Matagorda County, Texas
Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.
At a glance
SummaryThe National Register of Historic Places includes 14 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1979. Most listings are in or near Bay City, Palacios, Blessing.
Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.
Newspapers
Library of CongressNewspaper directory data for Texas is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Matagorda titles at the Library of Congress.
National Register of Historic Places
NPS NRHP7 of 14 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.
14 listed properties
| Property | City | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Bay City Post Office | Bay City | 2009 |
| Bay City USO Building | Bay City | 2006 |
| Blessing Masonic Lodge No. 411 | Blessing | 2011 |
| Christ Episcopal Church | Matagorda | 2012 |
| Hensley-Gusman House | Bay City | 2006 |
| Hill, R.J., Building | Palacios | 2009 |
| Holman, Judge William Shields, House | Bay City | 2011 |
| Hotel Blessing | Blessing | 1979 |
| Luther Hotel | Palacios | 2010 |
| Matagorda Cemetery | Matagorda | 2006 |
| Matagorda County Monument | Bay City | 2018 |
| Palacios Colored School | Palacios | 2025 |
| Price-Farwell House | Palacios | 2009 |
| South Side Residential Historic District | Bay City | 2007 |
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.
County formation
Newberry AHCBMatagorda was formed in 1836 (1836-03-02) from unknown / original county.
Mexican municipality of MATAGORDA became part of the Republic of Texas.
Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Population by decade
CensusMatagorda County population from 1850 to 2020 (Census historical series).
| 1850 | 1860 | 1880 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,124 | 3,454 | 3,940 | 6,097 | 16,589 | 20,066 | 21,559 | 25,744 | 37,828 | 37,957 | 36,255 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.
Cemeteries & historical places
USGS GNIS22 cemeteries and 0 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.
Cemeteries — 22 of 22 listed
| Name |
|---|
| Andrews Cemetery |
| Ashby Cemetery |
| Berean Cemetery |
| Blessing Cemetery |
| Cedarvale Bay City Cemetery |
| Collegeport Cemetery |
| Cornelius Cemetery |
| East End Cemetery |
| Free System Cemetery |
| Free System Cemetery |
| Grimes Cemetery |
| Hawley Cemetery |
| Hudgins Cemetery |
| Lacy Cemetery |
| Matagorda Cemetery |
| Matthews Cemetery |
| Partain Cemetery |
| Pleasant Green Cemetery |
| Roselawn Memorial Park |
| Sargent Cemetery |
| Union Cemetery |
| Williams Cemetery |
Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.
Historical markers
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Search HMdb for Matagorda County, Texas
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