El Dorado dates to 1843, and 29 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 76% of U.S. towns · #12 of 123 in Arkansas. What drives it
Most of El Dorado was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1970. 29 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 211 buildings between them. Below: 7 old photos and papers, maps from 1901 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1846.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives El Dorado’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, El Dorado is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #12 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 El Dorado’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 El Dorado’s 141 sits above most of its state (92% of Arkansas towns have fewer) while its 242 historic buildings outnumber those of 94% 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 (±1.8 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1843.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 El Dorado’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
El Dorado, building by building, 1901–1929
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.
In 1829, the territorial legislature took sections of Hempstead and Clark counties to establish Union County. Matthew Rainey founded and named El Dorado in 1843. El Dorado became the Union County seat that same year and the first Presbyterian church was organized.
1870: El Dorado Baptist Church was founded and El Dorado was incorporated.
1891: The first passenger train arrived in El Dorado from Camden.
1902: The Tucker-Parnell Feud erupted between city marshal Guy Tucker and local businessman Tom Parnell.
1919: Frank Livingston, a Black World War I veteran accused of murder with scant evidence, was burned alive by a mob near El Dorado.
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.
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.
In 1843, according to Wikidata. El Dorado’s post office opened in 1846, and the census of 1880 counted 443 people here.
How does El Dorado rank for history?
El Dorado is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #12 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 El Dorado?
29 listings: 23 buildings, among them the Matthew Rainey House (listed 1974, the first), 3 historic districts, the El Dorado Commercial Historic District, the Murphy-Hill Historic District and the Mahony Historic District, with 211 contributing buildings, 2 structures, and 1 object. 242 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in El Dorado?
4% of El Dorado’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.8 points), against a typical 3.1% for an Arkansas town; the median home was built in 1970.
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 (9), the National Register of Historic Places (29), 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.
1917
1917![Recruiting and Draft Service - Types of Recruits and Draftees [165-WW-481B-22]](https://images.townratings.com/story/1175/c039a180deab3ee449c4-s.jpg)
1917
1918
1979
2011
2011
