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History · New Houlka

New Houlka dates to 1904, and 10% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1972 on and the census since 1970.

1904founded
0on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Fredlyfish4 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How New Houlka began

When was New Houlka founded?

1904

New Houlka dates its founding to 1904 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1970.

First census: 646 in 19702020 census: 698122 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1847.The full story ↓

What stands out about New Houlka’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 New Houlka are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start New Houlka’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how New Houlka’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 New Houlka came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of New Houlka.

Read it all →

This area was a well-established center of Chickasaw culture by the 1500s.

Settlers arrived in the late 1700s and established a Chickasaw Agency House at Houlka for trading with the natives. Agency representatives called the settlement "Holkey" in their earliest correspondence, which dates from 1794 after the United States gained independence from Great Britain.

Houlka was located at the crossroads of the ancient Native American pathways known as the Natchez Trace and the Gaines Trace.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

New Houlka, 1847 to 1972

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1847Post officeThe Houlka post office opens
  3. 1899Born hereEarl J. Hamilton is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1904
    FoundingNew Houlka is established
  6. 1962Born hereJim Hood is born here
  7. 1972On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

New Houlka, decade by decade

Today2 recent
New Houlka Tanglefoot Trail2020New Houlka Tanglefoot TrailNew Houlka Mississippi2016New Houlka Mississippi
On the map

New Houlka on the map, 1972 to 1984

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

New Houlka on the 1972 USGS mapNew Houlka on the 1984 USGS map1972Houlka 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 New Houlka.

People over time

New Houlka, census by census

0100200300400500600700198020002020Peak: 710

Between 558 and 710 people in every census since 1970.

6 censuses, 1970–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in New Houlka

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

See all →
E
Earl J. HamiltonAmerican historian · b. 1899
Jim HoodAmerican politician · b. 1962
Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Houlka

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

Questions about New Houlka’s history

What year was New Houlka founded?

In 1904, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. New Houlka’s post office opened in 1847, and the census of 1970 counted 646 people here.

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 (2), 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.