Hempstead County, Arkansas
Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.
At a glance
SummaryThe National Register of Historic Places includes 28 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1971; 1 is also National Historic Landmark. Most listings are in or near Hope, Washington, Spring Hill.
Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.
Newspapers
Library of CongressNewspaper directory data for Arkansas is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Hempstead titles at the Library of Congress.
National Register of Historic Places
NPS NRHP15 of 28 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.
28 listed properties
| Property | City | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Brundidge Building | Hope | 1990 |
| Clinton, Bill, Birthplace | Hope | 1994 |
| Confederate State Capitol NHL | Washington | 1972 |
| Dooley's Ferry Fortifications Historic District | Spring Hill | 2004 |
| First Presbyterian Church | Hope | 2024 |
| Foster House | Hope | 1991 |
| Goodlett Gin | Washington | 1975 |
| Greening, E. S., House | Hope | 1987 |
| Hempstead County Courthouse | Hope | 1994 |
| Hope Girl Scout Little House | Hope | 2015 |
| Hope Historic Commercial District | Hope | 1995 |
| McRae House | Hope | 1982 |
| Missouri-Pacific Railroad Depot-Hope | Hope | 1992 |
| Mounds Cemetery | Columbus | 2013 |
| North Elm Street Historic District | Hope | 1995 |
| North Washington Street Historic District | Hope | 1995 |
| Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church | Blevins | 2003 |
| Royston, Grandison D., House | Washington | 1971 |
| Saint Paul Methodist Church Cemetery. Historic Section | Ozan | 2024 |
| Southwestern Proving Ground Airport Historic District | Hope | 1999 |
| Southwestern Proving Ground Building No. 129 | Hope | 2009 |
| Southwestern Proving Ground Building No. 4 | Hope | 2009 |
| Southwestern Proving Ground Building No. 5 | Hope | 2010 |
| Southwestern Proving Ground Officers Quarters Historic District | Oakhaven | 2008 |
| St. Mark's Episcopal Church | Hope | 1976 |
| Ward-Jackson House | Hope | 1989 |
| Washington Confederate Monument | Washington | 1996 |
| Washington Historic District | Washington | 1972 |
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.
County formation
Newberry AHCBHempstead was formed in 1819 (1819-06-01) from Arkansas.
HEMPSTEAD created by Missouri Territory from ARKANSAS and non-county area. Uncertainty of boundary bet Mexico and the U.S. resulted in competing claims to area in Texas. Act passed 15 Dec 1818, took effect 1 Jun 1819.
Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Population by decade
CensusHempstead County population from 1820 to 2020 (Census historical series).
| 1820 | 1840 | 1860 | 1880 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,248 | 4,921 | 13,989 | 19,015 | 24,101 | 31,602 | 32,770 | 25,080 | 19,661 | 23,635 | 23,587 | 20,065 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.
Cemeteries & historical places
USGS GNIS50 cemeteries and 13 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.
Cemeteries — 50 of 50 listed
| Name |
|---|
| Ayers Cemetery |
| Beards Chapel Cemetery |
| Belk Cemetery |
| Best Cemetery |
| Bethany Cemetery |
| Blevins Cemetery |
| Bright Star Cemetery |
| Cummings Cemetery |
| Downs Cemetery |
| Ebenezer Cemetery |
| Ebenezer Cemetery |
| Elizabeth Cemetery |
| Flowers Hill Cemetery |
| Foster Cemetery |
| Fulton Cemetery |
| Gamble Cemetery |
| Giles Cemetery |
| Hanegan Robinson Cemetery |
| Harmony Cemetery |
| Harris Cemetery |
| Hatch Cemetery |
| Hervey Cemetery |
| Holly Spring Cemetery |
| Huckabee Cemetery |
| Macedonia Cemetery |
| Macedonia Cemetery |
| Maxwell Cemetery |
| Mounds Cemetery |
| Mount Zion Cemetery |
| Oak Grove Cemetery |
| Patmos Cemetery |
| Phillips Cemetery |
| Phillips Cemetery |
| Providence Cemetery |
| Red Hill Cemetery |
| Rocky Mound Cemetery |
| Rose Hill Cemetery |
| Ross Cemetery |
| Saint Mark Cemetery |
| Saint Peter Cemetery |
| Saratoga Cemetery |
| Section Sixteen Cemetery |
| Shorter Chapel Cemetery |
| Sullivan Cemetery |
| Turner Cemetery |
| Westmorland Cemetery |
| Whitehouse Cemetery |
| Wilson Cemetery |
| Wise Cemetery |
| Young Cemetery |
Historical populated places — 13 of 13
| Name |
|---|
| Academy |
| Alton |
| Belton |
| Compton |
| Dolph |
| Dotson Station |
| Drab |
| Hennessey |
| Jakajones |
| Kilgore |
| Sardis |
| Thrasher |
| Westbrook |
Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.
Civil War battlefields nearby
ABPPAmerican Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) Civil War study areas near this county.
| Battlefield | Study acres | Dist. |
|---|---|---|
| Prairie D'Ane | 30,522 | 26.3 km |
Source: NPS American Battlefield Protection Program Civil War Study Areas (public ArcGIS feature service).
Historical markers
HMdb linkMarker text and photos from the Historical Marker Database (HMdb) are not embedded here. HMdb allows non-commercial reuse with attribution, but commercial/compensated use needs written permission; this is a commercial site, so we only link out.
Search HMdb for Hempstead County, Arkansas
Terms: hmdb.org/copyright.asp. Linking is encouraged by HMdb.