A history of Poplar Bluff,
then and now
Postcards, papers and photographs of Poplar Bluff from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The French were the first Europeans to assert any territorial rights over the Poplar Bluff area. The French held the area until 1771 when it was ceded by treaty to Spain. Spain held the area until 1802 when it was returned to France. The area that would become Poplar Bluff and Butler County had no permanent European settlement until 1819, when the first white family moved into the area. It was reported that about 300 Native Americans resided in the area at that time.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Poplar Bluff’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
3 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewThese were the youngest white boy…, 1910: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Poplar Bluff, decade by decade
LOCThese were the youngest white boys (there were several youn…1910
LOCPoplar Bluff Water Works1911
LOCMain Street - Poplar Bluff1911
LOCFourth St - Poplar Bluff1911
LOCPoplar Bluff, Mo. Schools1911
LOCMain St. - Poplar Bluff1911
LOCView of Wright Hotel1911![St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Ry. [Railway] Station](https://images.towntapestry.org/story/10149/f5b7f9de3f1a8668efb5-s.jpg)
LOCSt. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Ry. [Railway] Station1911![I. M. R.R. [Iron Mountain Railroad] steps](https://images.towntapestry.org/story/10149/4357a848fb00e53eb5eb-s.jpg)
LOCI. M. R.R. [Iron Mountain Railroad] steps1911
LOCDalton Adding, Listing and Calculating Machines Building1911
LOCElks home1912
1990s
21 historic places in Poplar Bluff
Poplar Bluff has 21 listings on the National Register, and they protect 110 historic buildings, because Cynthia-Kinzer Historic District alone counts 55.
Where they are
When they were listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as These were the youngest white boys (there were several younger negroes) that I could find working in the Parker Heading… (1910) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (2), the Library of Congress (12) and the National Register (4). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.