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Vision Realty in Mena, Arkansas

Scott County was formed on the 5th day of November, 1833.  The county seat is Waldron, Arkansas.   The County was named for Andrew Scott who was Judge of the Superior Court of Arkansas Territory and a delegate to the state Constitutional Convention of 1836. 

Andrew Horatio Scott was one of the first Supreme Court judges of Arkansas Territory by virtue of appointment by President James Monroe. He was the first governmental official to report for duty at the village of Arkansas Post (Arkansas County)  on July 4, 1819, and assisted in putting into operation the laws of the territory. He served as Circuit Court Judge for the first District and was the first County Judge of Pope County. The county of Scott, created in 1833, was named in his honor.

Andrew Scott was born on August 6, 1789, to Andrew Scott, a Scottish emigrant weaver and Elizabeth Ferguson in Hanover, County, Virginia. In 1808, he arrived with his parents, two brothers, and three sisters in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. In this city, he read law under his brother, John, and on November 5, 1811, married Eliza Jones.

He became politically active in 1812, with the creation of Missouri Territory, of which Arkansas was a part. Scott was the first Clerk of the House of Representatives, Territory of Missouri, serving two terms. In 1815, he moved his family to Mine-A-Breton (Potosi, Missouri), a Spanish lead mining town. He used his political influence to establish The Potosi Academy and served with his father-in-law as Trustee. In 1819, Territorial Governor William Clark commissioned him sheriff of Jefferson County, Missouri. On March 3, 1819, President Monroe appointed Andrew H. Scott as a Superior Court Judge for the newly created Territory of Arkansas, and he promptly relocated his family.

In October 1820, the Arkansas Territorial General Assembly passed a legislative act to remove the territorial capital to Little Rock (Pulaski County). However, the Scott family continued to reside at Arkansas Post for a time and enjoyed the social activities. In the summer of 1824, while Scott and fellow Superior Court judge Joseph Selden enjoyed a game of whist (a card game) with two ladies, an incident occurred wherein the chivalrous, hot tempered Scott felt that Selden had insulted a lady and demanded that he apologize. Selden refused and was challenged to a duel.  He accepted. Ultimately, an apology was forthcoming and the matter thought resolved. However, the issue continued to simmer, and a few weeks later, Selden died at the hand of Scott, on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Helena (Phillips County).

The duel proved costly to Scott’s career. Though surviving an attempt to remove him, in 1827, his reappointment to the high court was denied in Washington. This same year, Scott was a candidate in a special election to fill the vacancy created for a delegate to Congress by the dueling death of Henry W. Conway in 1827. He only garnered 116 votes. His low vote count was credited to his own dueling experience.

Unfortunately, during this election campaign, General Edmund Hogan made false accusations against Scott, leading to an argument between the two men. The ill-tempered Hogan pursued him into a warehouse, where he struck Scott, knocking him down. Scott drew a spear from his walking cane and thrust it into Hogan’s body, mortally wounding him. Scott was acquitted from charges as he acted in self-defense.

In 1827, the Circuit Courts were organized in Arkansas Territory. On April 11, Scott was appointed to the First District. He removed to lands formerly owned by the Indians (which later became Pope County) and laid out a town named Scotia. On November 2, 1829, Pope County was created, and Scott was appointed the first County Judge. In 1830, Scotia became the first permanent county seat.

Irrespective of his dueling record, Scott is acknowledged as one of the most distinguished figures in pioneer Arkansas history. His knowledge and clearness of mind rendered in judicial opinions published in Supreme Court Reports give him legal prominence in the state of Arkansas forever.

Scott’s last official act was to enumerate the 1850 Pope County census. He died unexpectedly at Norristown on March 13, 1851. He was first buried next to his wife at Dover (Pope County). In 1881, his son, John R. Homer Scott, removed their bodies to the Oakland Cemetery at Russellville (Pope County).

The landscape of Scott County is rugged terrain to rolling terrain in the extreme northwest.  The economic base of the county is timber with 82% of the land area in timber of which 62% is U. S. Forest Service owned and 20% is privately owned.

