Shoals’ post office opened in 1869, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 75 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1895 on, and the census since 1870.
Shoals was originally called "Memphis"; under the latter name, the community was platted in 1844. The post office at Shoals has been in operation since 1869.
A lynching took place at the county courthouse and jail. The Archer boys were accused of torturing and killing a local farmer and were hanged from trees in front of the jail in 1886.
Shoals is known for making mother of pearl buttons during the early 20th century. They were made out of mussels from the White River.
Passages that mention Shoals, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The Isles of Shoals. An historical sketch1873Read the page →
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Hampshire was devastated, and all the settlements in the former province utterly destroyed, except the four towns of Wells, Eittery, York and the I>les of Shoals. To capture and annihilate these remaining settlements, and thus close the war, the French and Indians, in 1091, resolved upon the most desperate efforts, with all the combined forces by land and sea, they could muster. Their design was, however, for
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The Isles of Shoals. An historical sketch1873Read the page →
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of punishment was quite popular, both in England and this country, in early days.*'1 The establishment of this infamous implement among the termigants of the Isles of Shoals was successfully resisted.2 The Clicking stool was not permitted to rise upon the breezy rocks of the Isles of Shoals, and the natural liberty of tongue, which the fishwives of Gosport and Hog Island seem to have prized so highly,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Shoals, 1869 to 1950
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Shoals. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1950Shoals 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 Shoals.
Every building
Shoals, building by building, 1895–1921
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.
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 (10), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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2024
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