Meridianville’s post office opened in 1830, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 40% of U.S. towns · #95 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
Most of Meridianville was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2007. Its Register listing is the William Madison Otey House. Below: maps from 1936 on and the census since 1880.
Founding year: the first Meridianville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Meridianville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Meridianville is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns, #95 of 187 in Alabama. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Meridianville’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 Meridianville’s 0.9 sits near the middle of its state (53% of Alabama towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% 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 (±0.5 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 Meridianville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The community of Meridianville was established in the early 1800s by a settler named Joseph Fenwick along the major north–south road from Nashville to Huntsville, now known as U.S. Route 231/431, deriving its name from being placed on the line of the base meridian. This village site first attracted squatters and small farmers, however, when Fenwick recognized the possibilities of a town, he purchased land, and offered lots for sale in 1818. Within the first decade of settlement, the bustling village of Meridianville offered several mills, gins, and stores.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Meridianville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1936Meridianville 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 Meridianville.
On the National Register
1 historic place in Meridianville
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
The Meridianville post office opened in 1830, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Meridianville rank for history?
Meridianville is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns, #95 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 Meridianville?
One place: the William Madison Otey House (listed 1982).
How old are the homes in Meridianville?
0.0% of Meridianville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 2007.
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 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.
