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B+History
History · Daphne

Daphne dates to 1763, and 9 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 70% of U.S. towns · #40 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it

Most of Daphne was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. 9 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 25 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1921 on, and the census since 1890.

1763founded
9on the National Register
1%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
9famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Daphne’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Daphne began

When was Daphne founded?

1763

Daphne dates its founding to 1763 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 549 in 18902020 census: 27,462263 years

How historic is Daphne?

B+

More historic than 70% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1874.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Daphne’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Daphne is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #40 of 187 in Alabama. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Daphne’s overall grade.
Founding era1763, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 19401.1% of homes (±0.9) · typical AL town 3.2% · U.S. 8.4%DNational Register9 listings, 36 historic buildings, 12.2 per 10,000 residents · typical AL town 2.7 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 70%
NewerOlder
Alabama towns of 2,500+ (187)Ahead of 79%

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 Daphne’s 12.2 sits above most of its state (68% of Alabama towns have fewer) while its 36 historic buildings outnumber those of 83% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1763.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A+. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: Wikidata (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 Daphne’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Daphne, and 6 old place names are still on the map.A historic districtThe Malbis Plantation takes in 25 historic buildings.Landmarks on the Register9 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Daphne’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewMalbis, AL - Malbis Memorial Greek Orth…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Daphne’s post office has been open since 1874. Another post office, Belforest, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Daphne
1874–today
Belforest
1900–1911
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BelforestDaphne Mobile Home ParkJackson OakMalbisPark CityPina's Mobile Home Park
Gone or out of use
Belle Roselocale
1cemetery inside Daphne
D'Olive

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

On the National Register

9 listings protect 36 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
9
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
36
each building in a district counts
first listed
1980
Methodist Episcopal Church, South
Methodist Episcopal Church, SouthMcMillan House, built 1835Texas, The, built 1835Manly-Strong HouseCaptain Adams House, built 1850Walker HouseGeorge W. Cullum HouseLewis Starke HouseMalbis Plantation
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Gulf Coast Cottage6
Greek Revival4
Creole Cottage1
Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival1
Bungalow/Craftsman1
Methodist Episcopal Church, SouthBuilding
McMillan HouseGulf Coast Cottage · Built 1835
Texas, TheGulf Coast Cottage · Built 1835
Manly-Strong HouseBuilding
All 9 listings
Captain Adams HouseBuilding · listed 1988Walker HouseBuilding · listed 1988George W. Cullum HouseBuilding · listed 1990Lewis Starke HouseBuilding · listed 1990Malbis PlantationDistrict · listed 2011

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Daphne came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Daphne.

Read it all →

Daphne and the surrounding regions have been populated since from at least 9,000 BCE. European settlers eventually displaced the Native Americans. After a variety of wars and treaties, the area became part of the United States in 1814. Except for a period under the flag of the Confederate States of America, Daphne and its environs have remained part of the United States until this time. From Native American to the Spanish, French, and British, the city has seen a lengthy parade of historic influences, which give Daphne its present character.

ChaptersNative American historyEuropean exploration and settlementImmigrationRelocation of county seatIncorporationHurricane DannyLaws

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Daphne, 1763 to 1994

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1763
    FoundingDaphne is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1835BuiltMcMillan House is built
  5. 1835BuiltTexas, The is built
  6. 1850BuiltCaptain Adams House is built
  7. 1874Post officeThe Daphne post office opens
  8. 20th century
  9. 1900Post officeThe Belforest post office opens
  10. 1911Post officeThe Belforest post office closes
  11. 1921On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  12. 1923Born hereJoseph Lawson Howze is born here
  13. 1972In the archiveMalbis, AL - Malbis Memorial Greek Orthodox Church (5)
  14. 1984Born hereAbu Mansoor Al-Amriki is born here
  15. 1986Born herePat White is born here
  16. 1994Born hereRyan Anderson is born here
By decade

