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History · Sunflower

Sunflower’s post office opened in 1898

Most of Sunflower was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Below: 10 old photos and papers, maps from 1934 on, and the census since 1920.

1898first post office
0on the National Register
1%homes built before 1940
10old photos & papers
7famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Sunflower’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Sunflower began

When was Sunflower founded?

1898

The Sunflower post office opened in 1898, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 517 in 19202020 census: 964128 years
Founding year: the first Sunflower post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
The story so far

Sunflower, in brief

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

Sunflower is a town in Sunflower County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, Sunflower had a population of 964.

Its first post office opened in 1898. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,159 to 964 (-17%).

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

Timeline

Sunflower, 1898 to 1939

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1898Post officeThe Sunflower post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1916Born hereWillie Best is born here
  5. 1920Born hereCraig Claiborne is born here
  6. 1929Born hereMatt Murphy is born here
  7. 1930In the archiveSmith School, a little country school near Sunflower, Mississippi. Teachers giving out gr…
  8. 1934On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1939Born hereJerry Butler is born here
By decade

Sunflower, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s10 items
Smith School, a little country school near Sunflower, Mississippi. Teachers giving out grapefruit from Lake Wales, Flor…1930Smith School, a little country school near Sunflower,…"Gang" cultivating plow being repaired at Sunflower plantation. Sunflower, Mississippi1936"Gang" cultivating plow being repaired at Sunflower p…"Double shovel" cultivator being repaired at Sunflower plantation. Near Sunflower, Mississippi1936"Double shovel" cultivator being repaired at Sunflowe…Plantation headquarters. Sunflower plantation, just optioned by Resettlement Administration. Near Sunflower, Mississippi1936Plantation headquarters. Sunflower plantation, just o…Blacksmith shop at Sunflower plantation now under option by Resettlement Administration. Near Sunflower, Mississippi1936Blacksmith shop at Sunflower plantation now under opt…Mule shed at Sunflower plantation, now under option by Resettlement Administration. Near Sunflower, Mississippi1936Mule shed at Sunflower plantation, now under option b…Pecan grove with soybeans. Sunflower plantation, just optioned by Resettlement Administration. Near Sunflower, Mississi…1936Pecan grove with soybeans. Sunflower plantation, just…Barn at Sunflower plantation now under option by Resettlement Administration. Near Sunflower, Mississippi. This is one …1936Barn at Sunflower plantation now under option by Rese…Manager's home at Sunflower plantation now under option by Resettlement Administration. Near Sunflower, Mississippi. Th…1936Manager's home at Sunflower plantation now under opti…Gin and seed house (to right) on Sunflower plantation now under option by Resettlement Administration1936Gin and seed house (to right) on Sunflower plantation…
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today2 recent
Sunflower Mississippi water water2025Sunflower Mississippi water waterSunflowerMSWelcomeSign2019SunflowerMSWelcomeSign
On the map

Sunflower on the map, 1934 to 1966

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

Sunflower on the 1934 USGS mapSunflower on the 1940 USGS mapSunflower 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 Sunflower.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Smith School, a little country school near Sunflower, Mississippi. Teachers giving out grapefruit from Lake Wales, Flor…
Retake this viewSmith School, a little country school near Sunflower, Mississippi. Teachers giving out grapefruit from Lake Wales, Flor…, 1930

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Sunflower’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Sunflower, census by census

02004006008001,0001,200192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,159

Between 517 and 1,159 people in every census since 1920.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

Famous people

7 famous people were born in Sunflower

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

See all →
Jerry ButlerAmerican soul singer and songwriter · b. 1939
Willie BestAmerican actor · b. 1916
M
Matt MurphyAmerican blues guitarist · b. 1929
Craig ClaiborneJournalist and book author · b. 1920
B
Big John WrencherAmerican blues harmonica player and singer · b. 1923
Larry HerndonAmerican baseball player · b. 1953
Places that used to be

Old corners

Sunflower’s post office has been open since 1898.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Pine Land

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

Help out

Finish Sunflower’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewSmith School, a little country school n…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Sunflower’s history

What year was Sunflower founded?

The Sunflower post office opened in 1898, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), the Library of Congress (10), 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.