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A−History
History · Camden

Camden’s post office opened in 1843, and 30 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 76% of U.S. towns · #10 of 123 in Arkansas. What drives it

Most of Camden was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1969. 30 places in town are on the National Register, among them 2 National Historic Landmarks and five historic districts with 94 buildings between them. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1850.

1843first post office
30on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
23famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Camden’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Camden began

When was Camden founded?

1843

The Camden post office opened in 1843, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1844. Two smaller post offices, Corea Fabre (1830) and Cullendale (1834), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 894 in 18502020 census: 10,612183 years

How historic is Camden?

A−

More historic than 76% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Camden post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1844.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Camden’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Camden is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #10 of 123 in Arkansas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Camden’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 19405.3% of homes (±2.0) · typical AR town 3.1% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register30 listings, 120 historic buildings, 116 per 10,000 residents · typical AR town 20.5 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 76%
NewerOlder
Arkansas towns of 2,500+ (123)Ahead of 93%

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 Camden’s 116 sits above most of its state (88% of Arkansas towns have fewer) while its 120 historic buildings outnumber those of 90% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share (±2.0 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1844 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.

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 Camden’s past

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

A National Historic Landmark30 places on the National Register, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Mapped building by building9 fire insurance maps, 1886 to 1930, drew every building in Camden.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Camden, and 3 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

30 listings protect 120 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. 2 are National Historic Landmarks, the highest tier. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed
30
National Historic Landmarks
2
Fort Lookout
historic buildings protected
120
each building in a district counts
first listed
1971
McCollum-Chidester House
McCollum-Chidester HouseTate's BarnBenjamin T. Powell HouseRowland B. Smith HouseElliott-Meek HouseGraham-Gaughan-Betts HouseLeake-Ingham BuildingOld Camden Post OfficeRichmond-Tufts HouseOakland FarmOuachita County CourthouseMissouri-Pacific Railroad Depot-CamdenTyson Family Commercial BuildingSidney A. Umsted HouseCamden Confederate MonumentClifton and Greening Streets Historic DistrictLaney, Ben, Bridge, built 1947Oakland CemeteryHarvey's Grocery and Texaco StationClifton and Greening Street Historic DistrictRumph HouseSt. John's Episcopal ChurchWashington Street Historic DistrictOakland Cemetery, Confederate SectionSpring-Harrison Historic DistrictStandard Oil Company Oil Station PumphouseCamden Commercial Historic DistrictFort Lookout★Fort Southerland★
BuildingsDistrictsSitesStructuresObjects★ landmark
★ Landmark
Fort LookoutSite
★ Landmark
Fort SoutherlandSite
McCollum-Chidester HouseBuilding
Tate's BarnBuilding
Benjamin T. Powell HouseBuilding
Rowland B. Smith HouseBuilding
Elliott-Meek HouseBuilding
Graham-Gaughan-Betts HouseBuilding
All 30 listings
Leake-Ingham BuildingBuilding · listed 1975Old Camden Post OfficeBuilding · listed 1977Richmond-Tufts HouseBuilding · listed 1977Oakland FarmBuilding · listed 1978Ouachita County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1989Missouri-Pacific Railroad Depot-CamdenBuilding · listed 1992Tyson Family Commercial BuildingBuilding · listed 1994Sidney A. Umsted HouseBuilding · listed 1995Camden Confederate MonumentObject · listed 1996Clifton and Greening Streets Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1998Laney, Ben, BridgeStructure · listed 2000Oakland CemeterySite · listed 2000Harvey's Grocery and Texaco StationBuilding · listed 2001Clifton and Greening Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2001Rumph HouseBuilding · listed 2003Hickman HouseBuilding · listed 2006St. John's Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 2017Washington Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2018Oakland Cemetery, Confederate SectionSite · listed 1996Spring-Harrison Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2021Standard Oil Company Oil Station PumphouseStructure · listed 2022Camden Commercial Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2022

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

Help out

Start Camden’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old view1950 Census Enumeration District Maps -…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Every building

Camden, building by building, 1886–1930

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.

Camden fire insurance map, 1886, sheet 11886Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

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

The story

How Camden came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Camden.

