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History · Oak Hill

Oak Hill’s post office opened in 1894, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

Most of Oak Hill was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. 1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 56 buildings. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1981 on, and the census since 1940.

1894first post office
1on the National Register
8%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Oak Hill’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Oak Hill began

When was Oak Hill founded?

1894

The Oak Hill post office opened in 1894, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Oakhill (1894), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 159 in 19402020 census: 14132 years
Founding year: the first Oak Hill post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Oak Hill’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.A historic districtThe Oak Hill Historic District takes in 56 historic buildings.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Oak Hill’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Oak Hill’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 viewHistoric American Buildings Survey Alex…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

1 listing protects 56 historic buildings

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
56
each building in a district counts
first listed
1998
Oak Hill Historic District
Oak Hill Historic District
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Mid-19th Century1
Greek Revival1
Late Victorian1
Coastal Cottage1
Double Pile Hipped Roof1
Bungalow1
Oak Hill Historic DistrictMid-19th Century

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

The story so far

Oak Hill, in brief

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

Oak Hill is a town in Wilcox County, Alabama, United States. According to the 1940 U.S. Census, it incorporated in 1938. Per the 2020 census, the population was 14. It is the smallest incorporated town in Alabama as of 2020, succeeding McMullen. The smallest unincorporated census-designated place in the state is also located in Wilcox County, that of Catherine, which had 22 residents as of 2010. With a median household income of $9,286 (compared to $44,758 for the state), Oak Hill is the poorest community in Alabama.

Its first post office opened in 1894. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 26 to 14 (-46%).

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

Timeline

Oak Hill, 1864 to 1981

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1864Born hereBenjamin M. Miller is born here
  3. 1894Post officeThe Oakhill post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1979Post officeThe Oakhill post office closes
  6. 1981On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Oak Hill, decade by decade

Date unknown4 to date
Historic American Buildings Survey Alex Bush, Photographer, March 24, 1937 CLOSE-UP OF FRONT FROM WEST CORNER - Ramsey-…Date?Historic American Buildings Survey Alex Bush, Photogr…Historic American Buildings Survey Alex Bush, Photographer, March 24, 1937 CLOSE-UP SOUTH ELEVATION OF HOME - Fox-Harri…Date?Historic American Buildings Survey Alex Bush, Photogr…Historic American Buildings Survey Alex Bush, Photographer, March 24, 1937 DOOR IN WEST WALL OF SOUTH ROOM OF OFFICE - …Date?Historic American Buildings Survey Alex Bush, Photogr…Historic American Buildings Survey Alex Bush, Photographer, March 24, 1937 DOUBLE DOOR IN NO. WALL OF SOUTH ROOM OF OFF…Date?Historic American Buildings Survey Alex Bush, Photogr…
Today20 recent
Oak Hill, Alabama2013Oak Hill, AlabamaCarolina porch on historic building located in the town of Oak Hill, Alabama2010Carolina porch on historic building located in the to…Carolina porch on historic building located in the town of Oak Hill, Alabama2010Carolina porch on historic building located in the to…Carolina porch on historic building located in the town of Oak Hill, Alabama2010Carolina porch on historic building located in the to…Carolina porch on historic building located in the town of Oak Hill, Alabama2010Carolina porch on historic building located in the to…Historic buildings located in in the town of Oak Hill, Alabama2010Historic buildings located in in the town of Oak Hill…Historic buildings located in the town of Oak Hill, Alabama2010Historic buildings located in the town of Oak Hill, A…Historic buildings located in the town of Oak Hill, Alabama2010Historic buildings located in the town of Oak Hill, A…Historic buildings located in the town of Oak Hill, Alabama2010Historic buildings located in the town of Oak Hill, A…Historic buildings located in the town of Oak Hill, Alabama2010Historic buildings located in the town of Oak Hill, A…Historic buildings located in the town of2010Historic buildings located in the town ofHistoric buildings located in the town of2010Historic buildings located in the town ofHistoric buildings located in the town of2010Historic buildings located in the town ofHistoric buildings located in the town of2010Historic buildings located in the town ofHistoric buildings located in in the town of2010Historic buildings located in in the town ofCarolina porch on historic building located in the town of2010Carolina porch on historic building located in the to…Carolina porch on historic building located in the town of2010Carolina porch on historic building located in the to…Carolina porch on historic building located in the town of2010Carolina porch on historic building located in the to…Carolina porch on historic building located in the town of2010Carolina porch on historic building located in the to…ALMap-doton-OakHill2004ALMap-doton-OakHill
On the map

Oak Hill on the map in 1981

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Oak Hill.

Oak Hill on the 1981 USGS map1981Oak Hill 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 Oak Hill.

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.

Historic American Buildings Survey Alex Bush, Photographer, March 24, 1937 CLOSE-UP OF FRONT FROM WEST CORNER - Ramsey-…
Retake this viewHistoric American Buildings Survey Alex Bush, Photographer, March 24, 1937 CLOSE-UP OF FRONT FROM WEST CORNER - Ramsey-…

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Oak Hill, census by census

010019401960198020002020Peak: 159

Between 14 and 159 people in every census since 1940.

9 censuses, 1940–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Another post office, Oakhill, opened and closed inside today’s town.

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

Questions about Oak Hill’s history

What year was Oak Hill founded?

The Oak Hill post office opened in 1894, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Oak Hill?

One place: the Oak Hill Historic District (listed 1998).

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 (15), the Library of Congress (9), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.