Stafford, Texas was named after a plantation owner by the name of William Stafford. Back in 1830, Stafford established a lucrative sugarcane plantation and horse-powered cotton gin. During the Texas Revolution of 1836, the forces of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna burned Stafford’s plantation to the ground. Resilient to the end, Stafford rebuilt his plantation and remained there until his death in 1840.

Following the death of William Stafford, a settlement called Stafford’s Point was established in the area surrounding the plantation. The settlement of Stafford’s Point was eventually upgraded to a townsite in 1853 when the railroad came through town, shortening its name to Stafford in the late 1860s. In 1956, Stafford was finally incorporated as a city. While it started out as an agricultural community, today Stafford has profitable operations in commercial, manufacturing, retail, service and wholesale industries.


