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History · South Fork

South Fork’s history is
mostly unwritten

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

0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

South Fork is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Howell County, Missouri, United States. It is located 10 miles (16 km) southwest of West Plains on U.S. Route 160. As of the 2020 census, South Fork had a population of 212. A post office called South Fork was established in 1860, and remained in operation until 1960. The community was named after the nearby South Fork of the Spring River.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 241 to 212 (-12%). Half of its homes were built before 1963.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of South Fork 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 South Fork’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how South Fork’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from South ForkWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in South Fork.Meet them →
By decade

South Fork, 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
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in South Fork is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean South Fork has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Courthouse Square Historic District in West Plains, 8.4 miles away.

South Fork and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = South Fork. Tap a dot.
Courthouse Square Historic DistrictElledge Arcade BuildingsWest Plains Bank BuildingW.J. and Ed Smith BuildingInternational Shoe Company BuildingMount Zion Lodge Masonic Temple

Closest to South Fork

Courthouse Square Historic DistrictWest Plains · Two-Part Commercial Block8.4miElledge Arcade BuildingsWest Plains · Building8.4miWest Plains Bank BuildingWest Plains · Building8.5miW.J. and Ed Smith BuildingWest Plains · Building8.5miInternational Shoe Company BuildingWest Plains · Building8.5mi

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. Courthouse Square Historic District’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in South Fork?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to South Fork’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
📜 West Plains📜 Bakersfield📜 Brandsville📜 Viola
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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/19 · 2025-01-01
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