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History · Homeland

Homeland’s post office opened in 1885, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Homeland School.

1885first post office
1on the National Register
15%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Homeland began

When was Homeland founded?

1885

The Homeland post office opened in 1885, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 305141 years
Founding year: the first Homeland post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Homeland’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 Homeland are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Homeland’s homes were built before 1955.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Homeland’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Homeland’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
The story

How Homeland came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Homeland.

Read it all →

Peace Creek (now Bartow, Florida) and Fort Meade were the two largest cities in Polk County. Homeland was a stop midway between them, and gradually began to attract settlers. The original settlement was called Bethel, but the name was changed to Homeland. A school and several churches were built in the area. The school was closed down in 1956 as Homeland became eclipsed by its neighbor to the north, Bartow. The school building is now part of Homeland Heritage Park, an educational park for elementary Polk County school children.

Homeland has one church: The First Baptist Church of Homeland. The pastor, Thomas Henry, has been the pastor since October 30, 2022.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Homeland, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Homeland FL Peace River022011Homeland FL Peace River02Homeland FL Peace River012011Homeland FL Peace River01Homeland FL Raulerson House012010Homeland FL Raulerson House01Homeland FL Methodist Church022010Homeland FL Methodist Church02Homeland FL Methodist Church012010Homeland FL Methodist Church01Homeland FL Methodist Church vpano012010Homeland FL Methodist Church vpano01
On the National Register

1 historic place in Homeland

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
2007
Homeland School
Homeland School
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Frame Vernacular1
Homeland SchoolFrame Vernacular

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Homeland

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

See all →
Amar'e StoudemireAmerican basketball player · b. 1982
Faith EvansAmerican singer · b. 1973
Gram ParsonsAmerican singer-songwriter · b. 1946
Vin BakerAmerican basketball player · b. 1971
Rowdy GainesAmerican swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, world … · b. 1959
Andre BertoAmerican-born Haïtian boxer · b. 1983
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Bartow11 historic placesB

Questions about Homeland’s history

What year was Homeland founded?

The Homeland post office opened in 1885, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Homeland?

One place: the Homeland School (listed 2007).

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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.