Daphne, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1970s1 item
Malbis, AL - Malbis Memorial Greek Orthodox Church (5)1972Malbis, AL - Malbis Memorial Greek Orthodox Church (5)
1980s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today15 recent
Gator Alley at the D'Olive Boardwalk Park2010Gator Alley at the D'Olive Boardwalk ParkGator Alley at the D'Olive Boardwalk Park2010Gator Alley at the D'Olive Boardwalk ParkGator Alley at the D'Olive Boardwalk Park2010Gator Alley at the D'Olive Boardwalk ParkGator Alley at the D'Olive Boardwalk Park2010Gator Alley at the D'Olive Boardwalk ParkGator Alley at the D'Olive Boardwalk Park2010Gator Alley at the D'Olive Boardwalk ParkVeterans Memorial2010Veterans MemorialVeterans Memorial in2010Veterans Memorial inGator Alley at the D'Olive Boardwalk Park in Daphne, Alabama, is filled with alligators sunbathing in the spring warmth2010Gator Alley at the D'Olive Boardwalk Park in Daphne, …Gator Alley at the D'Olive Boardwalk Park in Daphne, Alabama, is filled with alligators sunbathing in the spring warmth2010Gator Alley at the D'Olive Boardwalk Park in Daphne, …Gator Alley at the D'Olive Boardwalk Park in Daphne, Alabama, is filled with alligators sunbathing in the spring warmth2010Gator Alley at the D'Olive Boardwalk Park in Daphne, …Gator Alley at the D'Olive Boardwalk Park in Daphne, Alabama, is filled with alligators sunbathing in the spring warmth2010Gator Alley at the D'Olive Boardwalk Park in Daphne, …Gator Alley at the D'Olive Boardwalk Park in Daphne, Alabama, is filled with alligators sunbathing in the spring warmth2010Gator Alley at the D'Olive Boardwalk Park in Daphne, …Gator Alley at the D'Olive Boardwalk Park in Daphne, Alabama, is filled with alligators sunbathing in the spring warmth2010Gator Alley at the D'Olive Boardwalk Park in Daphne, …0600 Briefing at Homewood Suites in20090600 Briefing at Homewood Suites inALMap-doton-Daphne2004ALMap-doton-Daphne
On the map

Daphne on the map, 1921 to 1982

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

Daphne on the 1921 USGS mapDaphne on the 1939 USGS mapDaphne on the 1941 USGS mapDaphne on the 1953 USGS mapDaphne on the 1967 USGS mapDaphne on the 1974 USGS mapDaphne on the 1982 USGS map1921Fairhope 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 Daphne.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Malbis, AL - Malbis Memorial Greek Orthodox Church (5)
Retake this viewMalbis, AL - Malbis Memorial Greek Orthodox Church (5), 1972

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Daphne’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Daphne, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,000190019201940196019802000202027,462

Grew from 549 people in 1890 to 27,462 in 2020, more than tenfold.

11 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Famous people

9 famous people were born in Daphne

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

See all →
J
Joseph Lawson HowzeAmerican Catholic bishop · b. 1923
Pat WhiteAmerican football player and coach · b. 1986
A
Abu Mansoor Al-AmrikiAmerican fugitive wanted on terrorism charges · b. 1984
Ryan AndersonAmerican football linebacker · b. 1994
Dan JenningsBaseball executive · b. 1960
J
Jeremy ClarkPlayer of American football · b. 1983
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Spanish FortIts storyD−Fairhope15 historic placesB−

Questions about Daphne’s history

What year was Daphne founded?

In 1763, according to Wikidata. Daphne’s post office opened in 1874, and the census of 1890 counted 549 people here.

How does Daphne rank for history?

Daphne is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #40 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.

What is on the National Register in Daphne?

9 listings: 8 buildings, among them the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (listed 1980, the first), and 1 historic district, the Malbis Plantation, with 25 contributing buildings. 36 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Daphne?

1% of Daphne’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1995.

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 (10), the Library of Congress (6), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (9), 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.