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History · Sparkman

Sparkman’s post office opened in 1894

Most of Sparkman was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. Below: maps from 1903 on and the census since 1920.

1894first post office
0on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Sparkman began

When was Sparkman founded?

1894

The Sparkman post office opened in 1894, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Sparkmon (1893), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 561 in 19202020 census: 355132 years
Founding year: the first Sparkman post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Sparkman’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 Sparkman are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 964 in 1950; 355 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19033 editions of the USGS map, 1903 to 1986. Watch Sparkman change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sparkman’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sparkman’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

Sparkman, census by census

02004006008001,000192019401960198020002020Peak: 964

Peaked at 964 in 1950; 355 people lived here in 2020.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

On the map

Sparkman on the map, 1903 to 1986

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

Sparkman on the 1903 USGS mapSparkman on the 1971 USGS mapSparkman on the 1986 USGS map1903Camden 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 Sparkman.

The story

How Sparkman came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Sparkman.

Read it all →

Sparkman was established between 1911 and 1913 and was named after sawmill owner Lemuel "Pete" Sparkman. In 1915, the Sparkman News was established, Sparkman's first election was held, and electricity was installed. The first school in Sparkman was a two-story building with an enrollment of 132. H.O. Theatt was the first principal, with Miss Ethel Fite and Miss Ella Adams being the first teachers.

A Baptist church was organized in 1914, with Methodist and A.M.E. churches organizing in 1916.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Sparkman, 1893 to 1950

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1893Post officeThe Sparkmon post office opens
  3. 1894Post officeThe Sparkmon post office closes
  4. 1894Post officeThe Sparkman post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1903On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1921Born hereJohn Taylor is born here
  8. 1934Born hereJim Ed Brown is born here
  9. 1938Born hereBonnie Brown is born here
  10. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 964
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.

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Famous people

3 famous people were born in Sparkman

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
J
Jim Ed BrownAmerican musician · b. 1934
B
Bonnie BrownAmerican singer · b. 1938
J
John TaylorAmerican military archivist · b. 1921
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Sparkman’s post office has been open since 1894. Another post office, Sparkmon, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Sparkmon
1893–1894
Sparkman
1894–today
18901960today

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

Questions about Sparkman’s history

What year was Sparkman founded?

The Sparkman post office opened in 1894, 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, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.