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History · Tyronza

Tyronza was first counted by the census in 1930, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940

6 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 21 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1940 on and the census since 1930.

1930first census
6on the National Register
16%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Tyronza began

When was Tyronza founded?

1930

Tyronza first appears in the census in 1930.

First census: 573 in 19302020 census: 71696 years
Founding year: the first census.The full story ↓

What stands out about Tyronza’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 Tyronza are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Landmarks on the Register6 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Tyronza’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Tyronza’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
On the National Register

6 listings protect 22 historic buildings

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

places listed
6
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
22
each building in a district counts
first listed
2007
Tyronza Water Tower
Tyronza Water TowerHighway A-7, Ditch No. 6 BridgeTyronza Commercial Historic DistrictTyronza Methodist Episcopal Church, SouthEmrich and Beley Cotton Gin
BuildingsDistrictsStructures
Tyronza Water TowerStructure
Highway A-7, Ditch No. 6 BridgeStructure
Tyronza Commercial Historic DistrictDistrict
Tyronza Methodist Episcopal Church, SouthBuilding
All 6 listings
Highway A-7, Tyronza SegmentStructure · listed 2009Emrich and Beley Cotton GinDistrict · listed 2026

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

The story

How Tyronza came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Tyronza.

Read it all →

Tyronza is one of the oldest cities within Poinsett County with its origins dating back to the late 19th century. In the 1930s, it was the site where the Southern Tenant Farmers movement started what became a national outcry against the abusive discrimination by wealthy land owners against the mostly African-American sharecroppers. A museum in the city, operated by Arkansas State University, highlights the history of organizing by tenant farmers in order to secure better prices and conditions, and the history of the region.

ChaptersSocialism

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Tyronza, 1924 to 1958

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1924Born hereBettie Shumway is born here
  3. 1940On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 1958Born hereHarvey Knuckles is born here
By decade

Tyronza, decade by decade

Today9 recent
Tyronza, AR 0032014Tyronza, AR 003Tyronza, AR 0012014Tyronza, AR 001Water towers Tyronza AR 2012-08 0012012Water towers Tyronza AR 2012-08 001Police cruiser Tyronza AR 2012-08 0022012Police cruiser Tyronza AR 2012-08 002Tyronza AR 2011-08-20 0042011Tyronza AR 2011-08-20 004Tyronza AR 2011-08-20 0032011Tyronza AR 2011-08-20 003Tyronza AR 2011-08-20 0022011Tyronza AR 2011-08-20 002Tyronza AR 2011-08-20 0012011Tyronza AR 2011-08-20 001ARMap-doton-Tyronza2005ARMap-doton-Tyronza
On the map

Tyronza on the map, 1940 to 1974

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

Tyronza on the 1940 USGS mapTyronza on the 1957 USGS mapTyronza on the 1974 USGS map1940Deckerville 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 Tyronza.

People over time

Tyronza, census by census

02004006008001,00019401960198020002020Peak: 918

Between 510 and 918 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Tyronza

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

See all →
H
Harvey KnucklesAmerican basketball player · b. 1958
B
Bettie ShumwayAmerican politician · b. 1924

Questions about Tyronza’s history

What year was Tyronza founded?

The Tyronza post office opened in 1930, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Tyronza?

6 listings: 1 building, 2 historic districts, the Tyronza Commercial Historic District and the Emrich and Beley Cotton Gin, with 21 contributing buildings, and 3 structures. 22 historic buildings in all.

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 (9), the National Register of Historic Places (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.