Most of Sulligent was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. Its Register listing is the James Greer Bankhead House. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1967 on, and the census since 1900.
The Sulligent post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Cansler (1879), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 303 in 19002020 census: 1,879139 years
How historic is Sulligent?
C
More historic than 31% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Sulligent post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Sulligent’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sulligent is more historic than 31% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sulligent’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 Sulligent’s 6.1 sits near the middle of its state (62% of Alabama towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C+. The pre-1940 share (±2.5 points) is firm at this size. 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 Sulligent’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Sulligent was first called Elliott, in honor of the chief engineer of the Kansas City-Memphis-Birmingham Railroad, then renamed one month later with the portmanteau "Sulligent", in honor of Sullivan, the superintendent of the railroad, and Sargeant, the passenger agent of the railroad. The town was incorporated on February 12, 1897. S. F. Pennington owned the first general store, and Dr. R. J. Redden owned the first drug store.
The production and processing of cotton was an important industry. The primary business in Sulligent in the mid-1890s was cotton, with over 2500 bales ginned each year and shipped via the railroad. At one time, Sulligent Cotton Oil Company was known as the largest cotton gin under one roof.
Sulligent’s post office has been open since 1887. Another post office, Cansler, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Cansler
1879–1887
Sulligent
1887–today
18701950today
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Sulligent
HerronMacedoniaSulligent
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Sulligent’s history
What year was Sulligent founded?
The Sulligent post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Sulligent rank for history?
Sulligent is more historic than 31% 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.
What is on the National Register in Sulligent?
One place: the James Greer Bankhead House (listed 1975).
How old are the homes in Sulligent?
3% of Sulligent’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.5 points), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1975.
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 (3), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
Date?
2018
2018
2004
