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C−History
History · Shelby

Shelby dates to 1853

More historic than 23% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of Shelby was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. Below: maps from 1911 on and the census since 1910.

1853founded
0on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
11famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Chillin662 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Shelby began

When was Shelby founded?

1853

Shelby dates its founding to 1853 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 645 in 19102020 census: 2,021173 years

How historic is Shelby?

C−

More historic than 23% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1885.
History grade

What drives Shelby’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Shelby is more historic than 23% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Shelby’s overall grade.
Founding era1853, from Wikipedia: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19407.4% of homes (±5.5) · typical MS town 4.5% · U.S. 8.4%C+National RegisterNo listings counted · typical MS town 71.9 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 23%
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 Shelby’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (19% of Mississippi towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1853.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.5 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 Shelby’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 Shelby are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 2,926 in 2000; 2,021 people lived here in 2020.Famous sons and daughtersGerald Wilson, Erma Franklin and 9 more were born here.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Shelby’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Shelby’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
People over time

Shelby, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,000192019401960198020002020Peak: 2,926

Peaked at 2,926 in 2000; 2,021 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Famous people

11 famous people were born in Shelby

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

See all →
Gerald WilsonAmerican trumpetist · b. 1918
E
Erma FranklinAmerican musician, gospel and soul singer · b. 1938
Henry TownsendAmerican musician · b. 1909
B
Barbara Siggers FranklinAmerican singer · b. 1917
D
Dorsett DavisPlayer of American and Canadian football · b. 1979
H
Hattie LittlesAmerican musician · b. 1937
The story so far

Shelby, in brief

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

Shelby is a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, Shelby had a population of 2,021. The town of Shelby was established in 1853 by Tom Shelby, who had purchased a block of land there from the federal government.

Shelby was established in 1853. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,229 to 2,021 (-9%).

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

Timeline

Shelby, 1853 to 2000

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1853
    FoundingShelby is established
  3. 1885Post officeThe Bellevue post office opens
  4. 1893Post officeThe Bellevue post office closes
  5. 1893Post officeThe Shelby post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1909Born hereHenry Townsend is born here
  8. 1917Born hereBarbara Siggers Franklin is born here
  9. 1918Born hereGerald Wilson is born here
  10. 1938Born hereErma Franklin is born here
  11. 1939On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  12. 21st century
  13. 2000CensusPopulation peaks at 2,926
By decade

Shelby, decade by decade

Today15 recent
Welcome to Shelby sign2024Welcome to Shelby signShelbyMSWelcomeSign2017ShelbyMSWelcomeSignUntitled photo2010Untitled photoThe Shelby Police Department2009The Shelby Police DepartmentThe Walking Trails In2007The Walking Trails InThe Shelby, MS Public Library2007The Shelby, MS Public LibrarySaint Andrew Missionary Baptist Church2007Saint Andrew Missionary Baptist ChurchPublic Library2007Public LibraryPolice Department2007Police DepartmentLocal Grocery2007Local GroceryJames Quality Mart2007James Quality MartFull View, Shelby, MS Public Library2007Full View, Shelby, MS Public LibraryFriends 0262007Friends 026Broad Street High School2007Broad Street High SchoolAnother view of Broad Street High School in2007Another view of Broad Street High School in
On the map

Shelby on the map, 1939 to 1970

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

Shelby on the 1939 USGS mapShelby on the 1969 USGS mapShelby on the 1970 USGS map1939Pace 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 Shelby.

Every building

Shelby, building by building, 1911–1919

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.

Shelby fire insurance map, 1911, sheet 11911Sheet 1 of 3
Edition
BrickWoodStone

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices and places now gone

Shelby’s post office has been open since 1893. Another post office, Bellevue, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Bellevue
1885–1893
Shelby
1893–today
18801950today
Gone or out of use
Manocknut Plantationlocale

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

Questions about Shelby’s history

What year was Shelby founded?

In 1853, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Shelby’s post office opened in 1885, and the census of 1910 counted 645 people here.

How does Shelby rank for history?

Shelby is more historic than 23% 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.

How old are the homes in Shelby?

7% of Shelby’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.5 points), against a typical 4.5% for a Mississippi town; the median home was built in 1973.

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), 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.