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 few houses on the main stretch of the highway surrounded by large swathes of farmland. The area was a hub of agriculture and timber industries. A graveyard is to the southeast.[2][3]
Auvergne | |
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 Picture of the school house in Auvergne, Arkansas, taken in 1948. | |
  Auvergne Map showing Auvergne in Arkansas | |
| Coordinates: 35°30′52″N 91°13′49″W / 35.5143257°N 91.2301732°W |
History
editThe town was settled in the 1830s, but it was not until the 1870s that the first formal settlement was created.[2] Positioned between the White River and the Cache River, the town had a thriving timber industry during its 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 years that followed, 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
editLocal 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]
References
edit- ^ "Auvergne, AR - MapQuest". www.mapquest.com. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Auvergne, Jackson County". Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
- ^ "Harold D. Grady". Tensas Gazette. March 20, 2002. p. 2.
- ^ "Flying Farmer". Indianapolis Recorder. September 18, 1948. p. 1.
- ^ "Arkansas Airplane Pilot Gets License". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1932-12-03. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-12-26.