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History · Arkabutla

Arkabutla’s post office opened in 1874, and 54% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1932 on.

1874first post office
0on the National Register
54%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Arkabutla began

When was Arkabutla founded?

1874

The Arkabutla post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 285152 years
Founding year: the first Arkabutla post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Arkabutla’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 Arkabutla are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Arkabutla’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Arkabutla’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Arkabutla’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
The story

How Arkabutla came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Arkabutla.

Read it all →

On February 17, 2023, six people were killed and a seventh person injured in a shooting spree at three homes and a convenience store in Arkabutla. The sole suspect, identified as 52-year-old Richard Dale Crum, was arrested by police at one of the homes, and he was charged with first-degree murder. One of the deceased victims was Crum's ex-wife.

Chapters2023 shooting spree

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Arkabutla, 1874 to 1974

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1874Post officeThe Arkabutla post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1931Born hereJames Earl Jones is born here
  5. 1932On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1974Born hereMatthew Maher is born here
By decade

Arkabutla, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Procession of grain silos in DeSoto County, Mississippi, near Arkabutla2016Procession of grain silos in DeSoto County, Mississip…Neighboring house trailers in DeSoto County, Mississippi, near Arkabutla2016Neighboring house trailers in DeSoto County, Mississi…
On the map

Arkabutla on the map, 1932 to 1983

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

Arkabutla on the 1932 USGS mapArkabutla on the 1963 USGS mapArkabutla on the 1983 USGS map1932Crenshaw 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 Arkabutla.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Arkabutla

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

See all →
James Earl JonesAmerican actor · b. 1931
Matthew MaherAmerican actor · b. 1974
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Arkabutla’s post office has been open since 1874.

Gone or out of use
Arkabutla Consolidated High Schoolschool

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Arkabutla’s history

What year was Arkabutla founded?

The Arkabutla post office opened in 1874, 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 →
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 the Library of Congress (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.