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History · Powhatan

Powhatan’s post office opened in 1843, and 6 of its places are on the National Register

Most of Powhatan was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. Below: maps from 1934 on and the census since 1880.

1843first post office
6on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Powhatan began

When was Powhatan founded?

1843

The Powhatan post office opened in 1843, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1849.

First census: 196 in 18802020 census: 104183 years
Founding year: the first Powhatan post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1849.The full story ↓

What stands out about Powhatan’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 Powhatan are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost two-thirds of its people between 1900 and 1980, then more than doubled.Landmarks on the Register6 places on the National Register.Deep rootsA post office since 1843: 183 years of Powhatan.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Powhatan’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Powhatan’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

Powhatan, census by census

010020018801900192019401960198020002020249 in 1900Low: 49

Lost two-thirds of its people between 1900 and 1980, then more than doubled.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

On the National Register

6 historic places in Powhatan

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
6
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
6
each building in a district counts
first listed
1970
Powhatan Courthouse
Powhatan Methodist ChurchPowhatan SchoolhousePowhatan JailPowhatan Courthouse, built 1888Ficklin-Imboden HouseTelephone Exchange Building
Buildings
Powhatan Methodist ChurchBuilding
Powhatan SchoolhouseBuilding
Powhatan JailBuilding
All 6 listings
Powhatan CourthouseBuilding · listed 1970Ficklin-Imboden HouseBuilding · listed 1989Telephone Exchange BuildingBuilding · listed 1989

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Powhatan came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Powhatan.

Read it all →

The community was the economic hub of Lawrence County even before first platting in 1849. Situated on the Black River, the community took advantage of river traffic both along the river and as a ferry point for crossing the river. The Military Road passed nearby in the 1830s, and the local economy was flourishing. The Civil War shut down commerce on the river, especially after the Union regained control of Arkansas. Skirmishes throughout the region caused havoc for residents, but a slow recovery began to take place following the war. County government was relocated to Powhatan from Clover Bend, a decision greatly helping Powhatan recover.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Powhatan, 1843 to 1934

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1843Post officeThe Powhatan post office opens
  3. 1888BuiltPowhatan Courthouse is built
  4. 20th century
  5. 1900CensusPopulation peaks at 249
  6. 1934On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Powhatan, decade by decade

Today1 recent
ARMap-doton-Powhatan2005ARMap-doton-Powhatan
On the map

Powhatan on the map, 1934 to 1974

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

Powhatan on the 1934 USGS mapPowhatan on the 1974 USGS map1934Powhatan 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 Powhatan.

Famous people

Famous people close to Powhatan

Nobody well known was born in Powhatan itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
J
Jim BarnesAmerican basketball player · b. 1941
Billy Lee RileyAmerican rockabilly musician, singer, record pr… · b. 1933
J
Jim JohnstonAmerican music composer and musician best known… · b. 1959
James T. ConwayU.S. Marine Corps general · b. 1947
Ed BethuneArkansas politician, lawyer, lobbyist and Unite… · b. 1935
M
Miller WilliamsAmerican poet, translator, editor · b. 1930
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Powhatan’s post office has been open since 1843.

Gone or out of use
Powhatan CourthouseparkPowhatan Jailpark
1cemetery inside Powhatan
Powhatan

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

Questions about Powhatan’s history

What year was Powhatan founded?

The Powhatan post office opened in 1843, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1849.

What is on the National Register in Powhatan?

6 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Powhatan Courthouse (listed 1970, the first).

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 (1), the National Register of Historic Places (6), 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.