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History · Reeltown

Reeltown’s post office opened in 1854

Most of Reeltown was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2001. Below: maps from 1906 on.

1854first post office
0on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Reeltown began

When was Reeltown founded?

1854

The Reeltown post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Thaddeus (1873), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 794172 years
Founding year: the first Reeltown post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Reeltown’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Reeltown are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19063 editions of the USGS map, 1906 to 1981. Watch Reeltown change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Reeltown’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Reeltown on the map, 1906 to 1981

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

Reeltown on the 1906 USGS mapReeltown on the 1971 USGS mapReeltown on the 1981 USGS map1906Dadeville sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Reeltown.

The story so far

Reeltown, in brief

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

Reeltown is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2020 census, Reeltown had a population of 794. The "Reel" in Reeltown is a misspelling of "Real" from the last name of settlers James Patrick and Phillip O'Real. The town was called Thaddeus from 1880 to 1902 in honor of postmaster Thaddeus P. Webster. The name changed back to Reeltown in 1902. This is also the home of Reeltown High School, notable for winning the state football championship in 1987 in the 2A division, 2001 in the 1A division, and also in 2009 and 2024 in the 2A division. In addition, Reeltown has two notable head football coaches with over 200 career w…

Its first post office opened in 1854. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 766 to 794 (+4%).

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

Timeline

Reeltown, 1854 to 1906

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1854Post officeThe Reeltown post office opens
  3. 1873Post officeThe Reeltown post office closes
  4. 1873Post officeThe Thaddeus post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1902Post officeThe Thaddeus post office closes
  7. 1906On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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Famous people

Famous people close to Reeltown

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

See all →
Rosa ParksCivil rights activist · b. 1913
Nat King ColeAmerican singer and jazz pianist · b. 1919
Lionel RichieAmerican singer, songwriter and actor · b. 1949
Zora Neale HurstonAfrican American folklorist, novelist, short st… · b. 1891
Octavia SpencerAmerican actress · b. 1970
Frederick Chapman RobbinsAmerican doctor · b. 1916
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds

Reeltown had its own post office from 1854 to 1873. Another post office, Thaddeus, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Reeltown
1854–1873
Thaddeus
1873–1902
18501940today
Gone or out of use
Hicks Chapel Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Reeltown
Reeltown

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

Questions about Reeltown’s history

What year was Reeltown founded?

The Reeltown post office opened in 1854, 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 →
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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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.