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B−History
History · Bentonville

Bentonville’s post office opened in 1843, and 37 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 54% of U.S. towns · #41 of 123 in Arkansas. What drives it

Most of Bentonville was built recently: 0.8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2007. 37 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 36 buildings between them. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1880.

1843first post office
37on the National Register
0.8%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
8famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Bentonville’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Bentonville began

When was Bentonville founded?

1843

The Bentonville post office opened in 1843, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Osage (1836) and Sugar Creek (1837), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 696 in 18802020 census: 54,164183 years

How historic is Bentonville?

B−

More historic than 54% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

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

What drives Bentonville’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bentonville is more historic than 54% of U.S. towns, #41 of 123 in Arkansas. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Bentonville’s overall grade.
Founding era1843, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19400.8% of homes (±0.4) · typical AR town 3.1% · U.S. 8.4%DNational Register37 listings, 81 historic buildings, 13.9 per 10,000 residents · typical AR town 20.5 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 54%
NewerOlder
Arkansas towns of 2,500+ (123)Ahead of 67%

Arkansas towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Arkansas town has 20.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Bentonville’s 13.9 sits near the middle of its state (48% of Arkansas towns have fewer) while its 81 historic buildings outnumber those of 88% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to A−. The pre-1940 share (±0.4 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 Bentonville’s past

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

Landmarks on the Register37 places on the National Register.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Mapped building by building7 fire insurance maps, 1886 to 1922, drew every building in Bentonville.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Bentonville.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

37 historic places in Bentonville

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed
37
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
81
each building in a district counts
first listed
1978
Elliott House
Elliott HouseMassey HotelTerry Block BuildingBenton County National BankJames A. Rice HouseKoons HouseAlden HouseBenton County Courthouse, built 1928Benton County JailBentonville High SchoolBentonville Train Station, built 1925Bertschy HouseBogart Hardware BuildingBraithwaite HouseBreedlove House and Water TowerCol. Young HouseCraig-Bryan HouseHenry HouseJackson HouseLinebarger HouseMacon-Harrison HouseMaxwell-Hinman HouseMorris HouseNew Home School and ChurchPiercy FarmsteadRice HouseRoy's Office Supply BuildingBentonville West Central Avenue Historic DistrictBentonville Third Street Historic DistrictCol. Samuel W. Peel HouseBentonville Confederate MonumentStroud HouseSmith HouseCharles R. Craig BuildingPutman CemeteryBenton County Poor Farm CemeteryBentonville Post Office
BuildingsDistrictsSitesObjects
Elliott HouseBuilding
Massey HotelBuilding
Terry Block BuildingBuilding
Benton County National BankBuilding
James A. Rice HouseBuilding
Koons HouseBuilding
Alden HouseBuilding
Benton County CourthouseBuilt 1928
All 37 listings
Benton County JailBuilding · listed 1988Bentonville High SchoolBuilding · listed 1988Bentonville Train StationBuilding · listed 1988Bertschy HouseBuilding · listed 1988Bogart Hardware BuildingBuilding · listed 1988Braithwaite HouseBuilding · listed 1988Breedlove House and Water TowerBuilding · listed 1988Col. Young HouseBuilding · listed 1988Craig-Bryan HouseBuilding · listed 1988Henry HouseBuilding · listed 1988Jackson HouseBuilding · listed 1988Linebarger HouseBuilding · listed 1988Macon-Harrison HouseBuilding · listed 1988Maxwell-Hinman HouseBuilding · listed 1988Morris HouseBuilding · listed 1988New Home School and ChurchBuilding · listed 1988Piercy FarmsteadBuilding · listed 1988Rice HouseBuilding · listed 1988Roy's Office Supply BuildingBuilding · listed 1988Bentonville West Central Avenue Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1992Bentonville Third Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1993Col. Samuel W. Peel HouseBuilding · listed 1995Bentonville Confederate MonumentObject · listed 1996Stroud HouseBuilding · listed 1996Smith HouseBuilding · listed 1996Charles R. Craig BuildingBuilding · listed 2003Putman CemeterySite · listed 2004Benton County Poor Farm CemeterySite · listed 2008Bentonville Post OfficeBuilding · listed 2025

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

Help out

Start Bentonville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bentonville’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewStreet scene: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Every building

Bentonville, building by building, 1886–1922

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.

Bentonville 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.

The story

How Bentonville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bentonville.

