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History · Goldville

Goldville’s post office opened in 1843, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1891 on and the census since 1970.

1843first post office
0on the National Register
17%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: SaveRivers · Public domain
Quick answers

How Goldville began

When was Goldville founded?

1843

The Goldville post office opened in 1843, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 34 in 19702020 census: 52183 years
Founding year: the first Goldville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Goldville’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 Goldville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18913 editions of the USGS map, 1891 to 1978. Watch Goldville change.Boom and bustPeaked at 89 in 1980; 52 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsA post office since 1843: 183 years of Goldville.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Goldville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Goldville’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
On the map

Goldville on the map, 1891 to 1978

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

Goldville on the 1891 USGS mapGoldville on the 1969 USGS mapGoldville on the 1978 USGS map1891Ashland sheet · 1:125,000

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

People over time

Goldville, census by census

0198020002020Peak: 89

Peaked at 89 in 1980; 52 people lived here in 2020.

6 censuses, 1970–2020.

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

The story

How Goldville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Goldville.

Read it all →

The name of the area derives from the discovery of large gold deposits in the area. The area was so popular with prospectors that at one time the temporary post office of Goldville handled more mail in a day than New York City.

The historical monument in the town reads: "GOLDVILLE / Goldville, Alabama / incorporated on January 25, 1843 / was at one time / one of the / largest cities in Alabama / with a population of / near 5,000 / With the coming of / the California gold rush / in 1849 / the city became / a dormant municipality / later to be / reinstated on July 9, 1973"

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Goldville, 1843 to 1980

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1843Post officeThe Goldville post office opens
  3. 1891On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1910Post officeThe Goldville post office closes
  6. 1921Born hereJohn Malcolm Patterson is born here
  7. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 89
By decade

Goldville, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Goldville T V Tower2017Goldville T V TowerAlabama Gold Miners Monument2017Alabama Gold Miners MonumentGoldville Alabama2011Goldville Alabama
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Goldville had its own post office from 1843 to 1910.

Goldville
1843–1910
18401930today

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

Questions about Goldville’s history

What year was Goldville founded?

The Goldville post office opened in 1843, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (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) 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.