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A−History
History · Pontotoc

Pontotoc’s post office opened in 1833, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 83% of U.S. towns · #8 of 100 in Mississippi. What drives it

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 52 buildings. Below: maps from 1895 on and the census since 1870.

1833first post office
2on the National Register
16%homes built before 1940
19famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Michaelswikiusername at English Wikipedia · CC BY 3.0
Quick answers

How Pontotoc began

When was Pontotoc founded?

1833

The Pontotoc post office opened in 1833, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 384 in 18702020 census: 5,640193 years

How historic is Pontotoc?

A−

More historic than 83% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Pontotoc post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Pontotoc’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pontotoc is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns, #8 of 100 in Mississippi. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Pontotoc’s overall grade.
Founding era1833, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194015.5% of homes (±7.7) · typical MS town 4.5% · U.S. 8.4%BNational Register2 listings, 53 historic buildings, 91.3 per 10,000 residents · typical MS town 71.9 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 83%
NewerOlder
Mississippi towns of 2,500+ (100)Ahead of 93%

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 Pontotoc’s 91.3 sits above most of its state (67% of Mississippi towns have fewer) while its 53 historic buildings outnumber those of 85% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±7.7 points). 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 Pontotoc’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 Pontotoc are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Pontotoc Historic District takes in 52 historic buildings.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1895 to 1925, drew every building in Pontotoc.Deep rootsA post office since 1833: 193 years of Pontotoc.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Pontotoc’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Pontotoc’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
On the National Register

2 listings protect 53 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
53
each building in a district counts
first listed
1986
Lochinvar
Pontotoc Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival2
Queen Anne1
Bungalow/Craftsman1
Classical Revival1
Romanesque1
Tudor Revival1
All 2 listings
LochinvarBuilding · listed 1986Pontotoc Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1993

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

Every building

Pontotoc, building by building, 1895–1925

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.

Pontotoc fire insurance map, 1895, sheet 11895Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

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

The story

How Pontotoc came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Pontotoc.

Read it all →

The Chickasaw nation occupied this area long before Europeans colonized the Southeast, the last in a succession of indigenous peoples who had this territory for thousands of years. In the early 1830s, they were forced to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River through the federal program of Indian removal. Pontotoc is a Chickasaw word meaning "Land of Hanging Grapes".

In the late 19th century, outlaws Jesse and Frank James and their gang came into this area. They once hid at an old house that had been used as a Union Army hospital during the Battle of Harrisburg or Battle of Tupelo in the Civil War. The house was located at a crossroad in east Pontotoc County, near the Lee County line.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Pontotoc, 1833 to 1956

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1833Post officeThe Pontotoc post office opens
  3. 1836BuiltLochinvar is built
  4. 20th century
  5. 1919Born hereRobert Pitts is born here
  6. 1937Born hereThad Cochran is born here
  7. 1942Born hereLanny Flaherty is born here
  8. 1951Born hereRoger Wicker is born here
  9. 1956On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Pontotoc, decade by decade

Today13 recent
Often whimsical assortment of antiques and low-priced collectibles at Randy Vernon's Antique Station, in and around the…2017Often whimsical assortment of antiques and low-priced…Often whimsical assortment of antiques and low-priced collectibles at Randy Vernon's Antique Station, in and around the…2017Often whimsical assortment of antiques and low-priced…Vietnam War veteran Larry Roye makes it a point to spend some contemplative time in the town square, decorated with Ame…2017Vietnam War veteran Larry Roye makes it a point to sp…Statue of a Confederate soldier, a ubiquitous tribute in many Southern U.S. cities to those who served the rebel cause …2017Statue of a Confederate soldier, a ubiquitous tribute…A block of downtown Pontotoc, Mississippi, seat of the county of the same name2017A block of downtown Pontotoc, Mississippi, seat of th…Flags are prominent on the downtown square on Veterans' Day2017Flags are prominent on the downtown square on Veteran…Detail of a sign atop an old gas pump2017Detail of a sign atop an old gas pumpSign atop an old gas pump2017Sign atop an old gas pumpDetail symbolizing blind justice on the Pontotoc County Courthouse2017Detail symbolizing blind justice on the Pontotoc Coun…A friendly blow-up dragon at a town fair2016A friendly blow-up dragon at a town fairOld advertising sign on building2016Old advertising sign on buildingConfederate States of America memorial2016Confederate States of America memorialAbandoned gas station2014Abandoned gas station
On the map

Pontotoc on the map, 1956 to 1984

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

Pontotoc on the 1956 USGS mapPontotoc on the 1984 USGS map1956Tupelo sheet · 1:250,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Pontotoc.

People over time

Pontotoc, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,000188019001920194019601980200020205,640

Grew from 384 people in 1870 to 5,640 in 2020, more than tenfold.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

Famous people

19 famous people were born in Pontotoc

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

See all →
Roger WickerAmerican lawyer and politician · b. 1951
Thad CochranUnited States Senator from Mississippi · b. 1937
Robert PittsAmerican basketball player · b. 1919
L
Lanny FlahertyAmerican actor · b. 1942
Ruby ElzyAmerican opera singer · b. 1908
C
Cordell JacksonAmerican guitarist · b. 1923
Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Pontotoc’s post office has been open since 1833.

Hamlets and corners on the map
North JunctionRough Edge
Gone or out of use
Baptist Female CollegeschoolChickasaw CollegeschoolEdward Fontaine SchoolschoolPontotoc Male AcademyschoolVictorialocale
1cemetery inside Pontotoc
Weatherall

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

Questions about Pontotoc’s history

What year was Pontotoc founded?

The Pontotoc post office opened in 1833, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Pontotoc rank for history?

Pontotoc is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns, #8 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 Pontotoc?

Two places: the Lochinvar (listed 1986) and the Pontotoc Historic District (1993).

How old are the homes in Pontotoc?

16% of Pontotoc’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.7 points), against a typical 4.5% for a Mississippi town; the median home was built in 1972.

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 (1), the Library of Congress (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), 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.