Read it all →

The explorers Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet in 1673 and René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, in 1682 established French claims to the land they called Louisiana, which included what would become Camden, and found the Quapaw living at the confluence of the Arkansas and Mississippi rivers. The Quapaw claimed the territory that included this part of the Ouachita basin, but it was also influenced by both Caddo trade and culture. The old Indian trail called the Caddo Trace, leading from the Quapaw villages on the Arkansas River to those of the Caddo on the Red River, crossed the Ouachita River at what is now Camden. French hunters, trappers, and traders, who were drawn to the area by the abundant game, later established a rendezvous point on the high bluff above the crossing. The place became known as Ecore a Fabri or Fabri's Bluff (later spelled Fabre).

ChaptersEuropean explorationEarly statehoodAmerican Civil War20th century to present

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Camden, 1830 to 1994

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1830Post officeThe Corea Fabre post office opens
  3. 1834Post officeThe Cullendale post office opens
  4. 1843Post officeThe Corea Fabre post office closes
  5. 1843Post officeThe Camden post office opens
  6. 1880In the archive1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Arkansas - Ouachita County - Camden - ED AR 52-12…
  7. 1896Born hereBenjamin Travis Laney is born here
  8. 20th century
  9. 1904In the archiveBillboard in Camden, Arkansas advertising attractions at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Lou…
  10. 1934Born hereDavid Pryor is born here
  11. 1947BuiltLaney, Ben, Bridge is built
  12. 1951On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  13. 1954Born hereTommy Tuberville is born here
  14. 1956Post officeThe Cullendale post office closes
  15. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 15,823
  16. 1979Born hereNe-Yo is born here
  17. 1994LandmarkFort Lookout named a National Historic Landmark
  18. 1994LandmarkFort Southerland named a National Historic Landmark
By decade

Camden, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s–1900s2 items
1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Arkansas - Ouachita County - Camden - ED AR 52-12 to 2518801950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Arkansas - Ou…Billboard in Camden, Arkansas advertising attractions at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis1904Billboard in Camden, Arkansas advertising attractions…
1910s–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
Today8 recent
Fort Southerland 20222022Fort Southerland 2022Fort Lookout2016Fort LookoutBen Laney Bridge2016Ben Laney BridgeHarrell Field2011Harrell FieldPark in south Camden, AR IMG 22682009Park in south Camden, AR IMG 2268Laney tombstone in Camden, AR IMG 22212009Laney tombstone in Camden, AR IMG 2221Hussman tomb, Camden, AR IMG 22152009Hussman tomb, Camden, AR IMG 2215Camden welcome sign IMG 22672009Camden welcome sign IMG 2267
On the map

Camden on the map, 1951 to 1985

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

Camden on the 1951 USGS mapCamden on the 1971 USGS mapCamden on the 1985 USGS map1951Camden 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 Camden.

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.

1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Arkansas - Ouachita County - Camden - ED AR 52-12 to 25
Retake this view1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Arkansas - Ouachita County - Camden - ED AR 52-12 to 25, 1880

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Camden, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00016,0001850190019502000Peak: 15,823

Peaked at 15,823 in 1960; 10,612 people lived here in 2020.

18 censuses, 1850–2020.

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

Famous people

23 famous people were born in Camden

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

See all →
Ne-YoAmerican R&B singer · b. 1979
Tommy TubervilleAmerican football coach and politician · b. 1954
David PryorAmerican politician · b. 1934
Benjamin Travis LaneyArkansas governor · b. 1896
George Washington HaysAmerican politician · b. 1863
B
Betty Jo Teeter DobbsAmerican historian · b. 1930
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

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

Corea Fabre
1830–1843
Cullendale
1834–1956
Camden
1843–today
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
CullendaleFairviewHerbert
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Camden
ConfederateCullendaleGreenwoodJewish RestMemorial Park

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

Questions about Camden’s history

What year was Camden founded?

The Camden post office opened in 1843, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1844.

How does Camden rank for history?

Camden is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #10 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 Camden?

30 listings, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks: 18 buildings, among them the McCollum-Chidester House (listed 1971, the first), 5 historic districts with 94 contributing buildings, 4 sites, 2 structures, and 1 object. 120 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Camden?

5% of Camden’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.0 points), against a typical 3.1% for an Arkansas town; the median home was built in 1969.

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 (10), Wikidata (20), the National Register of Historic Places (30), 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.