in March 1888 and remained in operation until 1956, with James Logue as postmaster…

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Washburn, 1888 to 1956

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1888Post officeThe Washburn post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1956Post officeThe Washburn post office closes
  5. 1956On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
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.

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On the map

Washburn on the map, 1956 to 1973

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

Washburn on the 1956 USGS mapWashburn on the 1967 USGS mapWashburn on the 1973 USGS map1956Washburn 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 Washburn.

Famous people

Famous people close to Washburn

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

See all →
Cyd CharisseAmerican dancer and actress · b. 1922
George SaundersAmerican writer · b. 1958
Rick HusbandAmerican astronaut · b. 1957
Carolyn JonesAmerican actress · b. 1930
A
Arden ChoAmerican actress, singer, and model · b. 1985
Grady BoochAmerican software engineer · b. 1955
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Washburn had its own post office from 1888 to 1956.

Washburn
1888–1956
18801950today

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

Questions about Washburn’s history

What year was Washburn founded?

The Washburn post office opened in 1888, 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 →
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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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.