Livestock and poultry production along with food processing make up the economic base.  Three lakes:  Lake Hinkle, Lake Waldron, and Square Rock Lake, offer fishing swimming, camping and a variety of water recreation.

Blythe's Museum houses a collection of Indian artifacts and items from the city.  Scenic Highway 718 winds down into Waldron, where the county park is located which offers swimming, tennis, softball, and Little League contests.  Scott County is known for its wholesome family entertainment with lots of mountain music.

The stately old courthouse, with mistletoe growing in the trees, houses early history of the county, and is now undergoing restoration.  The new courthouse built in 1996 is the seventh building to house the seat of county government in Scott County.  Three of the seven courthouses were destroyed by fire.

Scott County was formed from an area that was once Pulaski County and later Crawford and Pope Counties.  In 1840 Scott County lost a 12 mile wide strip on its eastern boundary when Yell County was formed.  The formation of Sebastian County in 1851 resulted in the loss of a 12 mile wide strip across the western edge of Scott County as well as altering some of the northern boundary of Scott County.

In 1871 Scott County lost land on its northern border to what was originally called Saber County but became Logan County in 1875.  A boundary line change between Scott and Logan Counties in 1881 and again in 1903 resulted in another small loss to Logan County.  There was also a slight boundary change in 1901 between Scott and Polk Counties. 

The last boundary change in 1925 was between Scott and Logan Counties, Arkansas.  Scott County is located on the west central border of Arkansas in the Ouachita Mountain region of the state. The topography of the area is mountainous and interspersed with expansive valleys along the Fourche LaFave, Petit Jean, and Poteau rivers and associated tributaries. The town of Waldron and portions of the town of Mansfield are the two primary towns within Scott County. Major communities in Scott County are Abbott, Bates, Blue Ball, Boles, Cauthron, Cedar Creek, Harvey, Hon, Needmore, Nola, Parks, Union Hill, Winfield, and Y City.

Pre-European Exploration

Although little is known of those living in the area prior to 1,000 years ago, the first inhabitants of the Scott County area arrived millennia prior to any European exploration of the area. A site associated with the Archaic Era has been located in Scott County, as have artifacts and sites from the Woodland, Mississippian,  and Historic eras.

The last 1,000 years show a strong Caddo presence, with settlements established along the banks of the aforementioned waterways. Some groups of historic Cherokee inhabited the area in the early 1800s. The county has also been described as significant to Native Americans as “an alternate route to the Great Plains.”

Louisiana Purchase through Early Statehood

There is not sufficient evidence to conclude that any of the early acclaimed European expeditions into Arkansas ever led to the area now known as Scott County. Thomas Nuttall led the first documented expedition to approach the area in 1819. In 1820, a party from the expedition of Major Stephen H. Long is also thought to have proceeded through the area.

The county name was selected to honor territorial Supreme Court Justice Andrew Scott.  The Act of the Territorial General Assembly that created the county provided that the residence of Walter Cauthron, located near what is now Booneville (Logan County), would serve as the “temporary seat of Justice.” In 1836, faced with choosing a county seat of a more permanent nature, commissioners chose the community of Cauthron and proceeded to establish a courthouse. Because of numerous redefinitions of Scott County’s boundaries, this site of Cauthron is now within present-day Logan County and is not the present-day Scott County community known as Cauthron.

In 1840, popular opinion demanded that the county seat be in a more central location, and the community of Winfield, located one-and-a-half to two miles northeast of present-day Waldron, was selected. This Winfield should not be confused with the present-day community with the same name.

By the 1830s, William G. Featherston had settled near the site of present-day Waldron and established himself as a business owner, real estate developer, and postmaster of the area that is now Waldron. The post office was established under the name of Poteau Valley (or Poton Valley) on June 11, 1838. In 1845, Featherston offered ten acres of his land for a town to serve as the county seat. His offer of land was accepted, and owing in no small part to the poor road system to and from Winfield, the county was moved to what is now known as Waldron. The land was later surveyed and a plat designed by John P. Waldron, for whom Waldron is named.

