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–Not graded
History · Plains

Plains’ post office opened in 1890, and 24% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 99 buildings between them. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1973 on, and the census since 1870.

1890first post office
2on the National Register
24%homes built before 1940
12old photos & papers
6famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Plains’ archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Plains began

When was Plains founded?

1890

The Plains post office opened in 1890, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 374 in 18702020 census: 573136 years
Founding year: the first Plains post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Plains’ past

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

Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1890 and 1980, then more than doubled.A historic districtThe Plains Historic District takes in 89 historic buildings.A town in old photos12 old photos, postcards and papers, 1933–1977.Old housesHalf of Plains’ homes were built before 1948.
★ What stands out · People over time

Plains, census by census

020040060080018801900192019401960198020002020510 in 1890Low: 231

Lost half of its people between 1890 and 1980, then more than doubled.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

On the National Register

2 listings protect 99 historic buildings

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
99
each building in a district counts
first listed
1984
Plains Historic District
Plains Historic DistrictJimmy Carter National Historic Site, built 1987
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Queen Anne, Neo-Classical1
Late-Victorian1
Bungalow/Craftsman1
Gothic1
Plains Historic DistrictQueen Anne, Neo-Classical
Jimmy Carter National Historic SiteBuilt 1987

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

By decade

Plains, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1930s to the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s11 items
EAST AND NORTH FACADES, SHOWING MAIN ENTRY - Pond House, Fish Pond Road (near Old Plains Highway)1933EAST AND NORTH FACADES, SHOWING MAIN ENTRY - Pond Hou…EAST FACADE WITH CHIMNEY, FROM DRIVEWAY - Pond House, Fish Pond Road (near Old Plains Highway)1933EAST FACADE WITH CHIMNEY, FROM DRIVEWAY - Pond House,…EAST FRONT - Carter Peanut Warehouse Complex1933EAST FRONT - Carter Peanut Warehouse ComplexEAST PORTION OF NORTH FRONT AND ADJACENT BUILDING TO EAST - Lunsford-French-Timmerman General Store, Main Street1933EAST PORTION OF NORTH FRONT AND ADJACENT BUILDING TO …EAST SIDE AND NORTH FRONT - Lillian and Earl Carter House, Georgia Route 280 between Walters and Thomas Streets1933EAST SIDE AND NORTH FRONT - Lillian and Earl Carter H…EAST SIDE AND NORTH FRONT, PERSPECTIVE OF ENTIRE BLOCK FROM EAST - Forrester General Store, Hudson and Main Streets, Pl…1933EAST SIDE AND NORTH FRONT, PERSPECTIVE OF ENTIRE BLOC…GENERAL VIEW - Billy Carter Service Station, 216 West Church Street1933GENERAL VIEW - Billy Carter Service Station, 216 West…GENERAL VIEW - Jimmy Carter House, 209 Woodland Drive1933GENERAL VIEW - Jimmy Carter House, 209 Woodland DriveGENERAL VIEW, CLOSER - Jimmy Carter House, 209 Woodland Drive1933GENERAL VIEW, CLOSER - Jimmy Carter House, 209 Woodla…HABS GA,131-PLAIN,17- (sheet 1 of 1) - Plains Public Housing, No. 9A, Paschal and Thomas Streets1933HABS GA,131-PLAIN,17- (sheet 1 of 1) - Plains Public …HABS GA,131-PLAIN,17- (sheet 1 of 1) - Plains Public Housing, No. 9A, Paschal and Thomas Streets1933HABS GA,131-PLAIN,17- (sheet 1 of 1) - Plains Public …
1940s–1960snothing 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
1970s1 item
Rosalynn Carter dedicates the visitors center in1977Rosalynn Carter dedicates the visitors center in
1980s–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
The story

How Plains came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Plains.

Read it all →

Originally inhabited by the Muscogee people, three small settlements existed close to what would become Plains by the 1840s: Lebanon, Magnolia Springs, and Plains of Dura. In 1885, a significant turning point occurred when a major east–west railroad extended into the area and led to the three settlements being consolidated into one. As railway access expanded into the region in response to increased cotton farming, these settlements coalesced closer to the new railway location. As businesses rapidly developed, local businessmen successfully petitioned the Georgia State Legislature to shorten "Plains of Dura" to simply "Plains." The city was incorporated in 1896.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Plains, 1890 to 2010

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1890Post officeThe Plains post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1920Born hereHugh Carter is born here
  5. 1927Born hereRosalynn Carter is born here
  6. 1933In the archiveEAST AND NORTH FACADES, SHOWING MAIN ENTRY - Pond House, Fish Pond Road (near Old Plains …
  7. 1937Born hereBilly Carter is born here
  8. 1967Born hereAmy Carter is born here
  9. 1973On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1977In the archiveRosalynn Carter dedicates the visitors center in
  11. 1987BuiltJimmy Carter National Historic Site is built
  12. 21st century
  13. 2010CensusPopulation peaks at 776
On the map

Plains on the map, 1973 to 1981

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

Plains on the 1973 USGS mapPlains on the 1981 USGS map1973Plains 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 Plains.

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.

EAST AND NORTH FACADES, SHOWING MAIN ENTRY - Pond House, Fish Pond Road (near Old Plains Highway)
Retake this viewEAST AND NORTH FACADES, SHOWING MAIN ENTRY - Pond House, Fish Pond Road (near Old Plains Highway), 1933

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

6 famous people were born in Plains

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

See all →
Rosalynn CarterFirst Lady of the United States from 1977 to 19… · b. 1927
Amy CarterDaughter of United States president Jimmy Carter · b. 1967
Billy CarterAmerican businessman · b. 1937
Hugh CarterAmerican politician and businessman · b. 1920
Ruth Carter StapletonSister of Jimmy Carter; Christian evangelist · b. 1929
Gloria Carter SpannSister of former United States President Jimmy … · b. 1926
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Plains’s post office has been open since 1890.

Gone or out of use
Peanut MuseumbuildingRosenwald SchoolschoolWise Sanitarium Number 1hospital

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

Help out

Finish Plains’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewEAST AND NORTH FACADES, SHOWING MAIN EN…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Plains’ history

What year was Plains founded?

The Plains post office opened in 1890, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Plains?

Two places: the Plains Historic District (listed 1984) and the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site (1987).

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 (12), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.