Hartford is a city in Sebastian County,

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

, United States. It is part of the

Fort Smith, Arkansas Fort Smith is the List of municipalities in Arkansas, third-most populous city in Arkansas, United States, and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County, Arkansas, Sebastian County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the pop ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 642 at the 2010 census.

Clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

man James T. Draper, Jr., president of the

Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestant, and the second-largest Chr ...

from 1982 to 1984, was born in Hartford in 1935, where his father, James Draper, Sr., was a pastor.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 772 people, 299 households, and 217 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 346 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.52%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.17% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 1.55% from other races, and 3.63% from two or more races. 2.46% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 299 households, out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.05. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.4% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $22,500, and the median income for a family was $27,321. Males had a median income of $28,250 versus $22,813 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $10,845. About 19.2% of families and 25.9% 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 ...

, including 39.0% of those under age 18 and 18.3% of those age 65 or over.

History

The town of Hartford was first called Gwynn when it was originally settled. Prior to 1900, the town saw the arrival of the Rock Island Railroad, and the town's name was changed to Hartford. Hartford was incorporated in 1900 and as a result, the old original town of Hartford, about one and a half miles west and named for a creek crossing belonging to the Hart family, is now generally referred to as "Old Town" or "West Hartford". According to Goodspeed's "History of Arkansas", William J. Fleming and William Stevenson opened the first store in West Hartford. By 1891 there were several businesses, a public school, and a Union Church edifice used respectively by Methodists,

Baptists Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

, and Cumberland Presbyterians. The town of Hartford was incorporated February 28, 1900. On April 2, 1912, Hartford elected a miner, Peter Stewart, as mayor. He was the first

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

mayor elected in Arkansas. A labor conflict known the Hartford coal mine riot occurred in and around the town on July 12, 1914. During the early half of the 20th century, the town was home to the Hartford Music Company, which published

Gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...

and operated a singing school. The city was also home to significant mining activity, which has returned to a limited extent. Most farm owners have oil or gas pumps in farmland across the town. Hartford is the home of the last working coal mine in the state of Arkansas. The town has views of both Sugarloaf and Poteau mountains.

Education

It is in the

Hackett School District Hackett School District (HSD) is a school district based in Hackett, Arkansas, Education in the United States, United States. HSD supports more than 600 students in prekindergarten through grade 12 and employs approximately 100 educators and sta ...

. Hackett High School is the district's sole comprehensive high school. Hartford was previously in the Hartford School District. In 2014 the Hartford district agreed to merge into the Hackett district, effective 2015. Hartford High School was the Hartford district's comprehensive high school, staying with the Hackett District until its 2018 closure. Hartford Elementary, the elementary school, closed at the same time.

West Hartford

West Hartford is a populated place to the southwest, about halfway to the Oklahoma state border. The

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

-listed Sebastian County Road 4G Bridge is nearby.

References

External links

Hartford High School''New York Times'' article on Peter Stewart
{{authority control Cities in Arkansas Cities in Sebastian County, Arkansas Fort Smith metropolitan area Populated places established in 1900