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History · Branch

Branch’s post office opened in 1899, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1887 on and the census since 1910.

1899first post office
0on the National Register
11%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Branch began

When was Branch founded?

1899

The Branch post office opened in 1899, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 271 in 19102020 census: 296127 years
Founding year: the first Branch post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Branch’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 Branch are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18873 editions of the USGS map, 1887 to 1993. Watch Branch change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Branch’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Branch’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
On the map

Branch on the map, 1887 to 1993

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

Branch on the 1887 USGS mapBranch on the 1966 USGS mapBranch on the 1993 USGS map1887Magazine Mountain #2 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 Branch.

The story so far

Branch, in brief

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

Branch is a city in Franklin County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 296 at the 2020 census.

Its first post office opened in 1899. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 367 to 296 (-19%).

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

By decade

Branch, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Highway 41 in Branch, AR 0022016Highway 41 in Branch, AR 002Highway 41 in Branch, AR 0012016Highway 41 in Branch, AR 001Branch, AR 0032016Branch, AR 003Branch, AR 0022016Branch, AR 002Branch, AR 0012016Branch, AR 001
Every building

Branch, 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.

Branch 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.

People over time

Branch, census by census

0100200300400192019401960198020002020Peak: 390

Between 258 and 390 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Questions about Branch’s history

What year was Branch founded?

The Branch post office opened in 1899, 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 →
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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 (5), 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.