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History · Newbern

Newbern dates to 1854, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1980 on, and the census since 1880.

1854founded
0on the National Register
16%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Newbern’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Newbern began

When was Newbern founded?

1854

Newbern dates its founding to 1854 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 454 in 18802020 census: 133172 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1873.The full story ↓

What stands out about Newbern’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 564 in 1900; 133 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Newbern’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Newbern’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo4 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewChantilly, 7886 Alabama Highway 61: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Newbern, census by census

010020030040050060018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 564

Peaked at 564 in 1900; 133 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story

How Newbern came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Newbern.

Read it all →

The area was originally known as Cane Brake due to the large number of canebrakes in the area. The earliest known settler came to the area in 1816. The first grist mill was built in 1818, and the first store in 1829.

F.A. Borden built the first post office in 1832, and became the first postmaster. Two of Borden's brothers came from North Carolina in 1834, and bought most of the land in the area. They organized a town named after New Bern, North Carolina. It incorporated in 1854. A railway running from Uniontown to Newbern started operation in 1859.

ChaptersMayoral dispute2025 election

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Newbern, 1854 to 1980

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1854
    FoundingNewbern is established
  3. 1862Born hereMartha Young is born here
  4. 1862Born hereNathan B. Young is born here
  5. 1873Post officeThe Newbern post office opens
  6. 1889Born hereFrank Allen is born here
  7. 20th century
  8. 1900CensusPopulation peaks at 564
  9. 1980On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Newbern, decade by decade

Date unknown4 to date
Chantilly, 7886 Alabama Highway 61Date?Chantilly, 7886 Alabama Highway 61Baptist Church, State Route 61Date?Baptist Church, State Route 61Presbyterian Church, State Route 61Date?Presbyterian Church, State Route 61Walthall House, State Route 61Date?Walthall House, State Route 61
Today18 recent
Rural Studio architecture, Alabama2010Rural Studio architecture, AlabamaRural Studio architecture, Alabama2010Rural Studio architecture, AlabamaRural Studio architecture, Alabama2010Rural Studio architecture, AlabamaRural Studio architecture, Alabama2010Rural Studio architecture, AlabamaRural Studio architecture, Alabama2010Rural Studio architecture, AlabamaFire department designed by Rural Studio architecture2010Fire department designed by Rural Studio architectureFire department designed by Rural Studio architecture2010Fire department designed by Rural Studio architectureFire department designed by Rural Studio architecture2010Fire department designed by Rural Studio architectureFire department designed by Rural Studio architecture2010Fire department designed by Rural Studio architectureFire department designed by Rural Studio architecture2010Fire department designed by Rural Studio architecturePlayground designed by the Rural Studio2010Playground designed by the Rural StudioPlayground designed by the Rural Studio2010Playground designed by the Rural StudioRural Studio architecture2010Rural Studio architectureRural Studio architecture2010Rural Studio architectureRural Studio architecture2010Rural Studio architectureRural Studio architecture2010Rural Studio architectureRural Studio architecture2010Rural Studio architectureRural Studio architecture2010Rural Studio architecture
On the map

Newbern on the map, 1980 to 1990

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

Newbern on the 1980 USGS mapNewbern on the 1990 USGS map1980Newbern 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 Newbern.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Chantilly, 7886 Alabama Highway 61
Retake this viewChantilly, 7886 Alabama Highway 61

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Newbern’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

3 famous people were born in Newbern

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

See all →
Martha YoungFolklorist, author, poet · b. 1862
Frank AllenAmerican baseball pitcher · b. 1889
Nathan B. YoungAmerican educator · b. 1862

Questions about Newbern’s history

What year was Newbern founded?

In 1854, according to Wikidata. Newbern’s post office opened in 1873, and the census of 1880 counted 454 people here.

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 the Library of Congress (22), 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.