Following the establishment of Waldron as the county seat, several years of relative prosperity, progress, and calm followed with the development of a merchant presence, hotels, and facilities of county government.

Civil War through Reconstruction

As with some counties situated in mountainous regions, slavery, while it did exist, was not widespread in Scott County, and consequently, people were initially divided on the issue of secession. After hostilities began, however, the county was overwhelmingly supportive of the Confederacy.

When the northwest corner of Arkansas fell to Union forces, Waldron was occupied by Union troops from October of 1863 to late March of the following year. Most of the occupying force was from the Second Kansas Cavalry, but troops from Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, and some from Arkansas assisted in the occupation. Union scouting parties ventured out from Waldron, and although no major Civil War battles were fought in Scott County, several hostile encounters did take place. Rations were in short supply, and the resources of the town were depleted during the occupation. Excepting the homes of Union sympathizers, much of the town was burned by Union troops upon departure.

The era of Reconstruction proceeded with economic stress, electoral controversy, and occasional flashes of violence. The confluence of these elements led to a series of violent events that came to be known as “The Waldron War."  These events, between the years 1874 and 1879, usually involved personal, political, or Civil War-related animus. The result was about thirty violent deaths and the militia being dispatched by the governor to the county on at least three occasions.

Post-Reconstruction through Early Twentieth Century

As the period of Reconstruction ended, a period of relative quiet and tranquility began. The turn of the century brought railroads, a short-lived coal mining industry, sustained cotton crops, and a successful merchant district in downtown Waldron. In spite of difficulties and hardships, growth was sustained, if modest, even in the turbulent times of World War I and the stock market catastrophe. The local economy was buffered somewhat by the railroads, coal, cotton, and the timber industry and was aided by the Depression-era relief measures, particularly the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps.

World War II through Modern Era

The post–World War II era brought trends toward manufacturing jobs, primarily the crafting of furniture, milling of lumber, and poultry production, while maintaining a solid merchant district along Main Street in Waldron.

The largest employer in the county is the poultry industry, represented by a Tyson Foods production plant that engages the county in all phases of poultry production. Yet another significant presence is O.K. Foods, which employs a good number of people in the growing of chickens used at production plants elsewhere.

With the coming of larger chain establishments, the commercial district of Waldron has seen much shift from Main Street to areas along the nearby Highway 71 bypass. With the installation of street lamps, a conservation easement, and renovations to the historic former courthouse, efforts have been made to renovate and revitalize the downtown area.

The most popular cultural attraction is the annual Turkey Track Bluegrass Festival that brings thousands of people from throughout the United States to Scott County. Blythe’s Museum is another local attraction that features numerous artifacts of Native American villages that were once on the banks of area rivers, as well as other artifacts documenting the history of west-central Arkansas.

The most significant local natural attraction is the Ouachita National Forest.  Also providing recreational opportunities is Lake Hinkle, a 960-acre lake constructed by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. 

Sources:  Delaine Edwards, National Association of Counties, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Census, Wikipedia (the free encyclopedia), and public records of Scott County Arkansas, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture.

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Waldron Municipal Airport

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Johnson

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We appreciate your patience while this area is developed.

We would appreciate any information which would be furnished by the citizens of Pike County, Arkansas.

We are seeking the following information:

• Rural Volunteer Fire Departments

• Schools

• Utility and Communication Companies

• Elected Officials for County, Cities and Towns, School Boards

• Churches to include pastors names, church addresses, etc.

• Clubs and organizations with contact information and meeting times and places.

• Restaurants to include addresses and phone numbers.

• Lodging facilities to include addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

• Pictures are welcome, i.e., court houses, parks, public recreational facilities, lodging facilities, restaurants, etc.

Some of the communities that are listed here are known locally by the people of the area; however, many no longer have a town sign recognizing that the area existed as a community.  We have linked to pages of the communities that are recognized today with the standard green and white town sign. 
Click on the HyperLinks
to access more information about our area communities listed above.

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01/19/09 11:09 AM