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History · Walnut Grove

Walnut Grove dates to 1813

Most of Walnut Grove was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1987. Below: maps from 1958 on and the census since 1880.

1813founded
0on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Walnut Grove began

When was Walnut Grove founded?

1813

Walnut Grove dates its founding to 1813 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 126 in 18802020 census: 773213 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1874.The full story ↓

What stands out about Walnut Grove’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Walnut Grove are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1900 and 1920, then grew 4-fold.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Walnut Grove, and 3 old place names are still on the map.Deep rootsEstablished in 1813: 213 years of Walnut Grove.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Walnut Grove’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Walnut Grove’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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People over time

Walnut Grove, census by census

020040060080018801900192019401960198020002020251 in 1900Low: 167

Lost a third of its people between 1900 and 1920, then grew 4-fold.

14 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Walnut Grove’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Walnut Grove’s post office has been open since 1874. Another post office, Red Bud, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Walnut Grove
1874–today
Red Bud
1876–1896
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
HopperPhillipsRedbud
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Walnut Grove
Altoona - Walnut GroveCornelius

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

The story

How Walnut Grove came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Walnut Grove.

Read it all →

Walnut Grove was part of Blount County before it was included in Baine County (now Etowah) in 1866. Walnut Grove was settled by the Battles family in 1813, the Morton family, and the Carnes family (namesake of the Carnes Chapel area near the ghost town of Bennettsville off of US 278) in 1823. Around 1825, the town was known as "Thomas Crossroads", after landowner Jordan D. Thomas. In 1848, the town was named "Cornelius", after postmaster Harvey Cornelius. In 1849, it was renamed "Walnut Grove".

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Walnut Grove, 1813 to 2020

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1813
    FoundingWalnut Grove is established
  3. 1874Post officeThe Walnut Grove post office opens
  4. 1876Post officeThe Red Bud post office opens
  5. 1896Post officeThe Red Bud post office closes
  6. 20th century
  7. 1958On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 21st century
  9. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 773
By decade

Walnut Grove, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Walnut-Grove-post-office-al2019Walnut-Grove-post-office-alWalnut-Grove-Town-Hall-al2019Walnut-Grove-Town-Hall-alWalnut-Grove-Sarahs-Cafe-al2019Walnut-Grove-Sarahs-Cafe-alWalnut-Grove-Jail-al2019Walnut-Grove-Jail-alWalnut-Grove-Gadsden-Blountsville-al2019Walnut-Grove-Gadsden-Blountsville-al
On the map

Walnut Grove on the map, 1958 to 1975

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

Walnut Grove on the 1958 USGS mapWalnut Grove on the 1975 USGS map1958Altoona 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 Walnut Grove.

Famous people

Famous people close to Walnut Grove

Nobody well known was born in Walnut Grove itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Y
YelawolfAmerican rapper · b. 1979
Beth GrantAmerican actress · b. 1949
Roy MooreAmerican jurist and politician · b. 1947
M
Mathew KnowlesAmerican music executive, businessman, record p… · b. 1952
Angela LittleAmerican actress · b. 1972
C
Charles Clyde EbbetsAmerican photographer · b. 1905

Questions about Walnut Grove’s history

What year was Walnut Grove founded?

In 1813, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Walnut Grove’s post office opened in 1874, and the census of 1880 counted 126 people here.

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikipedia, 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.