Headland’s post office opened in 1871, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 43% of U.S. towns · #86 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 37 buildings. Most of Headland was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1991. Below: maps from 1916 on and the census since 1900.
Founding year: the first Headland post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Headland’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Headland is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns, #86 of 187 in Alabama. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Headland’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 Headland’s 72.8 sits above most of its state (79% of Alabama towns have fewer) while its 38 historic buildings outnumber those of 83% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share (±2.5 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 Headland’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
James Joshua Head (1839–1927) founded Headland in 1871 as "Head's Land". He patented land, plotted the town and built his home there. The Headland post office opened on October 10, 1871.
The Headland Public Square was laid off in 1871 by Head with a vision for a branch courthouse. Henry County voters decided in the 1879 and 1885 courthouse site elections not to locate a courthouse on the public square. Henry has been Alabama's only county with three courthouses at the same time.
Head sold Headland to Hosey C. Powell in 1879, who sold to Dr. Wyatt S. Oates in 1880. Head moved to Tampa, Florida, in 1883 and later established Lake Magdalene, Florida.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Headland. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1969Headland 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 Headland.
Every building
Headland, building by building, 1916–1924
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.
The Headland post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Headland rank for history?
Headland is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns, #86 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 Headland?
Two places: the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Depot (listed 1980) and the Headland Commercial Historic District (2024).
How old are the homes in Headland?
2% of Headland’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.5 points), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1991.
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 (3), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.
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