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History · Laurel Hill

Laurel Hill dates to 1895

Most of Laurel Hill was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1984. Below: maps from 1949 on and the census since 1910.

1895founded
0on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Laurel Hill began

When was Laurel Hill founded?

1895

Laurel Hill dates its founding to 1895 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 316 in 19102020 census: 584131 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1896.The full story ↓

What stands out about Laurel Hill’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 Laurel Hill are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Laurel Hill’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Laurel Hill’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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The story

How Laurel Hill came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Laurel Hill.

Read it all →

The area which is now Laurel Hill was one of the first post-American annexation of West Florida (specifically Spanish West Florida), English-speaking settlements in Florida. There had been settlements by English-speaking loyalists in during the American Revolution. Settlers were documented establishing a community, originally known as Almirante (which means "admiral" in Spanish), soon after Florida's acquisition of the Spanish Florida by the United States in 1821, becoming the Florida Territory. The Almirante community proceeded to open its own post office on January 31, 1827.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Laurel Hill, 1895 to 1949

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1895
    FoundingLaurel Hill is established
  3. 1896Post officeThe Laurel Hill post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1949On 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.

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On the map

Laurel Hill on the map, 1949 to 1973

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

Laurel Hill on the 1949 USGS mapLaurel Hill on the 1950 USGS mapLaurel Hill on the 1973 USGS map1949Laurel Hill 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 Laurel Hill.

People over time

Laurel Hill, census by census

0100200300400500600192019401960198020002020Peak: 610

Between 291 and 610 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Laurel Hill

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

See all →
Frank J. TiplerAmerican physicist noted for his book The Physi… · b. 1947
Elizabeth B. AndrewsAmerican congresswoman for Alabama · b. 1911
Charles O. AndrewsAmerican politician · b. 1877
Luther TerrySurgeon General of the United States · b. 1911
Buck ShowalterAmerican baseball player, coach, manager · b. 1956
Willie TylerAmerican actor · b. 1940

Questions about Laurel Hill’s history

What year was Laurel Hill founded?

In 1895, according to Wikidata. Laurel Hill’s post office opened in 1896, and the census of 1910 counted 316 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 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.