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BHistory
History · Chipley

Chipley dates to 1882, and 4 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 56% of U.S. towns · #52 of 638 in Florida. What drives it

Most of Chipley was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1972. 4 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 16 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1913 on, and the census since 1890.

1882founded
4on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
10famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Chipley’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Chipley began

When was Chipley founded?

1882

Chipley dates its founding to 1882 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 354 in 18902020 census: 3,660144 years

How historic is Chipley?

B

More historic than 56% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1883.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Chipley’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Chipley is more historic than 56% of U.S. towns, #52 of 638 in Florida. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Chipley’s overall grade.
Founding era1882, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19406.9% of homes (±3.4) · typical FL town 0.6% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register4 listings, 19 historic buildings, 51.6 per 10,000 residents · typical FL town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 56%
NewerOlder
Florida towns of 2,500+ (638)Ahead of 92%

Few Florida towns list much on the Register (a typical Florida town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Chipley’s 51.6 sits above most of its state (91% of Florida towns have fewer) while its 19 historic buildings outnumber those of 79% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.4 points). Two sources give 1882.

Founding year: Wikidata (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 Chipley’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Landmarks on the Register4 places on the National Register.Famous sons and daughtersArtis Gilmore, Mary Lena Faulk and 8 more were born here.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Chipley’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewFord Repair Shop and Garage, Sergt. W. …: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

4 listings protect 19 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
4
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
19
each building in a district counts
first listed
1989
South Third Street Historic District
South Third Street Historic DistrictWoman's Club of ChipleyChipley City Hall, built 1929Dr. James B. and Virginia Craven House
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Frame Vernacular1
Bungalow/Craftsman1
Eclectic1
South Third Street Historic DistrictFrame Vernacular
Woman's Club of ChipleyBungalow/Craftsman
Chipley City HallEclectic · Built 1929
All 4 listings
Dr. James B. and Virginia Craven HouseBuilding · listed 2020

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

10 famous people were born in Chipley

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

See all →
Artis GilmoreAmerican basketball player · b. 1948
M
Mary Lena FaulkAmerican professional golfer · b. 1926
A
Amp LeeAmerican football player · b. 1971
Carlton Benjamin GoodlettAmerican physician, newspaper publisher, politi… · b. 1914
D
Douglas DedgeAmerican mixed martial artist · b. 1966
B
Bert YanceyProfessional golfer · b. 1938
The story

How Chipley came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Chipley.

Read it all →

Originally called "Orange", the city was renamed Chipley in 1882 for William Dudley Chipley, president of the Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad and Florida state senator from 1895 to 1897.

During the cold snap of January 1985, a temperature of 2 °F (−17 °C) was recorded at one of the city's golf courses, making it the second-coldest Florida temperature ever recorded and the lowest January reading for the state.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Chipley, 1882 to 1971

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1882
    FoundingChipley is established
  3. 1883Post officeThe Chipley post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1914Born hereCarlton Benjamin Goodlett is born here
  6. 1919In the archiveFord Repair Shop and Garage, Sergt. W. Gainer, Chipley, Fla. In charge. Many Ford machine…
  7. 1926Born hereMary Lena Faulk is born here
  8. 1929BuiltChipley City Hall is built
  9. 1948Born hereArtis Gilmore is born here
  10. 1950On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 1971Born hereAmp Lee is born here
By decade

Chipley, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s1 item
Ford Repair Shop and Garage, Sergt. W. Gainer, Chipley, Fla. In charge. Many Ford machines salvaged along road, repaire…1919Ford Repair Shop and Garage, Sergt. W. Gainer, Chiple…
1920s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today7 recent
Florida I10wb Exit 1202016Florida I10wb Exit 120Garden in Chipley, florida - Flickr - Olin Gilbert2015Garden in Chipley, florida - Flickr - Olin GilbertFL77ns-Int10FL-Chipley2013FL77ns-Int10FL-ChipleyChipley FL US 90 west012010Chipley FL US 90 west01Chipley FL SR 77 south012010Chipley FL SR 77 south01Chipley monument near depot012008Chipley monument near depot01FLMap-doton-Chipley2004FLMap-doton-Chipley
On the map

Chipley on the map, 1950 to 1994

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

Chipley on the 1950 USGS mapChipley on the 1982 USGS mapChipley on the 1994 USGS map1950Chipley 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 Chipley.

Every building

Chipley, building by building, 1913

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

Chipley fire insurance map, 1913, sheet 11913Sheet 1 of 2
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Ford Repair Shop and Garage, Sergt. W. Gainer, Chipley, Fla. In charge. Many Ford machines salvaged along road, repaire…
Retake this viewFord Repair Shop and Garage, Sergt. W. Gainer, Chipley, Fla. In charge. Many Ford machines salvaged along road, repaire…, 1919

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Chipley’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Chipley, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 3,866

Between 354 and 3,866 people in every census since 1890.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Questions about Chipley’s history

What year was Chipley founded?

In 1882, according to Wikidata. Chipley’s post office opened in 1883, and the census of 1890 counted 354 people here.

How does Chipley rank for history?

Chipley is more historic than 56% of U.S. towns, #52 of 638 in Florida. 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.

What is on the National Register in Chipley?

4 listings: 3 buildings and 1 historic district, the South Third Street Historic District, with 16 contributing buildings. 19 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Chipley?

7% of Chipley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.4 points), against a typical 0.6% for a Florida town; the median home was built in 1972.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (8), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.