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History · Gould

Gould’s post office opened in 1907

Most of Gould was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. Below: maps from 1935 on and the census since 1910.

1907first post office
0on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Water tower nut from Metairie, U.S.A. · CC BY 2.0
Quick answers

How Gould began, and where its name came from

When was Gould founded?

1907

The Gould post office opened in 1907, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Joslyn (1904), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 57 in 19102020 census: 663119 years

How did Gould get its name?

Gould was named after the American railroad magnate Jay Gould.

Founding year: the first Gould post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

What stands out about Gould’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 Gould are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,671 in 1980; 663 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Gould’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Gould’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

Gould, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,6001,800192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,671

Peaked at 1,671 in 1980; 663 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story so far

Gould, in brief

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

Gould is a city in Lincoln County, Arkansas, United States. Its population was 663 at the 2020 census, down from 837 at the 2010 census. Gould is a farming community. It was named after the American railroad magnate Jay Gould.

Its first post office opened in 1907. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 837 to 663 (-21%).

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

Timeline

Gould, 1904 to 1980

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1904Post officeThe Joslyn post office opens
  3. 1907Post officeThe Joslyn post office closes
  4. 1907Post officeThe Gould post office opens
  5. 1925Born hereOzell Sutton is born here
  6. 1935On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1951Born hereCleo Miller is born here
  8. 1953Born hereJanis F. Kearney is born here
  9. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 1,671
By decade

Gould, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Highway 212 near2014Highway 212 nearHighway 212 at US 65 in2012Highway 212 at US 65 inHighway 114 at US 65 in2012Highway 114 at US 65 inHighway 114 and Highway 212 at US 65 in2012Highway 114 and Highway 212 at US 65 inGouldARKWater2007GouldARKWater
On the map

Gould on the map, 1935 to 1964

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

Gould on the 1935 USGS mapGould on the 1964 USGS map1935Rotan 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 Gould.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Gould

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

See all →
C
Cleo MillerPlayer of American football · b. 1951
O
Ozell SuttonFormer U.S. Marine and Alpha Phi Alpha president · b. 1925
J
Janis F. KearneyU.S. President diarist and writer · b. 1953
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Gould’s post office has been open since 1907. Another post office, Joslyn, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Joslyn
1904–1907
Gould
1907–today
19001960today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Gould’s history

What year was Gould founded?

The Gould post office opened in 1907, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 (5), 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) 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.