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History · Bigelow

Bigelow dates to 1905, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Bigelow Methodist Episcopal Church, South and the C.L. Sailor House. Its Register listings are the Bigelow Methodist Episcopal Church, South and the C.L. Sailor House. Below: the census since 1910.

1905founded
2on the National Register
15%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Bigelow began

When was Bigelow founded?

1905

Bigelow dates its founding to 1905 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 292 in 19102020 census: 352121 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1909.The full story ↓

What stands out about Bigelow’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 Bigelow are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost two-thirds of its people between 1920 and 1940, then more than doubled.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bigelow’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bigelow’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

Bigelow, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,6001920194019601980200020201,589 in 1920Low: 170

Lost two-thirds of its people between 1920 and 1940, then more than doubled.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story

How Bigelow came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bigelow.

Read it all →

Bigelow did not exist by its current name until 1911, as it was formerly known as "Esau"—a community a few miles southwest of the present Bridge that grew to border the edge of the small town of Fourche. In 1911, Fourche River Mill owner, N.P. Bigelow, built an elaborate white house of the best lumber on a hill above the town. He was elected mayor, and then gained permission from the state's General Assembly to change the name of Esau to Bigelow. A vote was taken to move the county seat from Perryville to Bigelow, Bigelow won the vote, but the move was never made.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Bigelow, 1905 to 1920

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1905
    FoundingBigelow is established
  3. 1909Post officeThe Bigelow post office opens
  4. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 1,589
By decade

Bigelow, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Roadside Church in Rural Arkansas2018Roadside Church in Rural ArkansasC.L. Sailor House2015C.L. Sailor HouseBigelow Methodist Episcopal Church, South2015Bigelow Methodist Episcopal Church, South
On the National Register

2 historic places in Bigelow

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1996
Bigelow Methodist Episcopal Church, South
Bigelow Methodist Episcopal Church, SouthC.L. Sailor House
Buildings
Bigelow Methodist Episcopal Church, SouthBuilding
C.L. Sailor HouseBuilding

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Bigelow

Nobody well known was born in Bigelow itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Douglas MacArthurUnited States Army general in WWI, WWII and Kor… · b. 1880
Chelsea ClintonAmerican author and global health advocate · b. 1980
John Michael JumperAmerican chemist and AI expert · b. 1985
J
Josh LucasAmerican actor · b. 1971
Joey Lauren AdamsAmerican actress · b. 1968
Joe JohnsonAmerican basketball player · b. 1981
Places that used to be

Old corners

Bigelow’s post office has been open since 1909.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Graytown

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

Questions about Bigelow’s history

What year was Bigelow founded?

In 1905, according to Wikidata. Bigelow’s post office opened in 1909, and the census of 1910 counted 292 people here.

What is on the National Register in Bigelow?

Two places: the Bigelow Methodist Episcopal Church, South (listed 1996) and the C.L. Sailor House (1998).

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 (3), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, 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.