Auvergne, Arkansas

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Auvergne
AuvergneSchool.jpg
Picture of the school house in Auvergne, Arkansas, taken in 1948.
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Auvergne
Map showing Auvergne in Arkansas
Coordinates: 35°30′52″N91°13′49″W / 35.5143257°N 91.2301732°W / 35.5143257; -91.2301732

Auvergne is a community in Jackson County, Arkansas, United States. The unincorporated town is located a couple miles southeast of Newport, Arkansas, on Arkansas Highway 17. [1] The area is sparsely populated with a view houses on the main stretch of the highway, and is surrounding by large swathes of farmland. The area was a hub of agriculture and timber industries and contains a graveyard to the southeast. [2] [3]

Contents

History

The town was settled in the 1830s, but it was not until the 1870s that the first formal settlement were created. [2] Positioned between the White River and the Cache River, the town had a thriving timber industry through the town's heyday in the late 19th century. [2] James T. Henderson, the “father of Auvergne,” moved and settled in the area with twenty-five slaves in 1860. [2] By 1885, the Batesville and Brinkley Railroad had laid a railroad through the town. [2]

During the next years, the town saw general prosperity and an increase in population. Up to thirteen sawmills were constructed in and around the town. [2] The settlement had grown to include all the basic necessities of a small town. However, by 1905, the number of sawmills had dropped to five, and the population had also began to decline. [2] In 1895, a tornado devastated the town, destroying the Methodist church, the railroad depot, and the schoolhouse. [2] In addition to the destruction of the tornado, the establishment of Newport as the county seat caused greater population decline. [2]

The post office was closed in 1966 due to the declining population of the town. [2] Pickens Black Jr. owned a farm in the area and was the second African American pilot to be licensed to fly in the United States. [4] [5]

Name

Local history records indicate that it was James T. Henderson's wife who picked the settlement’s name. [2] Two stories have evolved for the origin of the name, one states that she had read a novel with the name, while another says that she saw the name on a barrel of flour. [2]

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References

  1. ↑ "Auvergne, AR - MapQuest". www.mapquest.com. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Encyclopedia of Arkansas". Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
  3. ↑ "Harold D. Grady". Tensas gazette. March 20, 2002. p. 2.
  4. ↑ "Flying Farmer". Indianapolis Recorder. September 18, 1948. p. 1.
  5. ↑ "Arkansas Airplane Pilot Gets License". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1932-12-03. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
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