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History · Bearden

Bearden’s post office opened in 1883, and 2 of its places are on the National Register

Most of Bearden was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. 2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 3 buildings. Below: maps from 1913 on and the census since 1900.

1883first post office
2on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Bearden began

When was Bearden founded?

1883

The Bearden post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 341 in 19002020 census: 776143 years
Founding year: the first Bearden post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Bearden’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 Bearden are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,300 in 1950; 776 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bearden’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bearden’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

Bearden, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,300

Peaked at 1,300 in 1950; 776 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

The story so far

Bearden, in brief

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

Bearden is a city in northeastern Ouachita County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 776 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Camden Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Its first post office opened in 1883. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 966 to 776 (-20%).

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

Timeline

Bearden, 1883 to 1973

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1883Post officeThe Bearden post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1915Born hereMarion H. Crank is born here
  5. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 1,300
  6. 1973On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Bearden, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Highway 79B in Bearden, Arkansas 0022014Highway 79B in Bearden, Arkansas 002Highway 79B in Bearden, Arkansas 0012014Highway 79B in Bearden, Arkansas 001Downtown Bearden, Arkansas 0012014Downtown Bearden, Arkansas 001Bearden, Arkansas 0012014Bearden, Arkansas 001Bearden, Arkansas2008Bearden, ArkansasARMap-doton-Bearden2005ARMap-doton-Bearden
On the map

Bearden on the map, 1973 to 1985

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

Bearden on the 1973 USGS mapBearden on the 1985 USGS map1973Bearden sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Bearden.

Every building

Bearden, building by building, 1913

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 sheet.

Bearden fire insurance map, 1913, sheet 11913Sheet 1 of 1
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

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

On the National Register

2 historic places in Bearden

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
5
each building in a district counts
first listed
2006
Bearden Waterworks
Bearden WaterworksOuachita County Training School
DistrictsStructures
Bearden WaterworksStructure
All 2 listings
Ouachita County Training SchoolDistrict · listed 2023

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

Questions about Bearden’s history

What year was Bearden founded?

The Bearden post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Bearden?

Two places: the Bearden Waterworks (listed 2006) and the Ouachita County Training School (2023).

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 (6), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.