Egypt, Arkansas is a small town located in Craighead County near the Cache River. The town was established in 1898 by New York businessmen attracted to the area's abundant timber. The narrow gauge railway by the Sedgwick Tie and Timber Company connected the town to the major line of the Kansas City, Fort Scott and Memphis Railroad, which stimulated its growth. The town was home to several stores, a gin, a school, and churches in the 1930s and 1950s, but never experienced major growth due to its location far from the main railway line and major highways. In 1942 an oil pipeline pumping station was built near Bald Knob, Ar. to move oil northeast along the Big Inch oil pipeline. The town's decline started after the cutting of timber and the consolidation of schools. It was incorporated as a town in 1984 and had a population of 113 in the 2020 census.
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 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.
