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Union Springs Alabama At Sunset 1Photo: Rivers Langley; SaveRivers · CC BY-SA 3.0
B+History
History · Union Springs

Union Springs dates to 1835, and 2 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 73% of U.S. towns · #32 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it

Most of Union Springs was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. 2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 46 buildings. Below: 21 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1870.

1835founded
2on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
21old photos & papers
13famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Union Springs’ archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Union Springs began

When was Union Springs founded?

1835

Union Springs dates its founding to 1835 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 1,455 in 18702020 census: 3,358191 years

How historic is Union Springs?

B+

More historic than 73% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1866.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Union Springs’ History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Union Springs is more historic than 73% of U.S. towns, #32 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 Union Springs’ overall grade.
Founding era1835, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19404.5% of homes (±2.9) · typical AL town 3.2% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register2 listings, 47 historic buildings, 145 per 10,000 residents · typical AL town 2.7 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 73%
NewerOlder
Alabama towns of 2,500+ (187)Ahead of 83%

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 Union Springs’ 145 sits above most of its state (88% of Alabama towns have fewer) while its 47 historic buildings outnumber those of 84% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share (±2.9 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1835.

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 Union Springs’ past

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

A town in old photos21 old photos, postcards and papers, 1880–1935.A historic districtThe Bullock County Courthouse Historic District takes in 46 historic buildings.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1885 to 1909, drew every building in Union Springs.Mystery photos8 old photos have no date. Neighbors can guess the decade.
★ What stands out · By decade

Union Springs, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s–1930s13 items
1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Alabama - Bullock County - Union Springs - ED 6-5, ED 6-618801940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Alabama - Bul…1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Alabama - Bullock County - Union Springs - ED AL 6-6 to 1118801950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Alabama - Bul…Chunnenuggee Sanatorium ("American medical directory", 1906 advert)1906Chunnenuggee Sanatorium ("American medical directory"…L. J. Thomas1907L. J. ThomasCLOSE UP OF FRONT ENTRANCE - Mrs. Hugh Foster House, 201 Kennon Street, Union Springs, Bullock County, AL HABS ALA,6-UN…1933CLOSE UP OF FRONT ENTRANCE - Mrs. Hugh Foster House, …CLOSE UP OF S. E. CORNER OF HOUSE - Mrs. Hugh Foster House, 201 Kennon Street, Union Springs, Bullock County, AL HABS A…1933CLOSE UP OF S. E. CORNER OF HOUSE - Mrs. Hugh Foster …DOUBLE DOOR DETAIL, N. E. ROOM (LIVING ROOM) - Mrs. Hugh Foster House, 201 Kennon Street, Union Springs, Bullock County…1933DOUBLE DOOR DETAIL, N. E. ROOM (LIVING ROOM) - Mrs. H…FRONT AND SIDE VIEW, S. E. - Mrs. Hugh Foster House, 201 Kennon Street, Union Springs, Bullock County, AL HABS ALA,6-UN…1933FRONT AND SIDE VIEW, S. E. - Mrs. Hugh Foster House, …FRONT VIEW (EAST) - Mrs. Hugh Foster House, 201 Kennon Street, Union Springs, Bullock County, AL HABS ALA,6-UNSP,1-71933FRONT VIEW (EAST) - Mrs. Hugh Foster House, 201 Kenno…HALL AND STAIRWAY, TOWARD REAR - Mrs. Hugh Foster House, 201 Kennon Street, Union Springs, Bullock County, AL HABS ALA,…1933HALL AND STAIRWAY, TOWARD REAR - Mrs. Hugh Foster Hou…HALL, DOOR TREATMENT AND STAIR ON 2nd FLOOR - Mrs. Hugh Foster House, 201 Kennon Street, Union Springs, Bullock County,…1933HALL, DOOR TREATMENT AND STAIR ON 2nd FLOOR - Mrs. Hu…HALL, STAIRWAY AND FRONT DOOR DETAIL - Mrs. Hugh Foster House, 201 Kennon Street, Union Springs, Bullock County, AL HAB…1933HALL, STAIRWAY AND FRONT DOOR DETAIL - Mrs. Hugh Fost…Mrs. Hugh Foster House, 201 Kennon Street, Union Springs (Bullock County, Alabama)1935Mrs. Hugh Foster House, 201 Kennon Street, Union Spri…
1940s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Date unknown8 to date
MANTEL IN LIVING ROOM (N. E. FRONT ROOM) - Mrs. Hugh Foster House, 201 Kennon Street, Union Springs, Bullock County, AL…Date?MANTEL IN LIVING ROOM (N. E. FRONT ROOM) - Mrs. Hugh …OLD SLAVE KITCHEN AND LAUNDRY. - Mrs. Hugh Foster House, 201 Kennon Street, Union Springs, Bullock County, AL HABS ALA,…Date?OLD SLAVE KITCHEN AND LAUNDRY. - Mrs. Hugh Foster Hou…OLD WELL, ALSO OLD KITCHEN IN BACK YARD - Mrs. Hugh Foster House, 201 Kennon Street, Union Springs, Bullock County, AL …Date?OLD WELL, ALSO OLD KITCHEN IN BACK YARD - Mrs. Hugh F…REAR AND SIDE VIEW, N. W. - Mrs. Hugh Foster House, 201 Kennon Street, Union Springs, Bullock County, AL HABS ALA,6-UNS…Date?REAR AND SIDE VIEW, N. W. - Mrs. Hugh Foster House, 2…VIEW IN BALCONY, TOWARD SOUTH - Mrs. Hugh Foster House, 201 Kennon Street, Union Springs, Bullock County, AL HABS ALA,6…Date?VIEW IN BALCONY, TOWARD SOUTH - Mrs. Hugh Foster Hous…WINDOW IN LIVING ROOM, N.E. ROOM - Mrs. Hugh Foster House, 201 Kennon Street, Union Springs, Bullock County, AL HABS AL…Date?WINDOW IN LIVING ROOM, N.E. ROOM - Mrs. Hugh Foster H…Mrs. Hugh Foster House, 201 Kennon StreetDate?Mrs. Hugh Foster House, 201 Kennon StreetOctavia Adkinson House, Wilson Road, Peachburg, Bullock County, ALDate?Octavia Adkinson House, Wilson Road, Peachburg, Bullo…
Today7 recent
Union Springs AL from airplane2012Union Springs AL from airplaneUnion Springs Alabama At Sunset 22011Union Springs Alabama At Sunset 2Union Springs Alabama At Sunset 12011Union Springs Alabama At Sunset 1Life-size bronze statue of an English pointer2010Life-size bronze statue of an English pointerLife-size bronze statue of an English pointer2010Life-size bronze statue of an English pointerConfederate Cemetery2007Confederate CemeteryBullock County Courthouse2000Bullock County Courthouse
On the National Register

