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History · Chidester

Chidester dates to 1880, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1901 on and the census since 1910.

1880founded
0on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Farther Along · CC BY 2.0
Quick answers

How Chidester began

When was Chidester founded?

1880

Chidester dates its founding to 1880 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 211 in 19102020 census: 253146 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1882.

What stands out about Chidester’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 Chidester are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19013 editions of the USGS map, 1901 to 1986. Watch Chidester change.Boom and bustPeaked at 508 in 1940; 253 people lived here in 2020.
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Start Chidester’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Chidester on the map, 1901 to 1986

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

Chidester on the 1901 USGS mapChidester on the 1973 USGS mapChidester on the 1986 USGS map1901Gurdon sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Chidester.

People over time

Chidester, census by census

0100200300400500192019401960198020002020Peak: 508

Peaked at 508 in 1940; 253 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story so far

Chidester, in brief

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

Chidester ( CHIH-di-stir) is a city in northwest Ouachita County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 253 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Camden Micropolitan Statistical Area. It was founded in 1880 and incorporated on February 14, 1906.

Chidester was established in 1880. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 287 to 253 (-12%).

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

Timeline

Chidester, 1880 to 1940

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1880
    FoundingChidester is established
  3. 1882Post officeThe Chidester post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1901On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 508
By decade

Chidester, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Chidester Stagecoach Days 20082008Chidester Stagecoach Days 2008ARMap-doton-Chidester2005ARMap-doton-Chidester

Questions about Chidester’s history

What year was Chidester founded?

In 1880, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Chidester’s post office opened in 1882, and the census of 1910 counted 211 people here.

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 (2), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.