The Vincent post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Propell (1871) and Arkwright (1909), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 1,982138 years
How historic is Vincent?
C−
More historic than 24% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Vincent post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Vincent’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Vincent is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Vincent’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 Vincent’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 C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.7 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 Vincent’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Vincent’s post office has been open since 1888. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Propell
1871–1888
Vincent
1888–today
Arkwright
1909–1926
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Arkwright
Gone or out of use
Glovers FerrycrossingMcGraws Milllocale
6cemeteries and burying grounds inside Vincent
ElliottGloverRaley FamilyVincentVincentWilliamson
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Vincent, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Vincent yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Vincent, originally known as Propel, is a city in Shelby, St. Clair, and Talladega counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. At the 2020 census, the population was 1,982. The community was first known as Propel, but later named Vincent in honor of the Vincent family, who were early settlers of the area. It was incorporated in 1897.
Its first post office opened in 1888. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,988 in 2010, 1,982 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Vincent, 1871 to 1926
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Vincent post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Vincent rank for history?
Vincent is more historic than 24% 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 Vincent?
7% of Vincent’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.7 points), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1988.
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 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.
