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Daleville City HallPhoto: Michael Rivera · CC BY-SA 4.0
CHistory
History · Daleville

Daleville dates to 1827

More historic than 29% of U.S. towns · #112 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it

Most of Daleville was built recently: 0.4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. Below: maps from 1948 on and the census since 1960.

1827founded
0on the National Register
0.4%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Michael Rivera · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Daleville began

When was Daleville founded?

1827

Daleville dates its founding to 1827 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1960.

First census: 693 in 19602020 census: 4,866199 years

How historic is Daleville?

C

More historic than 29% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1848.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Daleville’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Daleville is more historic than 29% of U.S. towns, #112 of 187 in Alabama. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Daleville’s overall grade.
Founding era1827, from Wikipedia: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19400.4% of homes (±0.6) · typical AL town 3.2% · U.S. 8.4%DNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical AL town 2.7 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 29%
NewerOlder
Alabama towns of 2,500+ (187)Ahead of 40%

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 Daleville’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 D to B−. The pre-1940 share (±0.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1827.

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 Daleville’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 Daleville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Deep rootsEstablished in 1827: 199 years of Daleville.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Daleville’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Timeline

Daleville, 1827 to 1970

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1827
    FoundingDaleville is established
  3. 1848Post officeThe Daleville post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1942Born hereMickey Andrews is born here
  6. 1948On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1958Born hereRobert W. Smith is born here
  8. 1970Born hereMargaret Peterlin is born here
The story

How Daleville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Daleville.

Read it all →

Daleville, originally known as "Dale's Court House", was founded in 1827 by veterans of the Creek Indian War who had settled in Dale County following that conflict. It was established as the original county seat of Dale County in 1827 but lost that honor when Coffee County split from Dale in 1841, at which time the seat was moved first to Newton, and then later to Ozark in 1870, where it remains today.

The name of Daleville was adopted in 1848. Daleville voted to incorporate in 1912, but rescinded it in 1916. It later voted for incorporation in 1958.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Daleville, decade by decade

Today18 recent
Daleville historical marker2015Daleville historical markerDaleville helicopter plaque2015Daleville helicopter plaqueDaleville Post Office2015Daleville Post OfficeDaleville Department of Public Safety2015Daleville Department of Public SafetyDaleville Cultural and Convention Center, Chamber of Commerce2015Daleville Cultural and Convention Center, Chamber of …Daleville City Hall2015Daleville City HallDaleville City Hall plaque2015Daleville City Hall plaqueDale County law enforcement memorial2015Dale County law enforcement memorialBojangles'2015Bojangles'USATravelCenters2009USATravelCentersDaleville Avenue 012008Daleville Avenue 01DHS Front2008DHS FrontALMap-doton-Daleville2004ALMap-doton-DalevilleFEMA - 5539 - Photograph by Ray Phillips taken on 11-25-2001 in Alabama2001FEMA - 5539 - Photograph by Ray Phillips taken on 11-…FEMA - 5538 - Photograph by Ray Phillips taken on 11-25-2001 in Alabama2001FEMA - 5538 - Photograph by Ray Phillips taken on 11-…FEMA - 5537 - Photograph by Ray Phillips taken on 11-25-2001 in Alabama2001FEMA - 5537 - Photograph by Ray Phillips taken on 11-…FEMA - 5534 - Photograph by Ray Phillips taken on 11-25-2001 in Alabama2001FEMA - 5534 - Photograph by Ray Phillips taken on 11-…FEMA - 5533 - Photograph by Ray Phillips taken on 11-25-2001 in Alabama2001FEMA - 5533 - Photograph by Ray Phillips taken on 11-…
On the map

Daleville on the map, 1948 to 1980

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

Daleville on the 1948 USGS mapDaleville on the 1950 USGS mapDaleville on the 1960 USGS mapDaleville on the 1980 USGS map1948Ozark sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Daleville.

People over time

Daleville, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5001960198020002020Peak: 5,295

Between 693 and 5,295 people in every census since 1960.

7 censuses, 1960–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Daleville’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Daleville

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
R
Robert W. SmithAmerican composer and teacher · b. 1958
M
Mickey AndrewsAmerican football player and coach · b. 1942
Margaret PeterlinAmerican lawyer and government official · b. 1970
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Daleville’s post office has been open since 1848.

Gone or out of use
Saint Marys Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Daleville
Shiloh

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Fort NovoselIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townClayhatcheeIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Daleville’s history

What year was Daleville founded?

In 1827, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Daleville’s post office opened in 1848, and the census of 1960 counted 693 people here.

How does Daleville rank for history?

Daleville is more historic than 29% of U.S. towns, #112 of 187 in Alabama. 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 Daleville?

0.4% of Daleville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1981.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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).

From Wikimedia Commons (18), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.