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History · Black Oak

Black Oak’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Black Oak. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
10recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Black Oak is a town in Craighead County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 233 in the 2020 census. It is included in the Jonesboro, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 262 to 233 (-11%). Half of its homes were built before 1980.

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

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Black Oak’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Black Oak’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people from Black Oak

See all 2 →
LBLeon BlevinsSportsJim "Dandy" MangrumJim "Dandy" MangrumMusic
By decade

Black Oak, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today10 photos
Black Oak AR 009CommonsBlack Oak AR 0092011Black Oak AR 008CommonsBlack Oak AR 0082011Black Oak AR 007CommonsBlack Oak AR 0072011Black Oak AR 006CommonsBlack Oak AR 0062011Black Oak AR 005CommonsBlack Oak AR 0052011Black Oak AR 004CommonsBlack Oak AR 0042011Black Oak AR 003CommonsBlack Oak AR 0032011Black Oak AR 002CommonsBlack Oak AR 0022011Black Oak AR 001CommonsBlack Oak AR 0012011ARMap-doton-Black OakCommonsARMap-doton-Black Oak2005
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Black Oak is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Black Oak has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is St. Francis River Bridge in Lake City, 3.8 miles away.

Black Oak and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Black Oak. Tap a dot.
St. Francis River BridgeFirst National Bank BuildingMonette Water TowerCraighead County Road 513C BridgeBlytheville, Leachville and Arkansas Southern Railroad Depot-LeachvilleEdward Samuel Wildy Barn

Closest to Black Oak

St. Francis River BridgeLake City · Structure3.8miFirst National Bank BuildingMonette · Building4.1miMonette Water TowerMonette · Structure4.2miCraighead County Road 513C BridgeMonette · Structure6.6miBlytheville, Leachville and Arkansas Southern Railroad Depot-LeachvilleLeachville · Building9.2mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. St. Francis River Bridge’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Black Oak?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Black Oak’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Monette📜 Lake City📜 Caraway📜 Leachville

From Wikimedia Commons (10). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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