2 listings protect 47 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
47
each building in a district counts
first listed
1976
Bullock County Courthouse Historic District
Bullock County Courthouse Historic DistrictFoster House
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Gothic1
Second Empire1
Classical1
Victorian Gothic1
Classical Revival1
Neo-Classical1
Bullock County Courthouse Historic DistrictGothic
Foster HouseMoorish Revival

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Every building

Union Springs, building by building, 1885–1909

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.

Union Springs fire insurance map, 1885, sheet 21885Sheet 2 of 3
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story

How Union Springs came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Union Springs.

Read it all →

The area that became Union Springs was first settled by white men after the Creek Indian removal of the 1830s. Twenty-seven springs watered the land, giving rise to the name of Union Springs. The city was incorporated on January 13, 1844. Voters selected Union Springs as the county seat when Bullock County was formed in 1866.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Union Springs, 1835 to 1973

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1835
    FoundingUnion Springs is established
  3. 1866Post officeThe Union Springs post office opens
  4. 1876Born hereLucy Feagin is born here
  5. 1880In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Alabama - Bullock County - Union Springs - ED 6-5…
  6. 20th century
  7. 1906In the archiveChunnenuggee Sanatorium ("American medical directory", 1906 advert)
  8. 1915Born hereJohn Henrik Clarke is born here
  9. 1933In the archiveCLOSE UP OF FRONT ENTRANCE - Mrs. Hugh Foster House, 201 Kennon Street, Union Springs, Bu…
  10. 1939Born hereEddie Kendricks is born here
  11. 1955Born hereThom S. Rainer is born here
  12. 1973On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
On the map

Union Springs on the map, 1973 to 1981

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

Union Springs on the 1973 USGS mapUnion Springs on the 1981 USGS map1973Union Springs sheet · 1:24,000

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

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Alabama - Bullock County - Union Springs - ED 6-5, ED 6-6
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Alabama - Bullock County - Union Springs - ED 6-5, ED 6-6, 1880

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Union Springs’ page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Union Springs, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,50018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 4,431

Between 1,455 and 4,431 people in every census since 1870.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Union Springs’ Wikipedia page.

Famous people

13 famous people were born in Union Springs

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Eddie KendricksAmerican singer and songwriter, member of The T… · b. 1939
J
John Henrik ClarkeAmerican historian and writer · b. 1915
Lucy FeaginAmerican teacher and dramatist · b. 1876
T
Thom S. RainerPresident and CEO, LifeWay Christian Resources · b. 1955
A
Arthur FeaginAmerican gridiron football player · b. 1878
F
Fate EcholsAmerican football player · b. 1939
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Union Springs’s post office has been open since 1866.

Gone or out of use
Union Springs Public Schoolschool
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Union Springs
MasonOak HillPerpetual CareWilliams

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

Help out

Finish Union Springs’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo8 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps -…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Union Springs’ history

What year was Union Springs founded?

In 1835, according to Wikidata. Union Springs’ post office opened in 1866, and the census of 1870 counted 1,455 people here.

How does Union Springs rank for history?

Union Springs is more historic than 73% of U.S. towns, #32 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 Union Springs?

Two places: the Bullock County Courthouse Historic District (listed 1976) and the Foster House (1998).

How old are the homes in Union Springs?

5% of Union Springs’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1976.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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).

From Wikimedia Commons (25), the Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.