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History · Ravenden

Ravenden’s post office opened in 1883

Most of Ravenden was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Below: maps from 1968 on and the census since 1940.

1883first post office
0on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Ravenden began

When was Ravenden founded?

1883

The Ravenden post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 240 in 19402020 census: 426143 years
Founding year: the first Ravenden post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Ravenden’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 Ravenden are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ravenden’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ravenden’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Ravenden came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ravenden.

Read it all →

The area was first explored by French settlers in the late 18th century, but did not see any major economic development until 1883, when the Kansas City, Fort Scott and Memphis Railroad built their main line through the area. A post office was established in 1891, and the town formally incorporated ten years later.

The community building, still in use, was dedicated in 1960. Ray Ellis was mayor at that time.

Return to the Land (RTTL), an ethnically exclusive (Identitarian) organization seeking to build segregated communities solely open to those of European descent, owns 160 acres near Ravenden as part of its flagship development. As of July 2025, the community is home to 40 inhabitants.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Ravenden, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Spring River at Ravenden, AR 0022026Spring River at Ravenden, AR 002Spring River at Ravenden, AR 0012026Spring River at Ravenden, AR 001Ravenden, AR City Hall2026Ravenden, AR City HallLawrence County Road 107 bridge over Spring River at2026Lawrence County Road 107 bridge over Spring River atHayfield adjacent to Spring River in2026Hayfield adjacent to Spring River inRavenden Arkansas Statue2013Ravenden Arkansas Statue
On the map

Ravenden on the map, 1968 to 1981

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

Ravenden on the 1968 USGS mapRavenden on the 1981 USGS map1968Ravenden sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Ravenden.

People over time

Ravenden, census by census

010020030040050019401960198020002020Peak: 511

Between 219 and 511 people in every census since 1940.

9 censuses, 1940–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Ravenden

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

See all →
T
Tess HarperAmerican actress · b. 1950
Gordon CarpenterAmerican basketball player · b. 1919
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

Questions about Ravenden’s history

What year was Ravenden founded?

The Ravenden post office opened in 1883, 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 →
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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 (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.