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History · Black Rock

Black Rock’s post office opened in 1884, and 14% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 1890.

1884first post office
0on the National Register
14%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Paltron · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Black Rock began

When was Black Rock founded?

1884

The Black Rock post office opened in 1884, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 761 in 18902020 census: 590142 years
Founding year: the first Black Rock post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Black Rock’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 Black Rock are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,400 in 1900; 590 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building3 fire insurance maps, 1904 to 1914, drew every building in Black Rock.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Black Rock’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Black Rock’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

Black Rock, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,400

Peaked at 1,400 in 1900; 590 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Every building

Black Rock, building by building, 1904–1914

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.

Black Rock fire insurance map, 1904, sheet 11904Sheet 1 of 3
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

Black Rock, in brief

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

Black Rock is a city in Lawrence County, Arkansas, United States, along the Black River. The population was 590 at the 2020 census.

Its first post office opened in 1884. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 662 to 590 (-11%).

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

Timeline

Black Rock, 1884 to 1940

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1884Post officeThe Black Rock post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1900CensusPopulation peaks at 1,400
  5. 1932Born hereLee Tate is born here
  6. 1934On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1940Born hereBetty Dickey is born here
By decade

Black Rock, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Black Rock, Arkansas2024Black Rock, ArkansasHighway 25 in2016Highway 25 inARMap-doton-Black Rock2005ARMap-doton-Black Rock
On the map

Black Rock on the map, 1934 to 1974

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

Black Rock on the 1934 USGS mapBlack Rock on the 1974 USGS map1934Powhatan 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 Black Rock.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Black Rock

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

See all →
L
Lee TateAmerican baseball player · b. 1932
B
Betty DickeyFirst woman Chief Justice of the Supreme Court … · b. 1940

Questions about Black Rock’s history

What year was Black Rock founded?

The Black Rock post office opened in 1884, 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 (3), 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.