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History · Leighton

Leighton’s post office opened in 1824, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

Most of Leighton was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1982. Its Register listing is the Preuit Oaks. Below: maps from 1924 on and the census since 1880.

1824first post office
1on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Leighton began

When was Leighton founded?

1824

The Leighton post office opened in 1824, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 279 in 18802020 census: 665202 years
Founding year: the first Leighton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Leighton’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 Leighton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,231 in 1970; 665 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsA post office since 1824: 202 years of Leighton.On the map since 19244 editions of the USGS map, 1924 to 1971. Watch Leighton change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Leighton’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Leighton’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
People over time

Leighton, census by census

02004006008001,0001,20018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,231

Peaked at 1,231 in 1970; 665 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Timeline

Leighton, 1824 to 1970

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1824Post officeThe Leighton post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1920Born hereLefty Bates is born here
  5. 1924On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1940Born herePercy Sledge is born here
  7. 1954Born hereLeon Douglas is born here
  8. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 1,231
The story

How Leighton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Leighton.

Read it all →

The first settlers in what is now Leighton arrived in the early 1810s. The community was initially known as "Crossroads" for its location at the intersection of two early stage coach roads. The name was later changed to "Leighton" for town's first postmaster, the Reverend William Leigh. The town developed as a cotton shipping center in the 1830s after the Tuscumbia, Courtland and Decatur Railroad constructed a railroad line through the area. Leighton incorporated in 1890.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Leighton, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Leighton-Main-St-SE-al2017Leighton-Main-St-SE-alLeighton-Main-St-NW-al2017Leighton-Main-St-NW-alLeighton-Main-St-N-al2017Leighton-Main-St-N-alLeighton-City-Hall-al2017Leighton-City-Hall-alMural at Colbert County High School2010Mural at Colbert County High SchoolMural at Colbert County High School2010Mural at Colbert County High School
On the map

Leighton on the map, 1924 to 1971

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

Leighton on the 1924 USGS mapLeighton on the 1936 USGS mapLeighton on the 1952 USGS mapLeighton on the 1971 USGS map1924Tuscumbia 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 Leighton.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Leighton

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
12
each building in a district counts
first listed
1986
Preuit Oaks
Preuit Oaks
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Federal1
Greek Revival1
Preuit OaksFederal

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Leighton

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Percy SledgeAmerican singer · b. 1940
L
Leon DouglasAmerican basketball player · b. 1954
L
Lefty BatesAmerican Chicago blues guitarist · b. 1920

Questions about Leighton’s history

What year was Leighton founded?

The Leighton post office opened in 1824, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Leighton?

One place: the Preuit Oaks (listed 1986).

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 (5), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.