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History · Wilton

Wilton’s post office opened in 1907, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1910 on and the census since 1920.

1907first post office
0on the National Register
15%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Wilton began

When was Wilton founded?

1907

The Wilton post office opened in 1907, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Bismark (1892) and Catoosa (1899), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 522 in 19202020 census: 587119 years
Founding year: the first Wilton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Wilton’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 Wilton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Wilton.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Wilton’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Wilton’s post office has been open since 1907. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Bismark
1892–1899
Catoosa
1899–1907
Wilton
1907–today
18901960today

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

The story

How Wilton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Wilton.

Read it all →

Wilton was originally known as Birmingham Junction, in reference to when the Southern Railroad was joined here with the Alabama and Tennessee River Railroad. It was next known as Bismark, in honor of Otto von Bismarck. Next, the community was known as Catoosa, in honor of Catoosa County, Georgia. Finally, the town went by Wilton, in honor of Wilton, England.

One structure in Wilton, the Woods-Cleveland-Cooling House, located on the Head-Cleveland farm, is listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Wilton, 1892 to 1910

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1892Post officeThe Bismark post office opens
  3. 1899Post officeThe Bismark post office closes
  4. 1899Post officeThe Catoosa post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1907Post officeThe Catoosa post office closes
  7. 1907Post officeThe Wilton post office opens
  8. 1910On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Wilton on the map, 1910 to 1975

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

Wilton on the 1910 USGS mapWilton on the 1975 USGS map1910Montevallo 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 Wilton.

People over time

Wilton, census by census

0100200300400500600700192019401960198020002020Peak: 687

Between 413 and 687 people in every census since 1920.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Wilton

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

See all →
André HollandAmerican actor · b. 1979
Robert J. Bentley53rd Governor of Alabama · b. 1943
Drew RoyAmerican actor · b. 1986
B
Brent HindsAmerican guitarist and singer · b. 1974
Glenn ShadixAmerican actor · b. 1952
Louisiana RedAfrican American blues guitarist, harmonica pla… · b. 1932
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Montevallo6 historic placesA−

Questions about Wilton’s history

What year was Wilton founded?

The Wilton post office opened in 1907, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 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.