County in Arkansas, United States
County in Arkansas
Clark County
is a
county
located in the south-central part of the
U.S. state
of
Arkansas
. As of the
2020 census
, the population was 21,446.
[1]
The
county seat
is
Arkadelphia
.
[2]
The Arkadelphia, AR
Micropolitan Statistical Area
includes all of Clark County.
History
[
edit
]
Ancient
Indigenous peoples
occupied areas along the waterways for thousands of years prior to European exploration. Among the various cultures was the
Caddoan Mississippian culture
, which developed by 1000 AD and occupied certain sites in Arkansas at different times. This was the westernmost expression of the
Mississippian culture
, which developed a vast network and numerous centers of development throughout the Mississippi Valley and its tributaries. The Caddoans constructed substantial earthwork mounds in the areas of Arkansas and Texas; the largest in Arkansas is
Battle Mound Site
, built from 1200 to 1400 AD in what is present-day Lafayette County. Archeological evidence has established there was unbroken continuity from the Caddoan Mississippian people to the historic
Caddo people
and related Caddo-language speakers who encountered the first Europeans. Their descendants formed the modern
Caddo Nation
of Oklahoma.
[3]
19th century
[
edit
]
Settlers in the 19th century found earthwork
mounds
, 10 to 15 feet in height, in areas around what developed as
Arkadelphia, Arkansas
. Some were excavated for pottery and other grave goods.
[4]
At the time of European-American settlement after the United States acquired this territory in the
Louisiana Purchase
of 1803, the pioneers encountered three major Native American tribes: the
Caddo
, who lived along the banks of the
Caddo River
; the
Quapaw
on the
Ouachita River
, for several miles below what is now Arkadelphia; and the
Lenape
(known then as Delaware, who were driven to this area by European pressure from the mid-Atlantic East Coast) along the lower Ouachita to below present-day Camden. (This site had been named as
Ecore a Fabre
, after a colonial French trader Fabre.)
[4]
Clark County was the third county formed by Americans in Arkansas, on December 15, 1818, together with
Hempstead
and
Pulaski
counties. The county is named after
William Clark
, then Governor of the
Missouri Territory
, which included present-day Arkansas. On November 1, 1833, the
Arkansas territorial legislature
created
Pike County
from western Clark County and part of northern
Hempstead County
. It was named after US explorer
Zebulon Pike
.
Arkadelphia was designated as the county seat in 1842. It became increasingly important as a hub after railroads were constructed to here that connected with numerous markets. Timber harvesting became important by the end of the century. By 1890, forest products were ranked next to agriculture in economic importance. In the 20th century, continued modern technological developments established the industry's continued importance in the county's economy.
Three of the six lynchings recorded in Clark County from 1877 to 1950
[5]
took place in a mass event in late January 1879. An African-American man, Ben Daniels, and three of his four sons (ranging in age from 22 to 18) were arrested as suspects in an alleged robbery and assault of a white man and held in the county jail. Daniels and two of his sons were forcibly taken out of the jail by a white mob and
lynched
by hanging from trees in the courthouse square, without trial. One son, believed to be Charles Daniels (22), survived for trial. He was convicted and served in prison until about 1886 or 1887.
[6]
20th century to present
[
edit
]
From 1920 to 1960, the county population declined, as may be seen on the table below. The cotton culture had been affected by the invasion of the
boll weevil
, which attacked the plants; and mechanization of agriculture, reducing the need for workers. In this period, many African-American families, who still constituted most of the farm workers, also left Arkansas and other parts of the rural South to escape
Jim Crow
oppression and seek better employment in Northern and Midwestern cities in the
Great Migration
. In the latter part of this period, some migrated to the West Coast, where the defense industry developed during and after World War II offered higher paying jobs.
At the same time, the lumber industry declined, also causing a loss of jobs. Several companies had operated sawmills and related businesses in Clark County in the early part of the century. The founders of the lumber town
Graysonia, Arkansas
moved to
Springfield, Oregon
, renaming their company as Roseboro Lumber. While manufacturing industries had entered the county, several had a downturn in the 1980s.
In the 1970s, the DeGray Dam and Lake were completed along the Caddo River, providing new areas in the county for tourism and recreation, which have become major components of the economy.
Geography
[
edit
]
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
, the county has a total area of 883 square miles (2,290 km
2
), of which 866 square miles (2,240 km
2
) is land and 17 square miles (44 km
2
) (1.9%) is water.
