Most of Blountsville was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. Below: maps from 1969 on and the census since 1880.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Blountsville is more historic than 44% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Blountsville’s overall grade.
Alabama towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Alabama town has 2.7 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Blountsville’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (26% of Alabama towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.9 points). Two sources give 1816.
Founding year: Wikipedia (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Blountsville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
What became Blountsville appears on an 1819 map as the mixed Creek/Cherokee Native American village of "Wassausey" (meaning Bear Meat Cabin, the name of an Indian translator who lived there). The town was established by Caleb Fryley and Johnny Jones in 1816 as Bear Meat Cabin. It became a popular stop for westward-bound settlers who streamed into the area at the end of the Creek War. The post office was opened as Blountsville on October 20, 1825, and incorporated on December 13, 1827. It was the county seat until 1889 when the government was moved to Oneonta.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Blountsville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1969Blountsville 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 Blountsville.
People over time
Blountsville, census by census
Grew from 222 people in 1880 to 1,826 in 2020, 8 times over.
14 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Blountsville’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Old corners and burying grounds
Blountsville’s post office has been open since 1825.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Pine Acres
1cemetery inside Blountsville
Blountsville
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Blountsville’s history
What year was Blountsville founded?
In 1816, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Blountsville’s post office opened in 1825, and the census of 1880 counted 222 people here.
How does Blountsville rank for history?
Blountsville is more historic than 44% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Blountsville?
7% of Blountsville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.9 points), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1973.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via 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.
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