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History · Clarksdale

Clarksdale dates to 1885, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1923 on and the census since 1890.

1885founded
0on the National Register
36%homes built before 1940
1famous people
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Quick answers

How Clarksdale began

When was Clarksdale founded?

1885

Clarksdale dates its founding to 1885 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 145 in 18902020 census: 245141 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1886.The full story ↓

What stands out about Clarksdale’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 Clarksdale are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 834 in 1900; 245 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Clarksdale’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Clarksdale’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

Clarksdale, census by census

02004006008001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 834

Peaked at 834 in 1900; 245 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story

How Clarksdale came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Clarksdale.

Read it all →

Clarksdale was platted in 1885 when the railroad was extended to that point. The community was named after John F. Clark, the original owner of the town site. A post office has been in operation at Clarksdale since 1886.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Clarksdale, 1885 to 1923

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1885
    FoundingClarksdale is established
  3. 1886Post officeThe Clarksdale post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1900CensusPopulation peaks at 834
  6. 1918Born hereRaymond L. Wallace is born here
  7. 1923On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Clarksdale, decade by decade

Today1 recent
MOMap-doton-Clarksdale2004MOMap-doton-Clarksdale
On the map

Clarksdale on the map, 1923 to 1983

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

Clarksdale on the 1923 USGS mapClarksdale on the 1983 USGS map1923Clarksdale 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 Clarksdale.

Questions about Clarksdale’s history

What year was Clarksdale founded?

In 1885, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Clarksdale’s post office opened in 1886, and the census of 1890 counted 145 people here.

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 (1), 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) 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.