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CHistory
History · Ruleville

Ruleville dates to 1898, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

More historic than 33% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of Ruleville was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. Its Register listing is the Ruleville Depot. Below: maps from 1934 on and the census since 1900.

1898founded
1on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Ruleville began

When was Ruleville founded?

1898

Ruleville dates its founding to 1898 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 226 in 19002020 census: 2,642128 years

How historic is Ruleville?

C

More historic than 33% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1892.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Ruleville’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ruleville is more historic than 33% 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 Ruleville’s overall grade.
Founding era1898, from Wikipedia: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19405.6% of homes (±4.9) · typical MS town 4.5% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register1 listing, 3.8 per 10,000 residents · typical MS town 71.9 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 33%
NewerOlder

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 Ruleville’s 3.8 sits near the middle of its state (45% of Mississippi towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1898.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to C+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.9 points).

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 Ruleville’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 Ruleville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ruleville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ruleville’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
The story

How Ruleville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ruleville.

Read it all →

Ruleville was described as "surrounded by a fine fertile country and timber lands". Development of the settlement followed construction of the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad, which established a stop here. The village was laid out in 1898 by J. W. Rule, for whom it was named. In September 1899 the official petition to Governor Anselm J. McLaurin to incorporate contained 98 names of the 'citizens and electors of Sunflower County...[who] reside in the village' noting that 150 people currently lived inside the village.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Ruleville, 1892 to 1965

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1892Post officeThe Rukeville post office opens
  3. 1898
    FoundingRuleville is established
  4. 20th century
  5. 1924Born hereJimmy Rogers is born here
  6. 1930BuiltRuleville Depot is built
  7. 1934On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1965Born hereLester Brinkley is born here
By decade

Ruleville, decade by decade

Today14 recent
Ruleville Welcome Sign2024Ruleville Welcome SignNorth Sunflower Medical Center2018North Sunflower Medical CenterMS8 West - US49W Signs2018MS8 West - US49W SignsJimmy Rogers Memorial2018Jimmy Rogers MemorialJimmy Rogers Memorial - Ruleville MS (45281734551) (cropped)2018Jimmy Rogers Memorial - Ruleville MS (45281734551) (c…JimmyRogersMississippiBluesTrailMarker2017JimmyRogersMississippiBluesTrailMarkerGreasyStreetMississippiBluesTrailMarker2017GreasyStreetMississippiBluesTrailMarkerFannieLouHamerSignRuleville2017FannieLouHamerSignRulevilleWater Towers2015Water TowersRuleville, Mississippi2013Ruleville, MississippiRULEVILLE DEPOT, SUNFLOWER COUNTY, MS2008RULEVILLE DEPOT, SUNFLOWER COUNTY, MSFannie Lou Hamer Memorial Garden2008Fannie Lou Hamer Memorial GardenMSMap-doton-Ruleville2007MSMap-doton-RulevilleDockerFarms20052005DockerFarms2005
On the map

Ruleville on the map, 1934 to 1966

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

Ruleville on the 1934 USGS mapRuleville on the 1940 USGS mapRuleville on the 1966 USGS map1934Cleveland 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 Ruleville.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Ruleville

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1999
Ruleville Depot
Ruleville Depot, built 1930
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Railroad Vernacular1
Ruleville DepotRailroad Vernacular · Built 1930

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

People over time

Ruleville, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 3,332

Between 226 and 3,332 people in every census since 1900.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Ruleville

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

See all →
Jimmy RogersAmerican Chicago blues musician · b. 1924
L
Lester BrinkleyAmerican football player · b. 1965
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Gone or out of use
Mount Galilee Schoolschool

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

Questions about Ruleville’s history

What year was Ruleville founded?

In 1898, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Ruleville’s post office opened in 1892, and the census of 1900 counted 226 people here.

How does Ruleville rank for history?

Ruleville is more historic than 33% 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 Ruleville?

One place: the Ruleville Depot (listed 1999).

How old are the homes in Ruleville?

6% of Ruleville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.9 points), against a typical 4.5% for a Mississippi town; the median home was built in 1977.

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 (14), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.