[7]
Major highways
[
edit
]
Adjacent counties
[
edit
]
Demographics
[
edit
]
Historical population
Census
| Pop.
| Note
| %±
|
1830
| 1,369
| | ?
|
---|
1840
| 2,309
| | 68.7%
|
---|
1850
| 4,070
| | 76.3%
|
---|
1860
| 9,735
| | 139.2%
|
---|
1870
| 11,953
| | 22.8%
|
---|
1880
| 15,771
| | 31.9%
|
---|
1890
| 20,997
| | 33.1%
|
---|
1900
| 21,289
| | 1.4%
|
---|
1910
| 23,686
| | 11.3%
|
---|
1920
| 25,632
| | 8.2%
|
---|
1930
| 24,932
| | ?2.7%
|
---|
1940
| 24,402
| | ?2.1%
|
---|
1950
| 22,998
| | ?5.8%
|
---|
1960
| 20,950
| | ?8.9%
|
---|
1970
| 21,537
| | 2.8%
|
---|
1980
| 23,326
| | 8.3%
|
---|
1990
| 21,437
| | ?8.1%
|
---|
2000
| 23,546
| | 9.8%
|
---|
2010
| 22,995
| | ?2.3%
|
---|
2020
| 21,446
| | ?6.7%
|
---|
2023 (est.)
| 21,274
| [8]
| ?0.8%
|
---|
Age pyramid Clark County
[14]
2020 census
[
edit
]
As of the
2020 United States census
, there were 21,446 people, 8,446 households, and 5,253 families residing in the county.
2000 census
[
edit
]
As of the
2000 census
,
[16]
there were 23,546 people, 8,912 households, and 5,819 families residing in the county. The
population density
was 27 people per square mile (10 people/km
2
). There were 10,166 housing units at an average density of 12 units per square mile (4.6 units/km
2
). The racial makeup of the county was 74.28%
White
, 22.02%
Black
or
African American
, 0.46%
Native American
, 0.62%
Asian
, 0.04%
Pacific Islander
, 1.37% from
other races
, and 1.20% from two or more races. 2.40% of the population were
Hispanic
or
Latino
of any race.
There were 8,912 households, out of which 29.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.80% were
married couples
living together, 12.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.70% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.70% under the age of 18, 20.00% from 18 to 24, 23.80% from 25 to 44, 19.90% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 92.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $28,845, and the median income for a family was $37,092. Males had a median income of $28,692 versus $19,886 for females. The
per capita income
for the county was $14,533. About 13.50% of families and 19.10% of the population were below the
poverty line
, including 20.90% of those under age 18 and 18.40% of those age 65 or over.
Culture
[
edit
]
An alcohol prohibition (
dry
) county since 1943, Clark County voted in 2011 to make the county wet, allowing countywide retail alcohol sales.
[17]
Politics and government
[
edit
]
John Kerry
was the last Democrat to win the county in a presidential election, in
2004.
John McCain
and
Mitt Romney
defeated
Barack Obama
by single-digit margins here, and
Donald Trump
beat former Arkansas First Lady
Hillary Clinton
by a nine-point margin. Four years later, Trump defeated
Joe Biden
by a margin of over 14 points, the largest margin for a Republican since
Richard Nixon
defeated
George McGovern
by over 20 points in 1972.
Mike Ross
was the last Democrat to win the county in a gubernatorial election, in
2014.
Conner Eldridge
was the last Democrat to win the county in a US Senate election, in
2016.
As of 2023, Clark County is split between districts 89 and 90 in the
Arkansas House of Representatives
and fully contained within District 3 in the
Arkansas Senate
.
[18]
[19]
All three seats are held by Republicans Justin Gonzales, Richard Womack, and Steve Crowell, respectively.
[20]
[21]
County Officials
[
edit
]
Republicans hold every county-wide office except the Sheriff and Collector, and have a seven-to-four super-majority on the Quorum Court. Most positions regularly go unopposed with only one candidate making the general election ballot.
[22]
[23]
[24]
Democrats picked up one seat in 2022 by flipping District 2.
