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A−History
History · New Albany

New Albany dates to 1840, and 3 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 79% of U.S. towns · #15 of 100 in Mississippi. What drives it

Most of New Albany was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 761 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 1880.

1840founded
3on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
12famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How New Albany began

When was New Albany founded?

1840

New Albany dates its founding to 1840 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 250 in 18802020 census: 7,626186 years

How historic is New Albany?

A−

More historic than 79% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1837.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives New Albany’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, New Albany is more historic than 79% of U.S. towns, #15 of 100 in Mississippi. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of New Albany’s overall grade.
Founding era1840, from Wikipedia: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19404.9% of homes (±2.6) · typical MS town 4.5% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register3 listings, 762 historic buildings, 994 per 10,000 residents · typical MS town 71.9 · U.S. 2.4A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 79%
NewerOlder
Mississippi towns of 2,500+ (100)Ahead of 86%

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 New Albany’s 994 sits above most of its state (96% of Mississippi towns have fewer) while its 762 historic buildings outnumber those of 98% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A+. The pre-1940 share (±2.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1840.

Founding year: Wikipedia (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 New Albany’s past

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

A historic districtThe New Albany Historic District takes in 718 historic buildings.A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of New Albany are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s New Albany, and 1 old place names are still on the map.Mapped building by building3 fire insurance maps, 1904 to 1913, drew every building in New Albany.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

3 listings protect 762 historic buildings

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

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
762
each building in a district counts
first listed
1990
Union County Courthouse
Union County Courthouse, built 1909New Albany Downtown Historic DistrictNew Albany Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Classical Revival1
Commercial Style1
Art Deco1
Neo-Classical1
Colonial Revival1
Craftsman Commercial1
Union County CourthouseClassical Revival · Built 1909
New Albany Downtown Historic DistrictCommercial Style
All 3 listings
New Albany Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2024

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

Help out

Start New Albany’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how New Albany’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
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

New Albany’s post office has been open since 1841. Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Albertson
1837–1841
New Albany
1841–today
Glenfield
1902–1917
Speck
1902–1903
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Glenfield
Gone or out of use
AlbersonlocalePecklocale
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside New Albany
GlenfieldNew AlbanyVista Memorial Park

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

The story

How New Albany came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of New Albany.

Read it all →

New Albany was founded in 1840 at the site of a grist mill and sawmill on the Tallahatchie River near the intersection of two Chickasaw trade trails. The town developed as a river port and as a regional center for agriculture and commerce.

During the Civil War, the United States Cavalry under Benjamin Grierson passed through New Albany on their way to raid Vicksburg, when they encountered Confederate troops attempting to destroy the bridge over the Tallahatchie. The Confederate troops fled and the bridge was preserved.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

New Albany, 1837 to 1979

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1837Post officeThe Albertson post office opens
  3. 1840
    FoundingNew Albany is established
  4. 1841Post officeThe Albertson post office closes
  5. 1841Post officeThe New Albany post office opens
  6. 1875Born hereHubert D. Stephens is born here
  7. 1897Born hereWilliam Faulkner is born here
  8. 20th century
  9. 1902Post officeThe Glenfield post office opens
  10. 1909BuiltUnion County Courthouse is built
  11. 1917Post officeThe Glenfield post office closes
  12. 1951On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  13. 1957Born hereJohn Stroud is born here
  14. 1979Born hereEli Whiteside is born here
By decade

New Albany, decade by decade

Today25 recent
New Albany, Mississippi2026New Albany, MississippiBankhead Street in New Albany, Mississippi's downtown business and historic district 082018Bankhead Street in New Albany, Mississippi's downtown…NewAlbanyMississippiWelcomeSign2017NewAlbanyMississippiWelcomeSignBankhead Street in New Albany, Mississippi's downtown business and historic district 092017Bankhead Street in New Albany, Mississippi's downtown…Bankhead Street in New Albany, Mississippi's downtown business and historic district 072017Bankhead Street in New Albany, Mississippi's downtown…Bankhead Street in New Albany, Mississippi's downtown business and historic district 062017Bankhead Street in New Albany, Mississippi's downtown…Bankhead Street in New Albany, Mississippi's downtown business and historic district 052017Bankhead Street in New Albany, Mississippi's downtown…Bankhead Street in New Albany, Mississippi's downtown business and historic district 042017Bankhead Street in New Albany, Mississippi's downtown…Bankhead Street in New Albany, Mississippi's downtown business and historic district 032017Bankhead Street in New Albany, Mississippi's downtown…Bankhead Street in New Albany, Mississippi's downtown business and historic district 022017Bankhead Street in New Albany, Mississippi's downtown…Bankhead Street in New Albany, Mississippi's downtown business and historic district 012017Bankhead Street in New Albany, Mississippi's downtown…New Albany Railfan Platform2016New Albany Railfan PlatformIngomar Whistle Stop2014Ingomar Whistle StopUnion Appliance ^ Furniture2011Union Appliance ^ FurnitureBNSF Caboose2011BNSF CabooseNew Albany Street Tracks at Night2010New Albany Street Tracks at NightNew Albany City Hall At Night2010New Albany City Hall At NightNew Albany City Hall2010New Albany City HallNew Albany Alleyway2010New Albany AlleywayMTNR Locomotive Roster2010MTNR Locomotive RosterMTNR Hi Rail Truck2010MTNR Hi Rail TruckClassic BN Loco2010Classic BN LocoBNSF-MTNR Diamond2010BNSF-MTNR DiamondAntique Building Ad2010Antique Building AdNew Albany Street Tracks2009New Albany Street Tracks
On the map

New Albany on the map, 1951 to 1980

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

New Albany on the 1951 USGS mapNew Albany on the 1980 USGS map1951New Albany 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 New Albany.

Every building

New Albany, building by building, 1904–1913

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

New Albany fire insurance map, 1904, sheet 11904Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

People over time

New Albany, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 8,034

Between 250 and 8,034 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

12 famous people were born in New Albany

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

See all →
William FaulknerAmerican writer · b. 1897
Hubert D. StephensAmerican politician · b. 1875
Eli WhitesideAmerican baseball catcher · b. 1979
J
John StroudAmerican basketball player and coach · b. 1957
M
Mike RatliffAmerican basketball player · b. 1951
D
Doc MarshallAmerican baseball player · b. 1906

Questions about New Albany’s history

What year was New Albany founded?

In 1840, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. New Albany’s post office opened in 1837, and the census of 1880 counted 250 people here.

How does New Albany rank for history?

New Albany is more historic than 79% of U.S. towns, #15 of 100 in Mississippi. 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 New Albany?

Three places: the Union County Courthouse (listed 1990), the New Albany Downtown Historic District (1996) and the New Albany Historic District (2024).

How old are the homes in New Albany?

5% of New Albany’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.6 points), against a typical 4.5% for a Mississippi town; the median home was built in 1974.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (25), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.