Auvergne, Arkansas

Community in Arkansas

Place

35°30′52″N 91°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 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]

History

The 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

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]

References

^ "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.