Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: maps from 1947 on and the census since 1930.
The Bluford post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bluford’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Bluford.
The town of Bluford was named after Bluford "Bluf" Green (1868–1912) when he was a small boy by his father Wiley Green (1835–1878), who was the local justice of the peace. An extended story about Bluford by Mrs. Opal H. Wood states:
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Bluford, cut from the printed page as they were published.
as fast as demanded and now the people are well supplied with these. The Southern Railroad (Air Line) passes through Webber township from east to west. There are two towns on the road — Bluford and Marlow. Bluford has the lead and is becoming a town of importance, with much and increasing business. It is eight miles from Mount Vernon. Marlow being located between these points can never be much of a trading point ; still considerable business is transacted there in the way of shipping fruit, stock, etc. This
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Bluford Hayes took a petition to Springfield for reprieve and got back with the papers just in time to disappoint one of the largest crowds that had ever assembled in the county. Bluford wqs thereafter very unpopular because he had interfered with the exhibition and many believed as long as they lived that the jury was right when they said "hang." The jury consisted of Coly Smith, W. M. Fuller, John H. Watson, S. B. Shelton, B. McConnell, Jesse Phillips, Downing Baugh, John Holt, D. McLaughlin, Joel Smith, Ed
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Marlow Station is situated on Section 30, on John Scott's land. Like Bluford, it is a small place and has sprung up since the building of the railroad. W. & H. Morris carry on a general store. A grain house was put up by Mr. Marlow, with wagon scales attached; he also owns a dwelling house here. A saw mill was started here and run
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bluford. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Bluford.
Between 388 and 785 people in every census since 1930.
10 censuses, 1930–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Bluford’s Wikipedia page.
Bluford’s post office has been open since 1888.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The Bluford post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
