The story
Read it all →How Conway came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Conway.
Conway was platted in 1869, and named after a local merchant. A post office has been in operation at Conway since 1871.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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History · Conway
Conway dates to 1869, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940
Below: maps from 1916 on and the census since 1890.
1869founded
0on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Quick answers
How Conway began
When was Conway founded?
1869
Conway dates its founding to 1869 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1890.
First census: 217 in 18902020 census: 729157 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1871.The full story ↓
What stands out about Conway’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Conway’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Conway’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.Timeline
Conway, 1869 to 1954
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1869FoundingConway is established
- 1871Post officeThe Conway post office opens
- 1872
Born hereHarry Holman is born here - 20th century
- 1954
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade
Conway, decade by decade
Today1 recent
2004On the map
Conway on the map, 1954 to 1982
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Conway. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1954Springfield sheet · 1:250,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Conway.
Every building
Conway, building by building, 1916
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 sheet.
1916Sheet 1 of 1Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
People over time
Conway, census by census
Between 217 and 788 people in every census since 1890.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Conway’s Wikipedia page.
Questions about Conway’s history
What year was Conway founded?
In 1869, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Conway’s post office opened in 1871, and the census of 1890 counted 217 people here.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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), 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 and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.