Evergreen dates to 1819, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 70% of U.S. towns · #41 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
Most of Evergreen was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 30 buildings. Below: maps from 1884 on and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1821.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Evergreen’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Evergreen is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #41 of 187 in Alabama. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Evergreen’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 Evergreen’s 94.0 sits above most of its state (81% of Alabama towns have fewer) while its 32 historic buildings outnumber those of 82% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share (±2.8 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1819.
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 Evergreen’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1884Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
On the National Register
3 listings protect 32 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Early settlers to the area came from Georgia and South Carolina beginning in 1818. Evergreen was founded officially in 1819 when Revolutionary War veteran James Cosey and several other men settled within the present limits of the city. The Reverend Alexander Travis first called the town by its present name of Evergreen for the abundance of surrounding green foliage, plants, and ferns.
The former county seat of Sparta was burned in a federal raid during the Civil War. In 1866, the county seat was moved to Evergreen as it was more centrally located in the county. Evergreen was incorporated as a city on March 28, 1873.
Evergreen’s post office has been open since 1840. Another post office, Conecuh, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Conecuh
1821–1824
Evergreen
1840–today
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Fairview
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Evergreen’s history
What year was Evergreen founded?
In 1819, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Evergreen’s post office opened in 1821, and the census of 1880 counted 985 people here.
How does Evergreen rank for history?
Evergreen is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #41 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 Evergreen?
Three places: the Louisville and Nashville Depot (listed 1975), the New Evergreen Commercial Historic District (1994) and the Evergreen School (2016).
How old are the homes in Evergreen?
4% of Evergreen’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.8 points), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1976.
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 Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
