The Marshall post office opened in 1867, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1884. Another post office, Burrowsville (1857), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 160 in 18802020 census: 1,329159 years
How historic is Marshall?
B+
More historic than 69% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Marshall post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1884.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Marshall’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Marshall is more historic than 69% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Marshall’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 Marshall’s 209 sits above most of its state (98% of Arkansas towns have fewer) while its 25 historic buildings outnumber those of 81% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.5 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1884 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Marshall’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The Paleo Indians, were the earliest known human inhabitants of the area. They marked their stay by leaving behind their unique Clovis spear points in caves and fields. Later, they became more advanced in creating shelters, clothing, and hunting weapons. In 1968 Don Dickson discovered lighter “heat treated” flint points at Calf Creek near Snowball. As a result of this first discovery all similar type projectiles are called Calf Creek Points.
Marshall’s post office has been open since 1867. Another post office, Burrowsville, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Burrowsville
1857–1867
Marshall
1867–today
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Jameson
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Marshall’s history
What year was Marshall founded?
The Marshall post office opened in 1867, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1884.
How does Marshall rank for history?
Marshall is more historic than 69% of U.S. towns. 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 Marshall?
22 listings: 21 buildings, among them the Searcy County Courthouse (listed 1976, the first), and 1 structure. 25 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Marshall?
14% of Marshall’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.5 points), against a typical 3.1% for an Arkansas town; the median home was built in 1971.
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 (12), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (22), 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.
2020
2020
2020
2020
2020
2019
2017
2014
2014
2013
2010
2005