Read it all →

The first known use by humans of the area which is now known as Bentonville, was as hunting grounds by the Osage Nation who lived in Missouri. The Osage would leave their settlements to hunt in present-day Benton County for months at a time before returning to their families. European settlers first inhabited the area around 1837 and named their settlement "Osage". By this time, the Osage had ceased using the area for hunting, and the European settlers began to establish farms. Upon establishment of Benton County on September 30, 1836, Osage was deemed a suitable site for the county seat, and the town square was established as the home of county government the following year. Osage was renamed Bentonville in honor of Thomas Hart Benton, a senator from Missouri who strongly supported Arkansas statehood.

ChaptersEarly historyEarly statehood and Civil WarTwentieth century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Bentonville, 1836 to 1970

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1836Post officeThe Osage post office opens
  3. 1837Post officeThe Sugar Creek post office opens
  4. 1843Post officeThe Osage post office closes
  5. 1843Post officeThe Bentonville post office opens
  6. 1881Post officeThe Sugar Creek post office closes
  7. 20th century
  8. 1900In the archiveStreet scene
  9. 1905Born hereLouise Thaden is born here
  10. 1918Born hereDuane Isely is born here
  11. 1921In the archiveThese charming lassies are Bentonvilles specimens of what the Red Cross Health regime has…
  12. 1925BuiltBentonville Train Station is built
  13. 1928BuiltBenton County Courthouse is built
  14. 1949Born hereTim Hutchinson is born here
  15. 1950Born hereAsa Hutchinson is born here
  16. 1970On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Bentonville, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1920s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s–1920s4 items
Street scene1900Street sceneThese charming lassies are Bentonvilles specimens of what the Red Cross Health regime has wrought. They marched in the …1921These charming lassies are Bentonvilles specimens of …A brave showing was made by the kiddies of Bentonville, Ark., in the Red Cross Health parade held in that community las…1921A brave showing was made by the kiddies of Bentonvill…Bentonville, Ark. Is a town of some 2500 population, but public spirit is its middle name. When the Red Cross health pr…1921Bentonville, Ark. Is a town of some 2500 population, …
1930s–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
Today6 recent
Untitled photo2011Untitled photoSigns for Highway 102 junction2011Signs for Highway 102 junctionHighway 72 west and the Trail of Tears2011Highway 72 west and the Trail of TearsArkansas Highway 112 south of Highway 122011Arkansas Highway 112 south of Highway 12Central Avenue at night2010Central Avenue at nightWalmart employee removing bale of boxes2009Walmart employee removing bale of boxes
On the map

Bentonville on the map, 1970 to 1982

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

Bentonville on the 1970 USGS mapBentonville on the 1982 USGS map1970Bentonville South 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 Bentonville.

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.

Street scene
Retake this viewStreet scene, 1900

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Bentonville, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,00055,00060,0001880190019201940196019802000202054,164

Grew from 696 people in 1880 to 54,164 in 2020, more than tenfold.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

8 famous people were born in Bentonville

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

See all →
Asa HutchinsonGovernor of Arkansas from 2015 to 2023 · b. 1950
Tim HutchinsonAmerican politician · b. 1949
D
Duane IselyAmerican botanist · b. 1918
L
Louise ThadenAmerican aviator · b. 1905
W
Who Is FancyAmerican singer · b. 1991
Ricky L. WaddellAmerican Army general · b. 1959
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds

Bentonville’s post office has been open since 1843. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Osage
1836–1843
Sugar Creek
1837–1881
Bentonville
1843–today
18301930today
Gone or out of use
Drokes ChapelchurchDrokes SchoolschoolEvening Star SchoolschoolJefferson SchoolschoolMorning Star SchoolschoolNew Home SchoolschoolOsage Valley SchoolschoolValley View SchoolschoolVaughn Schoolschool
7cemeteries and burying grounds inside Bentonville
BentonvilleBlandDodsonJacksonJeffersonNew HomeValley View

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

CentertonIts storyD−Bella Vista11 historic placesDRogers24 historic placesCCave Springs2 historic placesC−Highfill2 historic placesC−Little FlockIts storyD−

Questions about Bentonville’s history

What year was Bentonville founded?

The Bentonville post office opened in 1843, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Bentonville rank for history?

Bentonville is more historic than 54% of U.S. towns, #41 of 123 in Arkansas. 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 Bentonville?

37 listings: 32 buildings, among them the Elliott House (listed 1978, the first), 2 historic districts, the Bentonville West Central Avenue Historic District and the Bentonville Third Street Historic District, with 36 contributing buildings, 2 sites, and 1 object. 81 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Bentonville?

0.8% of Bentonville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 3.1% for an Arkansas town; the median home was built in 2007.

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 (6), the Library of Congress (4), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (37), Wikipedia, 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.