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History · White Oak

White Oak’s post office opened in 1891

Most of White Oak was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1960. Below: maps from 1940 on.

1891first post office
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How White Oak began

When was White Oak founded?

1891

The White Oak post office opened in 1891, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 101135 years
Founding year: the first White Oak post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about White Oak’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 White Oak are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of White Oak’s homes were built before 1960.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start White Oak’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how White Oak’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 so far

White Oak, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of White Oak yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

White Oak is an unincorporated community in Dunklin County, Missouri, United States. It is located on Route 25, approximately five miles north of Kennett. As of the 2020 census, White Oak had a population of 101. A post office called White Oak was established in 1891, and the name was changed to Whiteoak in 1895. The community was named for a grove of white oak trees near the original town site.

Its first post office opened in 1891.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

White Oak on the map, 1940 to 1983

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

White Oak on the 1940 USGS mapWhite Oak on the 1956 USGS mapWhite Oak on the 1983 USGS map1940Piggott 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 White Oak.

Famous people

Famous people close to White Oak

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

See all →
S
Sheryl CrowAmerican musician · b. 1962
Paul Caruthers JonesAmerican politician · b. 1901
A.C. ReedAmerican blues saxophonist · b. 1926
Bill BurlisonAmerican politician · b. 1931
David NailAmerican country musician · b. 1979
A
April ScottAmerican actress-model · b. 1979

Questions about White Oak’s history

What year was White Oak founded?

The White Oak post office opened in 1891, 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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.