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B−History
History · Sardis

Sardis’ post office opened in 1852, and 11 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 51% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of Sardis was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1962. Below: maps from 1886 on and the census since 1880.

1852first post office
11on the National Register
9%homes built before 1940
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Sardis began

When was Sardis founded?

1852

The Sardis post office opened in 1852, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Belmont (1837), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 986 in 18802020 census: 1,748174 years

How historic is Sardis?

B−

More historic than 51% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

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

What drives Sardis’ History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sardis is more historic than 51% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sardis’ overall grade.
Founding era1852, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19408.8% of homes (±3.5) · typical MS town 4.5% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register11 listings, 13 historic buildings, 53.2 per 10,000 residents · typical MS town 71.9 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 51%
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 Sardis’ 53.2 sits near the middle of its state (63% of Mississippi towns have fewer) while its 13 historic buildings outnumber those of 77% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±3.5 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 Sardis’ 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 Sardis are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Mapped building by building7 fire insurance maps, 1886 to 1925, drew every building in Sardis.Boom and bustPeaked at 2,391 in 1970; 1,748 people lived here in 2020.Landmarks on the Register11 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sardis’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sardis’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
Every building

Sardis, building by building, 1886–1925

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.

Sardis fire insurance map, 1886, sheet 11886Sheet 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.

People over time

Sardis, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,50018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 2,391

Peaked at 2,391 in 1970; 1,748 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story so far

Sardis, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Sardis yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Sardis is a town in Panola County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 1,748. Sardis is one of two county seats for Panola County; the other is Batesville, on the south side of the Tallahatchie River.

Its first post office opened in 1852. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,703 to 1,748 (+3%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Sardis, 1837 to 1984

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1837Post officeThe Belmont post office opens
  3. 1851Born hereJohn Kyle is born here
  4. 1852Post officeThe Sardis post office opens
  5. 1857Post officeThe Belmont post office closes
  6. 1886Born hereCharles P. Hall is born here
  7. 20th century
  8. 1952On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1966Born hereCedric Burnett is born here
  10. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 2,391
  11. 1984Born hereSanders Bohlke is born here
By decade

Sardis, decade by decade

Today18 recent
Sardis Public Library2024Sardis Public LibrarySardis MS2024Sardis MSSardis MS Main Street2024Sardis MS Main StreetPlayhouse2024PlayhouseFuneral Home in2024Funeral Home inDirt Road in Mississippi2023Dirt Road in MississippiThe Fifty-One Quick Stop, a tire-repair shop and more outside the town of Sardis in Panola County, Mississippi2016The Fifty-One Quick Stop, a tire-repair shop and more…You have your pick of chairs, including a gargantuan one out front, at the Pope Country Cafe2016You have your pick of chairs, including a gargantuan …The Fifty-One Quick Stop, a second-hand tire and accessories store2016The Fifty-One Quick Stop, a second-hand tire and acce…Walton-Howry House2014Walton-Howry HouseTrain station in2014Train station inTaylor-Wall-Yancy House2014Taylor-Wall-Yancy HouseShort's Hill2014Short's HillJohn Curtis Kyle House2014John Curtis Kyle HouseHufft House2014Hufft HouseHall - Roberson House2014Hall - Roberson HouseHain House2014Hain HouseBallentine-Bryant House2014Ballentine-Bryant House
On the map

Sardis on the map, 1952 to 1982

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

Sardis on the 1952 USGS mapSardis on the 1975 USGS mapSardis on the 1982 USGS map1952Sardis 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 Sardis.

On the National Register

11 historic places in Sardis

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

places listed
11
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
13
each building in a district counts
first listed
1980
Kyle, Judge John William, Law Office
John Curtis Kyle HouseTaylor-Wall-Yancy HouseWalton-Howry HouseKyle, Judge John William, Law OfficeShort's HillBallentine-Bryant HouseBallentine-Seay HouseHall-Henderson HouseHall-Roberson HouseHufft HouseJohnson-Tate Cottage
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Queen Anne5
Vernacular3
Italianate3
Renaissance1
Cottage1
John Curtis Kyle HouseQueen Anne
Taylor-Wall-Yancy HouseQueen Anne
Walton-Howry HouseVernacular
All 11 listings
Kyle, Judge John William, Law OfficeBuilding · listed 1980Short's HillBuilding · listed 1980Ballentine-Bryant HouseBuilding · listed 1984Ballentine-Seay HouseBuilding · listed 1984Hall-Henderson HouseBuilding · listed 1984Hall-Roberson HouseBuilding · listed 1984Hufft HouseBuilding · listed 1984Johnson-Tate CottageBuilding · listed 1984

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Sardis

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

See all →
Charles P. HallUnited States Army general during World War II · b. 1886
John KyleAmerican politician · b. 1851
S
Sanders BohlkeAmerican musician · b. 1984
C
Cedric BurnettAmerican politician · b. 1966
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Sardis’s post office has been open since 1852. Another post office, Belmont, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Belmont
1837–1857
Sardis
1852–today
18301930today

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

Questions about Sardis’ history

What year was Sardis founded?

The Sardis post office opened in 1852, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Sardis rank for history?

Sardis is more historic than 51% 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 Sardis?

11 listings: 11 buildings, among them the Kyle, Judge John William, Law Office (listed 1980, the first). 13 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Sardis?

9% of Sardis’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.5 points), against a typical 4.5% for a Mississippi town; the median home was built in 1962.

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 (15), the Library of Congress (3), the National Register of Historic Places (11), 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.