Elm Springs dates to 1832, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 44% of U.S. towns · #53 of 123 in Arkansas. What drives it
Most of Elm Springs was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2004. Its Register listing is the Elm Springs Cemetery, Historic Section. Below: maps from 1970 on and the census since 1930.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1848.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Elm Springs’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Elm Springs is more historic than 44% of U.S. towns, #53 of 123 in Arkansas. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Elm Springs’ 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 Elm Springs’ 3.3 sits below most of its state (30% of Arkansas towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1832.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share (±2.9 points) is firm at this size.
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 Elm Springs’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first permanent settlement at Elm Springs was made in the 1840s. The town took its name from a large spring near the original town site.
Elm Springs served as a gathering point for newly recruited confederate soldiers in 1861 prior to the Battle of Pea Ridge. By 1862, Elm Springs was a mustering site for confederate units from Arkansas and Missouri. Two minor skirmishes were fought in Elm Springs on April 26, and July 30, 1863.
In 1832, according to Wikidata. Elm Springs’ post office opened in 1848, and the census of 1930 counted 182 people here.
How does Elm Springs rank for history?
Elm Springs is more historic than 44% of U.S. towns, #53 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 Elm Springs?
One place: the Elm Springs Cemetery, Historic Section (listed 2020).
How old are the homes in Elm Springs?
3% of Elm Springs’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 3.1% for an Arkansas town; the median home was built in 2004.
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 (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
2005
