Prattville dates to 1818, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 64% of U.S. towns · #47 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
Most of Prattville was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 154 buildings. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1911 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1846.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Prattville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Prattville is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns, #47 of 187 in Alabama. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Prattville’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 Prattville’s 39.8 sits above most of its state (74% of Alabama towns have fewer) while its 157 historic buildings outnumber those of 92% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A. The pre-1940 share (±0.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1818.
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 Prattville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Prattville’s post office has been open since 1846. Another post office, Fays, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Prattville
1846–today
Fays
1898–1899
18401930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Country Club EstatesDostervilleFaysHunting RidgeKing Arthur ManorLive OaksMelmarOnoquaOverlookPatePrattmontScenic HillsSmithboroUpper KingstonW C Rices Trailer ParkWhispering PinesWillowbrookWoodland Heights
Gone or out of use
Prattville Mission Churchchurch
10cemeteries and burying grounds inside Prattville
BurtChapmanDaniel PrattDoster FamilyDurdenDurdinIndian HillMemory GardensMontgomeryOak Hill
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
People over time
Prattville, census by census
Lost half of its people between 1870 and 1890, then grew more than tenfold.
17 censuses, 1850–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Prattville’s Wikipedia page.
Prattville was founded in 1839 by industrialist and architect Daniel Pratt. The area was largely inhabited by Native Americans and a few settlers when Pratt, a native of Temple, New Hampshire, first observed the Autauga Creek in the 1830s. He purchased approximately 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) from Joseph May at $21.00 an acre, and set out to build his manufacturing facilities and the town along the banks of Autauga Creek. The location was chosen because the creek could supply power to the cotton gin manufacturing equipment. The town became an industrial center and rapidly grew. In 1868, it was named the county seat for Autauga County.
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 1818, according to Wikidata. Prattville’s post office opened in 1846, and the census of 1850 counted 672 people here.
How does Prattville rank for history?
Prattville is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns, #47 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 Prattville?
Three places: the Montgomery-Janes-Whittaker House (listed 1974), the Daniel Pratt Historic District (1984) and the Bell House (1999).
How old are the homes in Prattville?
2% of Prattville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1995.
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 (18), 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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