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History · Orchard

Orchard’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Orchard. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
6recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Orchard is a city in western Fort Bend County, Texas, United States, within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The community is located along State Highway 36 (SH 36) and the BNSF Railway between Rosenberg in Fort Bend County and Wallis in Austin County. The population was 313 at the 2020 census, down from 352 at the 2010 census.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 352 to 313 (-11%). Half of its homes were built before 1974.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Orchard yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Orchard’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Orchard’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from OrchardWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Orchard.Meet them →
By decade

Orchard, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today6 photos
Orchard TX Town CenterCommonsOrchard TX Town Center2013Orchard TX Sign Hwy 36CommonsOrchard TX Sign Hwy 362013Orchard TX Post OfficeCommonsOrchard TX Post Office2013Orchard TX Hwy 36 FM 1489CommonsOrchard TX Hwy 36 FM 14892013Orchard TX Freight TrainCommonsOrchard TX Freight Train2013Orchard TX Brazos Elem SchoolCommonsOrchard TX Brazos Elem School2013
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Orchard is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Orchard has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Church of the Guardian Angel in Wallis, 5.5 miles away.

Orchard and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Orchard. Tap a dot.
Church of the Guardian AngelHoly Rosary Catholic ChurchHenry G. and Annie B. Green HouseFort Bend County CourthouseMethodist Church of RichmondJohn M. and Lottie D. Moore House

Closest to Orchard

Church of the Guardian AngelWallis · Building5.5miHoly Rosary Catholic ChurchRosenberg · Building9.8miHenry G. and Annie B. Green HouseKendleton · Building10.7miFort Bend County CourthouseRichmond · Building12.5miMethodist Church of RichmondRichmond · Building12.5mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Church of the Guardian Angel’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Orchard?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Orchard’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Weston Lakes📜 Simonton📜 Wallis📜 East Bernard

From Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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