Most of Reform was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. Below: maps from 1967 on and the census since 1900.
The Reform post office opened in 1841, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Lathrop (1911), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 198 in 19002020 census: 1,520185 years
How historic is Reform?
C+
More historic than 41% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Reform post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Reform’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Reform is more historic than 41% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Reform’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 Reform’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (26% of Alabama towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.3 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Reform’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Sparsely settled after statehood, Reform first received a post office in 1841. It wasn't incorporated until March 2, 1898, following the community getting train service via the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. According to tradition, the community was named from an incident when an evangelist paid the new settlement a visit, imploring the first settlers to "reform".
On January 24, 1940, Reform set the record for the highest recorded snow depth for Alabama at 22 inches (55.9 cm).
In May 1968, a mule train, part of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference sponsored Poor People's Campaign, stopped for two days in Reform before heading to Tuscaloosa, Alabama on its way to Washington, DC.
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Reform’s post office has been open since 1841. Another post office, Lathrop, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Reform
1841–today
Lathrop
1911–1927
18401930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Lathrop
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Reform
GrahamHopewellOld Sardis
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Reform’s history
What year was Reform founded?
The Reform post office opened in 1841, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Reform rank for history?
Reform is more historic than 41% of U.S. towns. 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.
How old are the homes in Reform?
6% of Reform’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.3 points), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1974.
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 (4), 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.
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