[25]
County-Wide Officials
[22]
[23]
Office
|
Officeholder
|
Party
|
County Judge
|
Troy Tucker
|
Republican
|
County Clerk
|
Tracey Rider
|
Republican
|
Sheriff and Collector
|
Jason Watson
|
Democratic
|
Circuit Clerk
|
Brian Daniel
|
Republican
|
Assessor
|
Mona Vance
|
Republican
|
Treasurer
|
Karen Arnold
|
Republican
|
Coroner
|
Tim Welch
|
Republican
|
Constable
|
George Hawthorn
|
Republican
|
Quorum Court
[22]
[23]
[24]
District
|
Justice of the Peace
|
Party
|
District description
|
1
|
Zach Bledsoe
|
Democratic
|
North-east Arkadelphia, including
Ouachita Baptist University
|
2
|
Michael L. Ankton
|
Democratic
|
Most of southern Arkadelphia
|
3
|
Vanilla Nelson Hannah
|
Democratic
|
North-central Arkadelphia, including
Henderson State University
|
4
|
Albert Neal
|
Democratic
|
Stretches from central Arkadelphia to south-east Arkadelphia
|
5
|
Jimmy King
|
Republican
|
North-west Arkadelphia
|
6
|
Mark Overturf
|
Republican
|
North-central Clark County, including part of Hollywood, with an arm reaching north-west into parts of Alpine and Fendley
|
7
|
Jenna Scott
|
Republican
|
North-east Clark County, including Caddo Valley and Joan
|
8
|
Garry (B.J.) Johns
|
Republican
|
North-west Clark County, including Amity and parts of Alpine and Fendley
|
9
|
Andrea Angle
|
Republican
|
Starts just south of Okolona and stretches south-east, including Burtsell, most of Gurdon, and part of Beirne
|
10
|
Wayne Baumgardner
|
Republican
|
Stretches from central Clark County to its western border with Pike County, including Okolona, Boswell, and part of Hollywood
|
11
|
Tracy Ellis Drake
|
Republican
|
South-east Clark County, including Whelen Springs, Barringer, Kansas, Vaden, and part of Gurdon, with an arm reaching north to Curtis and Gum Springs
|
United States presidential election results for Clark County, Arkansas
[26]
Year
|
Republican
|
Democratic
|
Third party
|
No.
|
%
|
No.
|
%
|
No.
|
%
|
2020
|
4,616
|
54.99%
|
3,438
|
40.95%
|
341
|
4.06%
|
2016
|
4,404
|
51.65%
|
3,620
|
42.46%
|
502
|
5.89%
|
2012
|
4,343
|
51.65%
|
3,811
|
45.32%
|
255
|
3.03%
|
2008
|
4,608
|
50.67%
|
4,267
|
46.92%
|
219
|
2.41%
|
2004
|
4,144
|
44.99%
|
4,990
|
54.17%
|
77
|
0.84%
|
2000
|
3,776
|
43.77%
|
4,661
|
54.03%
|
189
|
2.19%
|
1996
|
2,112
|
26.00%
|
5,281
|
65.02%
|
729
|
8.98%
|
1992
|
2,403
|
26.93%
|
5,767
|
64.64%
|
752
|
8.43%
|
1988
|
3,389
|
41.69%
|
4,675
|
57.50%
|
66
|
0.81%
|
1984
|
4,185
|
47.27%
|
4,638
|
52.39%
|
30
|
0.34%
|
1980
|
2,743
|
29.97%
|
6,122
|
66.89%
|
288
|
3.15%
|
1976
|
1,816
|
21.42%
|
6,641
|
78.32%
|
22
|
0.26%
|
1972
|
4,173
|
59.96%
|
2,741
|
39.38%
|
46
|
0.66%
|
1968
|
1,642
|
22.96%
|
2,733
|
38.22%
|
2,776
|
38.82%
|
1964
|
1,884
|
31.21%
|
4,127
|
68.36%
|
26
|
0.43%
|
1960
|
1,357
|
26.70%
|
3,295
|
64.82%
|
431
|
8.48%
|
1956
|
1,973
|
40.76%
|
2,809
|
58.04%
|
58
|
1.20%
|
1952
|
1,679
|
36.13%
|
2,963
|
63.76%
|
5
|
0.11%
|
1948
|
383
|
15.27%
|
1,750
|
69.75%
|
376
|
14.99%
|
1944
|
637
|
24.30%
|
1,981
|
75.58%
|
3
|
0.11%
|
1940
|
311
|
13.36%
|
2,008
|
86.29%
|
8
|
0.34%
|
1936
|
193
|
8.92%
|
1,962
|
90.71%
|
8
|
0.37%
|
1932
|
183
|
5.66%
|
3,037
|
93.88%
|
15
|
0.46%
|
1928
|
913
|
33.37%
|
1,817
|
66.41%
|
6
|
0.22%
|
1924
|
483
|
25.29%
|
1,223
|
64.03%
|
204
|
10.68%
|
1920
|
1,020
|
40.06%
|
1,507
|
59.19%
|
19
|
0.75%
|
1916
|
678
|
25.56%
|
1,975
|
74.44%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
1912
|
376
|
21.78%
|
1,051
|
60.89%
|
299
|
17.32%
|
1908
|
1,007
|
43.48%
|
1,206
|
52.07%
|
103
|
4.45%
|
1904
|
732
|
44.74%
|
722
|
44.13%
|
182
|
11.12%
|
1900
|
753
|
35.54%
|
1,232
|
58.14%
|
134
|
6.32%
|
1896
|
833
|
29.49%
|
1,910
|
67.61%
|
82
|
2.90%
|
Communities
[
edit
]
Incorporated cities
[
edit
]
Incorporated towns
[
edit
]
Census-designated places
[
edit
]
Other unincorporated communities
[
edit
]
Ghost towns and former communities
[
edit
]
Townships
[
edit
]
Note:
Unlike most Arkansas counties, Clark County has only one township. That township encompasses the entire county.
