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History · Friars Point

Friars Point dates to 1836, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

Most of Friars Point was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1989. 1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 35 buildings. Below: maps from 1886 on and the census since 1880.

1836founded
1on the National Register
2%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Magnolia677 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Friars Point began

When was Friars Point founded?

1836

Friars Point dates its founding to 1836 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 676 in 18802020 census: 896190 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1850.The full story ↓

What stands out about Friars Point’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 Friars Point are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Mapped building by building6 fire insurance maps, 1886 to 1918, drew every building in Friars Point.A historic districtThe Friars Point Historic District takes in 35 historic buildings.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,480 in 2000; 896 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Friars Point’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Friars Point’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
Every building

Friars Point, building by building, 1886–1918

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.

Friars Point fire insurance map, 1886, sheet 11886Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

On the National Register

1 listing protects 35 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
35
each building in a district counts
first listed
1999
Friars Point Historic District
Friars Point Historic District
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Gothic Revival1
Queen Anne1
Colonial Revival1
Tudor1
Bungalow/Craftsman1
All 1 listings
Friars Point Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1999

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Friars Point came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Friars Point.

Read it all →

Friars Point is one of two hypothesized locations where Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto may have crossed the Mississippi River (the other is Commerce, Mississippi).

The town was founded in 1836 and originally called "Farrar's Point". When the town incorporated in 1852, its name was changed to "Friar's Point" to honor Robert Friar, an early settler, legislator, and businessman who sold fuel to passing steamboats. In 1850, the county seat was moved from the nearby town of Delta to Friars Point.

Strategically situated at a bend in the Mississippi River, Friars Point flourished before the Civil War as the largest shipping center for cotton south of Memphis.

ChaptersDelta blues

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Friars Point, 1836 to 2000

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1836
    FoundingFriars Point is established
  3. 1850Post officeThe Friar Point post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1933Born hereConway Twitty is born here
  6. 1964On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 21st century
  8. 2000CensusPopulation peaks at 1,480
By decade

Friars Point, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Cotton field near Friars Point, Mississippi2016Cotton field near Friars Point, MississippiOld barn near Friars Point, Mississippi2016Old barn near Friars Point, MississippiFriarsPointSign2014FriarsPointSignFriars Point, Mississippi (2013)2013Friars Point, Mississippi (2013)Minie Ball House2007Minie Ball HouseFriars Point Methodist Church2007Friars Point Methodist Church
On the map

Friars Point on the map, 1964 to 1990

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

Friars Point on the 1964 USGS mapFriars Point on the 1984 USGS mapFriars Point on the 1990 USGS map1964Friars Point 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 Friars Point.

People over time

Friars Point, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,60018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,480

Peaked at 1,480 in 2000; 896 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Questions about Friars Point’s history

What year was Friars Point founded?

In 1836, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Friars Point’s post office opened in 1850, and the census of 1880 counted 676 people here.

What is on the National Register in Friars Point?

One place: the Friars Point Historic District (listed 1999).

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 Wikimedia Commons (4), the Library of Congress (2), the National Register of Historic Places (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.