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History · Mulga

Mulga’s post office opened in 1907, and 41% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 6 old photos and papers from 1993 on.

1907first post office
0on the National Register
41%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Mulga’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Mulga began

When was Mulga founded?

1907

The Mulga post office opened in 1907, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 784119 years
Founding year: the first Mulga post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Mulga’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Old housesHalf of Mulga’s homes were built before 1946.
★ What stands out · The story so far

Mulga, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Mulga yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Mulga is a town in western Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. It is north from the Birmingham suburb of Pleasant Grove. It includes the community of Bayview. Mulga was a company town operated by Birmingham Coal and Iron Company around the Mulga Mine and Mulga was also the name of an independent community in the area. The company town was incorporated in 1947. As of the 2020 census, Mulga had a population of 784. Its communities were damaged by an F5 tornado on April 8, 1998. The town's name is possibly derived from the Creek word omalga meaning "all". Coal has been mined in the area. Forty-one men died in a 1910 coal mine explosion.

Its first post office opened in 1907. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 836 to 784 (-6%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Mulga, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s6 items
EXTERIOR VIEW OF SURFACE PLANT WITH COAL CONVEYORS - Mulga Coal Mine, Off AL 269 at I 20-59, Birmingham, Jefferson Coun…1993EXTERIOR VIEW OF SURFACE PLANT WITH COAL CONVEYORS - …EXTERIOR VIEW, FRONT (NORTH) ELEVATION OF ENTRANCE TO LEFT PAVILION. - Mulga Commisary, Off AL 269 at I 20-59, Birmingh…1993EXTERIOR VIEW, FRONT (NORTH) ELEVATION OF ENTRANCE TO…EXTERIOR VIEW, FRONT ELEVATION, FOUR ROOM-PYRAMIDAL ROOF COTTAGE (AT 328 CAMILLE) WITH CRECHE AND STAR - Mulga Communit…1993EXTERIOR VIEW, FRONT ELEVATION, FOUR ROOM-PYRAMIDAL R…EXTERIOR VIEW, FRONT ELEVATION, FOUR ROOM-PYRAMIDAL ROOF COTTAGE (AT 328 CAMILLE) WITH CRECHE AND STAR. - Mulga Communi…1993EXTERIOR VIEW, FRONT ELEVATION, FOUR ROOM-PYRAMIDAL R…OBLIQUE-EXTERIOR VIEW, FRONT (NORTH) ELEVATION WITH THREE ENTRANCES TO FORMER COMPANY MEAT, GROCERY AND DRY GOODS OPERA…1993OBLIQUE-EXTERIOR VIEW, FRONT (NORTH) ELEVATION WITH T…OBLIQUE-EXTERIOR VIEW, SIDE AND FRONT ELEVATIONS, FOUR ROOM-PYRAMIDAL ROOF COTTAGE (AT 328 CAMILLE) WITH FRONT YARD LAN…1993OBLIQUE-EXTERIOR VIEW, SIDE AND FRONT ELEVATIONS, FOU…
Famous people

Famous people close to Mulga

Nobody well known was born in Mulga itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Condoleezza RiceAmerican diplomat and political scientist · b. 1954
Angela DavisAmerican political activist, scholar, and author · b. 1944
Courteney CoxAmerican actress and producer · b. 1964
C
Carl LewisUS track & field athlete · b. 1961
Edward O. WilsonAmerican biologist, naturalist, and writer · b. 1929
Louise FletcherAmerican actress · b. 1934
Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Mulga’s post office has been open since 1907.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Bay View
1cemetery inside Mulga
Village Falls

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

Help out

Finish Mulga’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewEXTERIOR VIEW OF SURFACE PLANT WITH COA…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Mulga’s history

What year was Mulga founded?

The Mulga post office opened in 1907, 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 (6), 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.