Townships in Arkansas
are the divisions of a county. Each township includes unincorporated areas; some may have incorporated cities or towns within part of their boundaries. Arkansas townships have limited purposes in modern times. However, the
United States census
does list Arkansas population based on townships (sometimes referred to as "county subdivisions" or "minor civil divisions"). Townships are also of value for historical purposes in terms of genealogical research. Each town or city is within one or more townships in an Arkansas county based on census maps and publications. The townships of Clark County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or
census-designated places
that are fully or partially inside the township.
[41]
[42]
Notable residents
[
edit
]
- Daniel Davis
, actor, best known for playing "Niles the butler" in the television series
The Nanny
, was born in
Gurdon
.
- Jody Evans
, singer of
country music
, started his music career in Clark County, and works for the Arkadelphia Police Department.
- Cliff Harris
, football player,
Dallas Cowboys
NFL
, played
college football
for the
Ouachita Baptist University
football team.
- Bob C. Riley
, politician, was born and raised in Arkadelphia. The
Democrat
served as
Lieutenant Governor
from 1971 to 1975.
- Jerry Thomasson
, politician and state representative, was born and raised in Arkadelphia. He switched to the
Republican Party
in 1966 and ran unsuccessfully for state
attorney general
in 1966 and 1968.
- Billy Bob Thornton
, film actor, grew up in
Alpine
.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Census - Geography Profile: Clark County, Arkansas"
.
United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
January 19,
2023
.
- ^
"Find a County"
. National Association of Counties. Archived from
the original
on May 31, 2011
. Retrieved
June 7,
2011
.
- ^
"Tejas-Caddo Fundamentals-Caddoan Languages and Peoples"
.
Archived
from the original on March 10, 2010
. Retrieved
February 4,
2010
.
- ^
a
b
Laura Scott Butler, "History of Clark County"
Archived
September 15, 2016, at the
Wayback Machine
,
Publications of The Arkansas Historical Association
; Edited by John Hugh Reynolds; Vol. 1; 1906
- ^
"Summary:
Lynching in America
, 3rd edition, 2015"
(PDF)
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on October 23, 2017
. Retrieved
October 22,
2017
.
- ^
Nancy Snell Griffith, "Arkadelphia Lynching of 1879/ aka: Lynching of Daniels Family"
Archived
October 23, 2017, at the
Wayback Machine
,
Arkansas Encyclopedia of History and Culture
, February 11, 2016; accessed October 22, 2017
- ^
"2010 Census Gazetteer Files"
. United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012.
Archived
from the original on September 4, 2015
. Retrieved
August 25,
2015
.
- ^
"Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
March 30,
2024
.
- ^
"U.S. Decennial Census"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
August 25,
2015
.
- ^
"Historical Census Browser"
. University of Virginia Library.
Archived
from the original on August 11, 2012
. Retrieved
August 25,
2015
.
- ^
Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995).
"Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990"
. United States Census Bureau.
Archived
from the original on September 24, 2015
. Retrieved
August 25,
2015
.
- ^
"Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000"
(PDF)
. United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on December 18, 2014
. Retrieved
August 25,
2015
.
- ^
"State & County QuickFacts"
. United States Census Bureau. Archived from
the original
on June 7, 2011
. Retrieved
May 20,
2014
.
- ^
Based on 2000
census
data
- ^
"Explore Census Data"
.
data.census.gov
. Retrieved
December 10,
2021
.
