unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in
Greene County, Arkansas
Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 42,090. The county seat is Paragould, which sits atop Crowley's Ridge.
Greene County is included in Jonesboro–Paragould Combined St ...
, United States. Once a thriving settlement and
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
, little remains today of the former community.
History
In 1840, the county voted to move the county seat to this location. It was thereafter called "Gainesville", because "it gained the county seat".
The settlement was located on an improved road leading to
Helena, Arkansas
Helena is the eastern portion of Helena–West Helena, Arkansas, a city in Phillips County, Arkansas. It was founded in 1833 by Nicholas Rightor and is named after the daughter of Sylvanus Phillips, an early settler of Phillips County and the n ...
.
On June 28, 1861, the 5th Arkansas Infantry Regiment of the Confederate Army was organized at Gainesville.
Gainesville had a hotel in 1873 called the Snodgrass. In 1876, Gainesville began building an elementary school and high school.
''The Press Democrat'' was established at Gainesville in 1878. It moved to
Paragould
Paragould is the county seat of Greene County, and the 19th-largest city in Arkansas, in the United States. The city is located in northeastern Arkansas on the eastern edge of Crowley's Ridge, a geologic anomaly contained within the Arkansas delta ...
in 1882. ''The Solophone Events'' was also established at Gainesville, and in 1890, it too moved to Paragould.
Prior to the 1880s, Gainesville was the largest settlement in Greene County, with a population of about 230.
Decline
In the early 1880s, two railways were constructed south of Gainesville, running through Paragould. As the new railway town grew, Gainesville began to decline.
The county seat was moved to
Paragould
Paragould is the county seat of Greene County, and the 19th-largest city in Arkansas, in the United States. The city is located in northeastern Arkansas on the eastern edge of Crowley's Ridge, a geologic anomaly contained within the Arkansas delta ...
following an election in 1884.
In 1892, fire destroyed most of Gainesville's business section.