Most of Collins was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Its Register listings are the Covington County Courthouse and the Carver Central High School.
The Collins post office opened in 1899, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Ora (1890), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
2020 census: 2,342127 years
How historic is Collins?
C+
More historic than 37% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Collins post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Collins’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Collins is more historic than 37% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Collins’ overall grade.
Mississippi towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Mississippi town has 71.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Collins’ 24.4 sits near the middle of its state (59% of Mississippi towns have fewer) while its 6 historic buildings outnumber those of 72% 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 (±2.9 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Collins’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Collins was originally incorporated as Williamsburg Depot in 1899. The Gulf and Ship Island Railroad had completed construction, and bypassed Williamsburg, the county seat at that time. The sawmills moved to the new town of Williamsburg Depot in order to be closer to the railroad. As lumber was an important industry during the time, the town moved with them. Not long after, Williamsburg Depot grew to a town of 6,000 - 7,000 people.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Collins’s post office has been open since 1899. Another post office, Ora, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Ora
1890–1922
Collins
1899–today
18901960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
OraVennie Park
Gone or out of use
Carver High SchoolschoolCollins Jaycee AirportairportOra Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Collins
CollinsOra
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Collins’ history
What year was Collins founded?
The Collins post office opened in 1899, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Collins rank for history?
Collins is more historic than 37% of U.S. towns. 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 Collins?
Two places: the Covington County Courthouse (listed 1991) and the Carver Central High School (2019).
How old are the homes in Collins?
3% of Collins’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 4.5% for a Mississippi town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 (3), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.
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