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History · Crawfordsville

Crawfordsville dates to 1859, and 18% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1913 on and the census since 1920.

1859founded
0on the National Register
18%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Thomas R Machnitzki ([email protected]) · CC BY 3.0
Quick answers

How Crawfordsville began

When was Crawfordsville founded?

1859

Crawfordsville dates its founding to 1859 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1920.

First census: 605 in 19202020 census: 462167 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1870.

What stands out about Crawfordsville’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 Crawfordsville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 831 in 1970; 462 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Crawfordsville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Crawfordsville’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

Crawfordsville, census by census

0200400600800192019401960198020002020Peak: 831

Peaked at 831 in 1970; 462 people lived here in 2020.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

The story so far

Crawfordsville, in brief

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

Crawfordsville, historically Crawfordville, is a town in Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 462 at the 2020 census.

Crawfordsville was established in 1859. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 479 to 462 (-4%).

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

Timeline

Crawfordsville, 1859 to 1970

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1859
    FoundingCrawfordsville is established
  3. 1870Post officeThe Crawfordville post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1934Born hereJohnnie Taylor is born here
  6. 1939On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1941Born hereJohnny "Yard Dog" Jones is born here
  8. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 831
By decade

Crawfordsville, decade by decade

Today24 recent
Crawfordsville AR 0172012Crawfordsville AR 017Crawfordsville AR 0162012Crawfordsville AR 016Crawfordsville AR 0152012Crawfordsville AR 015Crawfordsville AR 0142012Crawfordsville AR 014Crawfordsville AR 0132012Crawfordsville AR 013Crawfordsville AR 0122012Crawfordsville AR 012Crawfordsville AR 0112012Crawfordsville AR 011Crawfordsville AR 0102012Crawfordsville AR 010Crawfordsville AR 0092012Crawfordsville AR 009Crawfordsville AR 0082012Crawfordsville AR 008Crawfordsville AR 0072012Crawfordsville AR 007Crawfordsville AR 0062012Crawfordsville AR 006Crawfordsville AR 0052012Crawfordsville AR 005Crawfordsville AR 0042012Crawfordsville AR 004Crawfordsville AR 0032012Crawfordsville AR 003Crawfordsville AR 0022012Crawfordsville AR 002Crawfordsville AR 0012012Crawfordsville AR 001Sgt. Dakota Meyer DVIDS4431012011Sgt. Dakota Meyer DVIDS443101Flickr - DVIDSHUB - Sgt. Dakota Meyer (Image 2 of 7)2011Flickr - DVIDSHUB - Sgt. Dakota Meyer (Image 2 of 7)Flickr - DVIDSHUB - Dakota Meyer at the Maximum Warrior Challenge (Image 3 of 3)2011Flickr - DVIDSHUB - Dakota Meyer at the Maximum Warri…Flickr - DVIDSHUB - Dakota Meyer at the Maximum Warrior Challenge (Image 2 of 3)2011Flickr - DVIDSHUB - Dakota Meyer at the Maximum Warri…Flickr - DVIDSHUB - Dakota Meyer at the Maximum Warrior Challenge (Image 1 of 3)2011Flickr - DVIDSHUB - Dakota Meyer at the Maximum Warri…Untitled photo2011Untitled photoARMap-doton-Crawfordsville2005ARMap-doton-Crawfordsville
On the map

Crawfordsville on the map, 1939 to 1981

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

Crawfordsville on the 1939 USGS mapCrawfordsville on the 1954 USGS mapCrawfordsville on the 1975 USGS mapCrawfordsville on the 1981 USGS map1939Edmondson 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 Crawfordsville.

Every building

Crawfordsville, building by building, 1913–1919

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.

Crawfordsville fire insurance map, 1913, sheet 11913Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Crawfordsville

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

See all →
J
Johnnie TaylorAmerican male singer and songwriter · b. 1934
J
Johnny "Yard Dog" JonesAmerican Chicago blues and soul blues singer, g… · b. 1941

Questions about Crawfordsville’s history

What year was Crawfordsville founded?

In 1859, according to Wikidata. Crawfordsville’s post office opened in 1870, and the census of 1920 counted 605 people here.

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 (24), 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.