Valley Grande dates to 2003, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 19% of U.S. towns · #127 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
Most of Valley Grande was built recently: 0.2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 10 buildings. Below: maps from 1959 on.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1892.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Valley Grande’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Valley Grande is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns, #127 of 187 in Alabama. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Valley Grande’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 Valley Grande’s 29.7 sits above most of its state (72% of Alabama towns have fewer) while its 12 historic buildings outnumber those of 77% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 2003.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to C+. The pre-1940 share (±0.3 points) is firm at this size.
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 Valley Grande’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Valley Grande encompasses the historic community of Summerfield. Established in 1819 as "Valley Creek", the town was renamed "Summerfield" in 1845 to honor the noted Methodist preacher John Summerfield. In 1829, the first academy in Dallas County was chartered in Valley Creek. In 1842, the Alabama Conference of the Methodist Church opened the Methodist Centenary Institute, a coeducational institution chartered by the Alabama Legislature on January 2, 1841. At its peak when cotton production was profitable, Summerfield was a very prosperous community of planters, doctors, merchants, ministers, and educators. The historical core of Summerfield has survived intact and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district encompassing 56.12 acres (227,100 m2).. On January 9, 2003, the people of Valley Grande voted 9 to 1 for incorporation as the Town of Valley Grande.…
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Valley Grande. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1959Plantersville sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Valley Grande.
On the National Register
3 listings protect 12 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
In 2003, according to Wikidata. Valley Grande’s post office opened in 1892.
How does Valley Grande rank for history?
Valley Grande is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns, #127 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 Valley Grande?
Three places: the Valley Creek Presbyterian Church (listed 1976), the Marshall's Grove (1982) and the Summerfield District (1982).
How old are the homes in Valley Grande?
0.2% of Valley Grande’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1993.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, 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.
