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History · Stringtown

Stringtown’s post office opened in 1874, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1899 on and the census since 1920.

1874first post office
0on the National Register
11%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Stringtown began

When was Stringtown founded?

1874

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

First census: 360 in 19202020 census: 419152 years
Founding year: the first Stringtown post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Stringtown’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 Stringtown are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18995 editions of the USGS map, 1899 to 1985. Watch Stringtown change.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,047 in 1980; 419 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building3 fire insurance maps, 1904 to 1920, drew every building in Stringtown.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Stringtown’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Stringtown’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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On the map

Stringtown on the map, 1899 to 1985

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

Stringtown on the 1899 USGS mapStringtown on the 1900 USGS mapStringtown on the 1956 USGS mapStringtown on the 1979 USGS mapStringtown on the 1985 USGS map1899Atoka sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Stringtown.

People over time

Stringtown, census by census

02004006008001,000192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,047

Peaked at 1,047 in 1980; 419 people lived here in 2020.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

The story

How Stringtown came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Stringtown.

Read it all →

Sources differ as to the origins of the name: one suggests the original name was Springtown for a local sulphur spring but a spelling mistake labeled it Stringtown, while another suggests it got the name because businesses were strung out along the railroad tracks. Once home to a bank, theater, and pub, the town has grown recently, both economically and in population. Population growth since the 1990 census, companies noticing business opportunities in game hunting, and the addition of a new café have brought new life to the town. Annually in September, the Good Ole Days Festival celebrates the town's past with a parade, cookout, and concert.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Stringtown, 1874 to 1980

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1874Post officeThe Stringtown post office opens
  3. 1896Born hereChick Sorrells is born here
  4. 1899On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 20th century
  6. 1953Born hereU. L. Washington is born here
  7. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 1,047
By decade

Stringtown, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Ball field layout2013Ball field layoutBall Field2013Ball FieldOKMap-doton-Stringtown2004OKMap-doton-Stringtown
Every building

Stringtown, building by building, 1904–1920

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.

Stringtown fire insurance map, 1904, sheet 11904Sheet 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.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Stringtown

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

See all →
U. L. WashingtonAmerican baseball player · b. 1953
Chick SorrellsAmerican baseball player · b. 1896

Questions about Stringtown’s history

What year was Stringtown founded?

The Stringtown 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 Wikimedia Commons (3), 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.