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A−History
History · West Point

West Point’s post office opened in 1846, and 10 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 77% of U.S. towns · #18 of 100 in Mississippi. What drives it

Most of West Point was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. 10 places in town are on the National Register, among them seven historic districts with 357 buildings between them. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1870.

1846first post office
10on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
27famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From West Point’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How West Point began

When was West Point founded?

1846

The West Point post office opened in 1846, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 1,392 in 18702020 census: 10,105180 years

How historic is West Point?

A−

More historic than 77% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

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

What drives West Point’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, West Point is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns, #18 of 100 in Mississippi. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of West Point’s overall grade.
Founding era1846, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19405.9% of homes (±2.5) · typical MS town 4.5% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register10 listings, 361 historic buildings, 365 per 10,000 residents · typical MS town 71.9 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 77%
NewerOlder
Mississippi towns of 2,500+ (100)Ahead of 83%

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 West Point’s 365 sits above most of its state (84% of Mississippi towns have fewer) while its 361 historic buildings outnumber those of 96% 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 (±2.5 points) is firm at this size. 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 West Point’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe West Point Unified Historic District takes in 134 historic buildings.Mapped building by building7 fire insurance maps, 1885 to 1918, drew every building in West Point.Landmarks on the Register10 places on the National Register.Famous sons and daughtersLarry Semon, Barrett Strong and 25 more were born here.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

10 listings protect 361 historic buildings

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

places listed
10
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
361
each building in a district counts
first listed
1982
West Point Central City Historic District
Dewitt Anderson HouseWest Point Central City Historic DistrictCourt Street Historic DistrictCommerce Street Historic DistrictEast Main Street Historic DistrictMoses Jordan HouseWest Point School Historic DistrictHolmes, Mary, Junior College Historic DistrictWest Point Unified Historic DistrictKenneth G. Neigh Dormitory Complex
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Late Victorian4
Queen Anne4
Greek Revival4
Spanish Colonial Revival3
Bungalow3
Vernacular3
Dewitt Anderson HouseLate Victorian
All 10 listings
West Point Central City Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1982Court Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1982Commerce Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1990East Main Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1990Moses Jordan HouseBuilding · listed 1990West Point School Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1990Holmes, Mary, Junior College Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1991West Point Unified Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2009Kenneth G. Neigh Dormitory ComplexBuilding · listed 2021

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

Every building

West Point, building by building, 1885–1918

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.

West Point fire insurance map, 1885, sheet 21885Sheet 2 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

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

The story so far

West Point, in brief

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

West Point is a city in Clay County, Mississippi, United States, in the Golden Triangle region of the state. The population was 10,105 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Clay County and the principal city of the West Point Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the larger Columbus-West Point Combined Statistical Area.

Its first post office opened in 1846. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 11,307 to 10,105 (-11%).

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

Timeline

West Point, 1846 to 1966

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1846Post officeThe West Point post office opens
  3. 1889Born hereLarry Semon is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1908In the archiveCotton planter and pickers1908
  6. 1911In the archiveForce working in West Point Cotton Mills. West Point, Miss
  7. 1941Born hereBarrett Strong is born here
  8. 1948Born hereZora Young is born here
  9. 1950In the archiveCommerce Street
  10. 1959On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 1966Born hereFloyd Heard is born here
By decade

West Point, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1950s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s–1910s4 items
Cotton planter and pickers19081908Cotton planter and pickers1908Sharecropper Sam Williams with family members and laborers in cotton field1908Sharecropper Sam Williams with family members and lab…Sharecropper Sam Williams with family members and laborers in cotton field1908Sharecropper Sam Williams with family members and lab…Force working in West Point Cotton Mills. West Point, Miss1911Force working in West Point Cotton Mills. West Point,…
1920s–1940snothing 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
1950s1 item
Commerce Street1950Commerce Street
1960s–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
Date unknown1 to date
Child workers inDate?Child workers in
Today16 recent
Nathan Mathews House and Mathews Cotton Gin-West Point MS2022Nathan Mathews House and Mathews Cotton Gin-West Poin…Kenneth G. Neigh Dormitory Complex-West Point MS2022Kenneth G. Neigh Dormitory Complex-West Point MSCharles R. Jordan House-West Point MS2022Charles R. Jordan House-West Point MSControl cities ms-12 and us-822021Control cities ms-12 and us-82Toxey haas and gus Bottomland2020Toxey haas and gus BottomlandCity Hall, West Point, MS 022015City Hall, West Point, MS 02City Hall, West Point, MS 012015City Hall, West Point, MS 01Carnegie Library2015Carnegie LibrarySallie Kate Winters Park2013Sallie Kate Winters ParkSallie Kate Winters Park Spring2013Sallie Kate Winters Park SpringRsz west point down town own copyright converted2013Rsz west point down town own copyright convertedRsz west point commerce street own copyright converted2013Rsz west point commerce street own copyright convertedWest Point MS from airplane2012West Point MS from airplaneUS Navy 071114-N-5549O-056 Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) the Honorable Dr. Donald C. Winter takes a tour of the Intern…2007US Navy 071114-N-5549O-056 Secretary of the Navy (SEC…MSMap-doton-West Point2007MSMap-doton-West PointColumbus-West Point CSA2007Columbus-West Point CSA
On the map

West Point on the map, 1959 to 1987

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

West Point on the 1959 USGS mapWest Point on the 1987 USGS map1959West Point 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 West Point.

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.

Cotton planter and pickers1908
Retake this viewCotton planter and pickers1908, 1908

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

West Point, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 12,145

Between 1,392 and 12,145 people in every census since 1870.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

Famous people

27 famous people were born in West Point

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

See all →
Larry SemonAmerican actor, director, producer, and screenw… · b. 1889
Barrett StrongAmerican singer and songwriter · b. 1941
F
Floyd HeardAmerican sprinter · b. 1966
Zora YoungAmerican blues singer · b. 1948
L
Louis R. HarlanAmerican historian · b. 1922
Paul V. HesterUnited States general · b. 1947
Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

West Point’s post office has been open since 1846.

Hamlets and corners on the map
NorthgateOakridge EstatesPine Acres
Gone or out of use
Mary Holmes Collegeschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside West Point
GreenwoodWestbrook

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

Help out

Finish West Point’s story

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewCotton planter and pickers1908: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about West Point’s history

What year was West Point founded?

The West Point post office opened in 1846, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does West Point rank for history?

West Point is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns, #18 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 West Point?

10 listings: 3 buildings and 7 historic districts with 357 contributing buildings. 361 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in West Point?

6% of West Point’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.5 points), against a typical 4.5% for a Mississippi town; the median home was built in 1975.

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