Most of Hackleburg was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. Below: maps from 1936 on and the census since 1910.
How Hackleburg began, and where its name came from
When was Hackleburg founded?
1857
The Hackleburg post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Lunsford (1895) and Wiginton (1903), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 286 in 19102020 census: 1,425169 years
How did Hackleburg get its name?
Hackleburg was named by the early drovers of sheep who passed through the region while en route to market in Tuscumbia, and whose sheep encountered a thorny plant growing in abundance in that area and known locally by the name hack burrs (often corrupted to "hack berries") and which same plants were often fatal to sheep, besides being destructive to their wool.
How historic is Hackleburg?
C−
More historic than 17% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hackleburg is more historic than 17% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hackleburg’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 Hackleburg’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 C−. The pre-1940 share (±1.9 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Hackleburg’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Hackleburg developed in the early 19th century as a stop along Jackson's Military Road. It was named by the early drovers of sheep who passed through the region while en route to market in Tuscumbia, and whose sheep encountered a thorny plant growing in abundance in that area and known locally by the name hack burrs (often corrupted to "hack berries") and which same plants were often fatal to sheep, besides being destructive to their wool. A post office opened in the town in 1885.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hackleburg. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1936Hackleburg sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hackleburg.
People over time
Hackleburg, census by census
Between 286 and 1,527 people in every census since 1910.
12 censuses, 1910–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hackleburg’s Wikipedia page.
Questions about Hackleburg’s history
What year was Hackleburg founded?
The Hackleburg post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Hackleburg rank for history?
Hackleburg is more historic than 17% 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.
How old are the homes in Hackleburg?
2% of Hackleburg’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.9 points), 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 (12), 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.
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