- ^
"U.S. Census website"
.
United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
May 14,
2011
.
- ^
"Arkansas decides wet counties"
.
KSLA-12 News
. Shreveport, Louisiana: Gray Television. AP. November 3, 2010
. Retrieved
July 19,
2023
.
- ^
"2021 House Boundaries"
(PDF)
.
Arkansas Board of Apportionment
. November 24, 2021
. Retrieved
March 3,
2023
.
- ^
"2021 Senate Boundaries"
(PDF)
.
Arkansas Board of Apportionment
. November 24, 2021
. Retrieved
March 3,
2023
.
- ^
"Members of the 94th General Assembly - Arkansas House of Representatives"
.
www.arkansashouse.org
. Retrieved
March 3,
2023
.
- ^
"Senators"
.
Arkansas Senate
. Retrieved
March 3,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
c
"2023 County & District Officials"
(PDF)
.
Association of Arkansas Counties
. December 8, 2022
. Retrieved
March 3,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
c
"2022 General Election and Nonpartisan Judicial Runoff Election"
.
Arkansas Secretary of State
. November 8, 2022
. Retrieved
March 3,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
"Quorum Court ? Clark County Arkansas"
. Retrieved
March 3,
2023
.
- ^
Phelps, Joel (November 9, 2022).
"Hannah, Johns, Angle keep JP seats; Buscher ousted"
.
News in Arkadelphia and Southwest Arkansas
. Retrieved
March 3,
2023
.
- ^
"Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections"
.
Archived
from the original on July 9, 2018
. Retrieved
November 18,
2016
.
- ^
Sesser, David (June 12, 2019).
"Barringer (Clark County)"
.
Encyclopedia of Arkansas
. Retrieved
March 3,
2023
.
- ^
Sesser, David (June 21, 2021).
"Boswell (Clark County)"
.
Encyclopedia of Arkansas
. Retrieved
March 3,
2023
.
- ^
Sesser, David (February 18, 2023).
"Burtsell (Clark County)"
.
Encyclopedia of Arkansas
. Retrieved
March 3,
2021
.
- ^
Worthan, Jacob (January 18, 2023).
"Curtis (Clark County)"
.
Encyclopedia of Arkansas
. Retrieved
March 3,
2023
.
- ^
Sesser, David (June 21, 2021).
"Fendley (Clark County)"
.
Encyclopedia of Arkansas
. Retrieved
March 3,
2023
.
- ^
Worthan, Jacob (December 8, 2021).
"Hollywood (Clark County)"
.
Encyclopedia of Arkansas
. Retrieved
March 3,
2023
.
- ^
Sesser, David (September 14, 2020).
"Joan (Clark County)"
.
Encyclopedia of Arkansas
. Retrieved
March 3,
2023
.
- ^
Sesser, David (June 21, 2021).
"Kansas (Clark County)"
.
Encyclopedia of Arkansas
. Retrieved
March 3,
2023
.
- ^
Sesser, David (September 14, 2020).
"Vaden (Clark County)"
.
Encyclopedia of Arkansas
. Retrieved
March 3,
2023
.
- ^
Sesser, David (July 12, 2022).
"Clear Spring (Clark County)"
.
Encyclopedia of Arkansas
. Retrieved
March 3,
2023
.
- ^
Pinkston, Lori (March 19, 2019).
"Greenville (Clark County)"
.
Encyclopedia of Arkansas
. Retrieved
March 3,
2023
.
- ^
Sesser, David (September 14, 2020).
"Halfway (Clark County)"
.
Encyclopedia of Arkansas
. Retrieved
March 3,
2023
.
- ^
Sesser, David (July 13, 2022).
"Lenox (Clark County)"
.
Encyclopedia of Arkansas
. Retrieved
March 3,
2023
.
- ^
Worthan, Jacob (December 6, 2021).
"Rome (Clark County)"
.
Encyclopedia of Arkansas
. Retrieved
March 3,
2023
.
- ^
2011 Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS): Clark County, AR
(PDF)
(Map). U. S. Census Bureau. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on October 19, 2012
. Retrieved
August 23,
2011
.
- ^
"Arkansas: 2010 Census Block Maps - County Subdivision"
.
United States Census Bureau
. Archived from
the original
on May 28, 2014
. Retrieved
May 27,
2014
.
External links
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]
Places adjacent to Clark County, Arkansas
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34°05′20″N
93°09′50″W
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34.08889°N 93.16389°W
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34.08889; -93.16389
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