Most of Dauphin Island was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1941 on, and the census since 1990.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1868.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Dauphin Island’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Dauphin Island is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Dauphin Island’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 Dauphin Island’s 1,328 sits above most of its state (100% of Alabama towns have fewer) while its 246 historic buildings outnumber those of 94% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1702.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A+. The pre-1940 share (±0.6 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 Dauphin Island’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Serpentine shell middens, perhaps 1,500 years old, attest to at least seasonal occupation by the American Indian Mississippian Mound Builder culture. Shell Mound Park, along the island's northern shore, is administered by the Alabama Marine Resources Division.
In 1519, the Spanish explorer Alonso Álvarez de Pineda was the first documented European to visit, staying long enough to map the island with remarkable accuracy.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Dauphin Island. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1941Cedar Point 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 Dauphin Island.
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.
Retake this viewPettit Bois 1840 chart, 1840
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Dauphin Island’s page.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Dauphin Island’s post office has been open since 1890. Another post office, Cedar Point, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Cedar Point
1868–1869
Dauphin Island
1890–today
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Fort GainesTrade Winds Trailer Park
Gone or out of use
Battery StantonmilitaryBattery TerrettmilitaryDauphin Island Annex Brookley Air Force BasemilitaryFort GainesmilitaryFort Powellmilitary
1cemetery inside Dauphin Island
Dauphin Island
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Dauphin Island’s history
What year was Dauphin Island founded?
In 1702, according to Wikidata. Dauphin Island’s post office opened in 1868, and the census of 1990 counted 824 people here.
How does Dauphin Island rank for history?
Dauphin Island is more historic than 76% 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.
What is on the National Register in Dauphin Island?
4 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Fort Gaines (listed 1976, the first). 246 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Dauphin Island?
0.0% of Dauphin Island’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1993.
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 (4), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
2004
