Sevier County Arkansas

TIME TRAVELERS -- Sevier County JP David Wright and his granddaughter, Amanda Wright, recently picked up a load of feed with this wagon and team of mules. Wright built the wagon last year and frequently takes it town, making the trip the old-fashioned way.

Martinez named to Federal Reserve Board

Robert Martinez of De Queen has been appointed to the board of directors of the Little Rock Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Martinez said he is one of the few non-bankers to be applied to the board. The St. Louis Federal Reserve is one of 12 banks around the country. Board members bring a report on the economy, which is transmitted to Washington, D.C.

Sevier County 8th on Health List

Sevier County ranked eighth on the fourth annual County Health Rankings released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin. Benton County was the healthiest county at number one. Ouachita County ranked 75th The health report ranks counties on a number of factors, such as high school graduation, obesity, smoking and family and social support.

Sevier County History

Sevier County was organized on October 22, 1828 under legislative authority.  It was formed from Hempstead and Miller Counties.  Hempstead, Miller and Crawford Counties as well as the Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory bound Sevier County. .

The county seat has undergone several changes since Sevier County was organized.  The first county seat was Paraclifta.  In 1871, the Lockes donated 120 acres of land.  As a result, the county seat was moved to Lockesburg.  In 1905, the county seat was again moved to De Queen. .

Sevier County is known as “The Land of Lakes”, “The Land of Fruits and Flowers” and “The Home of Friendly People”.  The county has five lakes within a 35 mile radius, five rivers and mountain streams and forests. .

Some of the Anglo settlers who came to Sevier County were Joseph McKean, George Boren, James M. Coulter, the Halbrooks, the Kings, the Ladds, the Wrights and the Sloanes.  Many other families also settled in the county prior to 1840. .

A listing of some of the early settlements in the county follows: Brownstown, earlier known as Pine Woods, was named for Henry K. Brown an early, wealthy plantation owner.  Ultima Thule was settled by the McKeon family.  Others were: cross Trails, Dilworth, Farribaville, later renamed Provo, Paraclifta, Lockesburg, De Queen, Red Colony, Nashville, Macasie Schoolhouse, Bellville, Williamson, Norwoodville, Falls Chapel, Ben Lomond, Riddle, and Millwood.  Walnut Grove, Melrose and Riddle consolidated their schools and communities around 1910.  Other communities were Chapel Hill, a very thriving community, Cossatot, later Cossatot Mines, and then Jodenbrook, Neal Springs, King, Simpson Ridge, Avon, Silver Hill, Betton, which merged into the De Queen post office about 1896, Gravelly Point, Holcomb, Hortense and Nettle Hill.  Hortense became Geneva in 1906.  Still others were Green’s Chapel, Lemric, Milford/Edwin, Antioch (Moore’s Spur), Moore’s Spur/Mineral, Gillham, Oak Grove Community, Petty, Willis, Ruch, Hughes, Sardis, Paraloma, Wright’s Chapel School (1907), Blanchard, Woodman Camp, Cheatham, Corn Hill, Pullman, Round Top (1915), Hurricane Creek and Antimony.