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History · Woodville

Woodville dates to 1815

Most of Woodville was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Below: maps from 1888 on and the census since 1880.

1815founded
0on the National Register
8%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Woodville began, and where its name came from

When was Woodville founded?

1815

Woodville dates its founding to 1815 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 221 in 18802020 census: 746211 years

How did Woodville get its name?

Woodville was named for early residents Richard and Annie Wood.

Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1829. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Woodville’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 Woodville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18883 editions of the USGS map, 1888 to 1984. Watch Woodville change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1815: 211 years of Woodville.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Woodville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Woodville’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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On the map

Woodville on the map, 1888 to 1984

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

Woodville on the 1888 USGS mapWoodville on the 1892 USGS mapWoodville on the 1984 USGS map1888Scottsboro sheet · 1:125,000

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

Timeline

Woodville, 1815 to 1888

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1815
    FoundingWoodville is established
  3. 1829Post officeThe Woodville post office opens
  4. 1888On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
The story

How Woodville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Woodville.

Read it all →

Woodville was settled about 1815 by Henry Derrick and is the oldest town in Jackson County. It was named for early residents Richard and Annie Wood. Woodville became the seat of Decatur County, Alabama in December 1821, but was attached to Jackson County when Decatur County was abolished the following year. The surrounding area was the site of considerable guerrilla warfare and small actions during the American Civil War, including the Skirmish at Paint Rock Bridge.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Woodville, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Woodville-RR-tracks-ne-al2017Woodville-RR-tracks-ne-alWoodville-Municipal-Building-al2017Woodville-Municipal-Building-alWoodville-Church-of-Christ-al2017Woodville-Church-of-Christ-alKennamer-Campbell-Store-House-al2017Kennamer-Campbell-Store-House-alALMap-doton-Woodville2004ALMap-doton-WoodvilleCathedral Caverns sitting area2002Cathedral Caverns sitting area
People over time

Woodville, census by census

020040060080018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 761

Between 165 and 761 people in every census since 1880.

12 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Questions about Woodville’s history

What year was Woodville founded?

In 1815, according to Wikidata. Woodville’s post office opened in 1829, and the census of 1880 counted 221 people here.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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 (6), 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.