Paragould’s post office opened in 1882, and 13 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 39% of U.S. towns · #63 of 123 in Arkansas. What drives it
Most of Paragould was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1991. 13 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 56 buildings. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1890.
The Paragould post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1883. Two smaller post offices, Bula (1880) and Center Hill (1891), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 1,666 in 18902020 census: 29,537144 years
How historic is Paragould?
C+
More historic than 39% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Paragould post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1883.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Paragould’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Paragould is more historic than 39% of U.S. towns, #63 of 123 in Arkansas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Paragould’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 Paragould’s 22.8 sits near the middle of its state (57% of Arkansas towns have fewer) while its 69 historic buildings outnumber those of 87% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share (±1.1 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1883 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 Paragould’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
Paragould, building by building, 1892–1923
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.
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Paragould’s post office has been open since 1882. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Bula
1880–1882
Paragould
1882–today
Center Hill
1891–1931
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Center HillFairviewRock Hill
Gone or out of use
Center Hill SchoolschoolLight House SchoolschoolMount Carmel SchoolschoolParrish Business CollegeschoolSpring Grove SchoolschoolThompsons Classical InstituteschoolWitschieben Presbyterian Churchchurch
The city's name is a blend combining the last names of competing railroad magnates J. W. Paramore and Jay Gould. Paramore's Texas & St. Louis Railway (later the Cotton Belt) and Gould's St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway (later the Missouri Pacific) intersected here in 1882. A group of citizens chose the name, and it is believed to be the only city in the world with this name. For a time, Gould objected to his name's being second and refused to list the new town on his schedules. In 1888, Paragould was the starting point for the Paragould and Buffalo Island Railway (later the Paragould Southeastern Railway), which eventually made its way to Blytheville, Arkansas.
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.
The Paragould post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1883.
How does Paragould rank for history?
Paragould is more historic than 39% of U.S. towns, #63 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 Paragould?
13 listings: 10 buildings, among them the Greene County Courthouse (listed 1976, the first), 1 historic district, the Paragould Downtown Commercial Historic District, with 56 contributing buildings, 1 site, and 1 object. 69 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Paragould?
2% of Paragould’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.1 points), against a typical 3.1% for an Arkansas town; the median home was built in 1991.
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 (2), the Library of Congress (4), the National Register of Historic Places (13), Wikipedia, 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.
1880
1913
1913
1913
