Delight is a town in
Pike County,
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
, United States. The population was 279 at the
2010 census.
History
Several decades after Pike County was formed and almost seventy years after Arkansas became a state, Delight became an incorporated town. The earliest known inhabitants of the area were the Quapaw Indians, a tribe of the great Dakotas who at one time had a population of many thousands. By the end of the eighteenth century, white settlers had begun making their homes near the banks of Wolf Creek. Some of the earliest residents of the area were the Kirkhams, Kelleys, Dixons, Dosses, Carpenters, Dosseys, Mobleys, Wards, Greens, Lambs, Reeves, Griffins, Clingmans, Wilsons, and Hancocks. On January 18, 1832, a post office was granted and called "Wolf Creek". In the 1833 Territorial Papers of the United States proposals for mail contracts in Arkansas Territory, Wolf Creek was identified as a mail stop between Little Rock and Hempstead County Courthouse, which was in Washington at that time. The Wolf Creek post office was listed again in 1834, and the amount of postage from the Wolf Creek post office was $13.73 for that year.
On August 21, 1873, Samuel Hasley purchased almost 43 acres of land from the United States for $1.25 an acre. This acreage covers the present site of Delight. A few years later the land was sold to S. B. Dixon and wife, Nancy, who in turn sold it to Abner H. Hancock for $500. On January 4, 1853, he deeded it to David Mobley for the consideration of $700. This land remained in the Mobley family until 1860 when the heirs to David Mobley, then deceased, granted to convey their rights, titles, and interest to William H. Kirkham, his son in law, for the sum of $800. On December 13, 1895, Southwestern Arkansas, an Indian Territory Railroad Company, paid William H. Kirkham $1.00 for a 100-foot right-of-way and other territory through which their railroad was to be built. As the people of the community learned of the coming of the railroad, excitement grew. The prospects of train service brought new life into the community. A town site was provided and the location of the railroad station was selected. As William H. Kirkham, now a Confederate Army Veteran, had generously donated the town site, it was decided that he should choose the town's name. Kirkham said, "This is such a delightful place to live, we shall call the town Delight." The Pike County Court Record B, page 413, contains the proceedings for the incorporation Delight. On July 25, 1904, the petition for incorporation was read before the court and properly filed. It was recorded on September 9, 1905, with John Brock as the first mayor.
The coming of the new railroad brought new industry to Delight. R.B. F Key was interested in the timber business and he saw in the forests of virgin timber a veritable gold mine. He secured a site and proceeded to build a saw mill and planer. Early on a morning 1897 the whistle sounded and the wheels began to turn. Lumber was shipped far and near on the railroad but it was also used to build new houses for the residents of the Delight. Business boomed and so did Delight. Near the town, large deposits of gravel offered more industry. So carloads of gravel was also shipped over the new railroad. Key built a large hotel to accommodate the drummers who descended on the town to sell their wares to the rapidly expanding business district. Some of the early merchants were A. E. Westbrook, C. E. Reid, Bose and Jim Bratton, and the Geiser brothers. O. L Mckinney owned and operated the first cold drink stand. As the town grew, a need for a doctor arose. Antoine, a neighboring town 5 miles away, had shared its Dr. Kirkham with the community of Delight for a number of years. So Dr. Rice was the first to become the town's physician in 1903. After Dr. Rice, Dr. Rodgers moved to Delight from Mississippi and practiced medicine for several years. Other doctors who gave unstintingly of their time were Dr. Walls, Dr. Newt Slaughter, Dr. Joe Thomasson, Dr. W. P. Hemby, and Dr. B. S. Stokes. Dr. Hemby's brother, Hosea, operated a drug store. Ed Brewer became the town's first post master.
About the year 1909 Key sold his saw mill and planer to the Blakely brothers and for six to seven years they continued to operate the mill. But the forest had been mostly cut over and the saw mill business could no longer be profitable to the owners. So the business was closed and people became interested in other work. Farming was one of the principal occupations with cotton as the leading crop. By 1919 Delight was a very good cotton market. The twenties were very prosperous years. Money was plentiful and credit was easy. When the depression hit in 1930, Delight, like, all other towns and cities across the nation, became paralyzed with fear. But they never gave up hope for a better day. And that day came in 1936, when the Ozan Lumber Company of Prescott began construction of a large saw mill and planer and by January 1937 the wheels of industry began to turn again for the city. New housing projects were completed and for the second time Delight became a thriving mill town.
Education
The community is in the
South Pike County School District
South Pike County School District, formerly Murfreesboro School District, is a public school district based in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, USA.
The school district encompasses of land in Pike and Clark counties. , which operates Delight Elementary School and
Murfreesboro High School.
It was previously a part of the
Delight School District, which operated Delight Elementary and
Delight High School. On July 1, 2010, the Delight district merged with the
Murfreesboro School District to form the
South Pike County School District
South Pike County School District, formerly Murfreesboro School District, is a public school district based in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, USA.
The school district encompasses of land in Pike and Clark counties. .
[ConsolidationAnnex_from_1983.xls]
" Arkansas Department of Education
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osa ...
. Retrieved on May 26, 2018.
The Delight High school mascot was a bulldog and colors are blue and gold. Throughout Delight's history basketball has always been a huge part of the community. With a winning tradition the Bulldogs captured state basketball titles in '55,'64, and '94. Along with basketball titles the Lady Bulldogs Cheerleaders won the state cheer title in '02.
Delight was suddenly closed in 2010 for lack of students. Nowadays, some students attend Murfreesboro High, located 12 miles away while others go to
Blevins High School, which is 15 miles away.
The community historically had a
Rosenwald School
The Rosenwald School project built more than 5,000 schools, shops, and teacher homes in the United States primarily for the education of African-American children in the South during the early 20th century. The project was the product of the part ...
. In 1965, Delight High School integrated with Simmons High School in
Okolona.
Geography
Delight is located at (34.030717, -93.503269).
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the city has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 1990, there were 311 people, 135 households, and 85 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 168 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.50%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.96%
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...
or
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 3.22%
Native American and 0.32%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
. 0.32% of the population were
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race.
There were 135 households, out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were
married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the town the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.7 males.
The median income for a household was $23,977, and the median income for a family was $33,125. Males had a median income of $26,375 versus $20,938 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $12,749. About 17.6% of families and 26.0% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 37.8% of those under age 18 and 29.4% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
*
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting '' The Glen Campbell Good ...
, country musician. The actual early home of the
Country Music Hall of Fame
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amas ...
inductee was in nearby
Billstown.
*
Jimmie Lou Fisher
Jimmie Lou Fisher (December 31, 1941 – July 11, 2022) was an American politician who was the longest serving Arkansas State Treasurer in Arkansas history.
Early life and career
Fisher was born in Delight, Arkansas on December 31, 1941, th ...
, Arkansas' longest-serving State Treasurer.
*
Ralphie May
Ralph Duren May (February 17, 1972 – October 6, 2017) was an American stand-up comedian and actor, known for his extensive touring and comedy specials on multiple media platforms.
Early life
May was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee and raised in ...
, comedian, described spending childhood summers at his grandfather's farm in Delight in his act.
*
Scott Reeves, actor and country music singer
*
Gus Wingfield
Gus Wingfield (born September 17, 1926) is a former one-term Arkansas State Treasurer, and two-term Arkansas State Auditor, 1994–2003. He served as treasurer from 2003 to 2007.
Early life
Wingfield was born in Antoine, Arkansas and went to ...
, former Arkansas State Treasurer and Arkansas State Auditor; moved to Delight as a child.
References
{{authority control
Cities in Arkansas
Cities in Pike County, Arkansas
Glen Campbell