Ozark dates to 1822, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 57% of U.S. towns · #59 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
Most of Ozark was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. Its Register listings are the Claybank Log Church, the J. D. Holman House and the Samuel Lawson Dowling House. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1829.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Ozark’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ozark is more historic than 57% of U.S. towns, #59 of 187 in Alabama. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ozark’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 Ozark’s 2.1 sits near the middle of its state (55% of Alabama towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1822.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. The pre-1940 share (±1.4 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Ozark’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Ozark’s post office has been open since 1859. Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Dale
1829–1843
Clay Bank
1843–1848
Wood Shop
1843–1859
Ozark
1859–today
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
DillPleasant Hill
Gone or out of use
Miron SchoolschoolPleasant Hill SchoolschoolRocky Mount Schoolschool
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Ozark
Camp GroundClaybankTravelers Rest
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Every building
Ozark, building by building, 1893–1923
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1893Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
The Ozark area was originally inhabited by the Muscogee people. It is said that Ozark received its name after a traveler visited and was reminded of the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas.
The first known European settler in Ozark was John Merrick Sr., a veteran of the Revolutionary War, in 1822. In honor of him, the town was named Merricks. It was later changed to Woodshop, which was its name when the town received its post office. The first appearance of the name Ozark was in 1855, when the citizens requested a name change.
Ozark is home to four sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the Claybank Log Church, the Samuel Lawson Dowling House, the Old Train Depot, and the J. D. Holman House.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1822, according to Wikidata. Ozark’s post office opened in 1829, and the census of 1880 counted 512 people here.
How does Ozark rank for history?
Ozark is more historic than 57% of U.S. towns, #59 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 Ozark?
Three places: the Claybank Log Church (listed 1976), the J. D. Holman House (1982) and the Samuel Lawson Dowling House (1996).
How old are the homes in Ozark?
4% of Ozark’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.4 points), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1977.
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 Wikimedia Commons (12), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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