Description of Van Buren County

by Miss Essie Johnson of Clinton High School
orginally printed in the Van Buren County Democrat, Clinton, Arkansas, Friday, 16 Jan 1920

Van Buren County ranks twenth-fifth among the other counties of the state in size. It has seven hundred and thirty square miles. Its population in 1910 was 15000. The county is divided into twentyfour different parts, each part being called a township. Van Buren county is located in the north central part of Arkansas, and it is bounded by Searcy, Stone and Pope counties. The surface is very rough and broken, especially in the north-western part, there being the Boston mountains, or the foothills of the Ozarks. The highest altitude is about eight hundred above sea level. The southern and eastern part is comparatively low and level, with intervening valleys, sloping hillsides, and high plateaus, suitable for farming and grazing. There are no lakes in the county, but is is well drained and watered by Little Red river and its tributaries.

The industries are: Agriculture, Manufacturing, and Transportation. In agriculture, the leading crops are cotton, corn, and hay. The up-lands are well suited to the growing of peaches, apples, grapes, and strawberies. The chief markets are Clinton, Shirley, and Choctaw. The manufacturing of lumber and staves is an important industry. Lots of the lumber is sold to local trade in the county, but Clinton and Shirely are the chief markets for both lumber and staves. Most of the transportation is by wagons and trucks. There being only eighteen miles of the Missouri and North Arkansas railroad in the county. And the Mamouth Springs and Hot Springs highway now under construction, and leading through the county by the way of Shirley and Clinton makes the latter much more profitable.

The county seat was first located at Bloomington, ten miles east of Clinton in 1823. But in 1846 it was moved to Centerville and there remained for a few months, but never being a session of court convened while there. In 1816 it was moved to Clinton or its present location. Clinton is the largest town in the county. It has a population of about five hundred. It has five business houses, two hotels, one drug store, one bank, two confectioneries, and a high school, and the nicest church building in the county. Clinton is about eighty miles from Little Rock, one hundred twenty five miles from Hot Springs, and one hundred fifty miles from Fayetteville, one hundred twenty five miles from Eureka Springs, and about fifty miles from Batesville.

Banking, Commercial and Manufacturing are the principal industries, there are only three banks in the county located at Clinton, Shirley, and Scotland. In commercial life the people of the county do not produce all the articles they need. But theycan buy what they need from people of other lands, and can sell some of the articles they themselves raise on the farms. Thus our county has cotton, corn, hay, and many different kinds of fruit to sell, but we must send to other lands for our flour, coffee, sugar, spices and many other products. The manufacturing of lumber, staves, ties, shingles, and brooms are chief industries of the county.

Van Buren county was settled about 1825, but was not organized as a county until November 11th, 1833. The most famous men produced in the county are, Vernon Tompkins, Dr. Guffey, Dr. Bradley, M.B. Lefler, and Garner Fraser. The schools are the leading institutions of the county. Van Buren county has one of the best school systems in the state. The county is divided into eighty-five common school districts and sixteen special districts, some of which are composed of parts of other counties. The county also has five high schools, located at Clinton, Shirely, Choctaw, Formosa and Scotland.

The churches began their work in the county as early as 1815 as traveling preachers. At first there were no church houses as we now have and sometimes the preacher would travel as far as two hundred miles from one place to another where he was to preach. If there were no houses near when night came on, the trees were his shelter and the ground was his bed. But now we have fine church houses in almost every community. The leading denominations are, the Methodists, Baptists, and Christians. From these churches however, have proceeded our lawabiding, honest, and fearless citizens.