DeWitt dates to 1854, and 9 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 55% of U.S. towns · #39 of 123 in Arkansas. What drives it
Most of DeWitt was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. 9 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 36 buildings. Below: maps from 1941 on and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1856.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives DeWitt’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, DeWitt is more historic than 55% of U.S. towns, #39 of 123 in Arkansas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of DeWitt’s overall grade.
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 DeWitt’s 140 sits above most of its state (92% of Arkansas towns have fewer) while its 41 historic buildings outnumber those of 84% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.6 points). Two sources give 1854.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 DeWitt’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The Arkansas County Quorum Court determined Arkansas Post, which had served as county seat since 1813, was no longer centrally located within the county following creation of several Southeast Arkansas counties. A new, more centrally located town was proposed to become county seat. Founded February 19, 1853, the name DeWitt was picked out of a hat after being submitted by an admirer of the sixth governor of New York, DeWitt Clinton, one of many localities named for Clinton during the period. The town was platted in 1854, and has had a post office since 1856. The city was incorporated in 1875.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of DeWitt. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1941De Witt 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 DeWitt.
People over time
DeWitt, census by census
Between 169 and 3,928 people in every census since 1880.
13 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on DeWitt’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Another post office, La Grue, opened and closed inside today’s town.
De Witt
1856–today
La Grue
1872–1875
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
De Witt
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside DeWitt
De WittMorning Glory
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about DeWitt’s history
What year was DeWitt founded?
In 1854, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. DeWitt’s post office opened in 1856, and the census of 1880 counted 169 people here.
How does DeWitt rank for history?
DeWitt is more historic than 55% of U.S. towns, #39 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 DeWitt?
9 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Halliburton House (listed 1974, the first), 1 historic district, the DeWitt Commercial Historic District, with 36 contributing buildings, and 3 structures. 41 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in DeWitt?
6% of DeWitt’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.6 points), against a typical 3.1% for an Arkansas town; the median home was built in 1974.
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 (7), the Library of Congress (10), the National Register of Historic Places (9), Wikipedia, 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.
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