Sulphur Springs, also known as White Sulphur Springs, is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in Spring

Township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

Jefferson County, Arkansas Jefferson County, Arkansas is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas in the area known as the Arkansas Delta that extends west of the Mississippi River. Jefferson County consists of five cities, two towns, and 20 townships. The county ...

, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 1,032.

Demographics

2020 census

2010 Census

As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, there were 66 people living in the CDP. The racial makeup of the CDP was 48.5% White, 42.4% Black, 7.6% Asian and 1.5% from two or more races. 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 2000, there were 82 people, 28 households, and 19 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 35.0/mi² (13.5/km). There were 43 housing units at an average density of 18.4/mi² (7.1/km). The racial makeup of the town was 50.0%

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 ...

and 50.0%

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 have o ...

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 ...

. There were 28 households, out of which 57.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.53. In the town the population was spread out, with 42.7% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 6.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 127.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $14,375, and the median income for a family was $14,583. Males had a median income of $25,938 versus $13,750 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 town was $9,037. There were 39.1% of families and 38.4% of the population living 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 42.9% of under eighteens and none of those over 64.

History

Until 1819, the area west of Pine Bluff in what is now Jefferson and

Grant Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom *Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama *Grant, Inyo County, C ...

counties was a mostly unpopulated wilderness. In that year, the

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

and

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 ...

rivers flooded the Delta area east of Pine Bluff, covering all of southeast Arkansas except for some of the absolute high points. This western area was very hilly, and had mostly small streams which did not flood. Shortly after the flood, the George Brummitt family moved from Desha County to what became White Sulphur Springs. He bought 40 acres on what is now the site of White Sulphur Springs Camp from the

Federal Government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

with a

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

land bounty and patented an additional 360 acres around the circumference of the

spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season) Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...

property. Many others saw the wisdom of settling on higher ground, including Brushrod Lee, who settled about a mile west near several springs and built a

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

known as Lee Springs. Lee was a doctor and with the establishment of his large house and medical practice, the community became a destination for folks from all over the state to come and drink and bathe in the waters from the two sets of springs. Pine Bluff residents and others made summer homes in the area. In 1855 the burgeoning community applied for a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

for the town under the name of Sulphur Springs, but since there already was a town by that name in the northwestern part of the state, they chose the name White Sulphur Springs instead. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, White Sulphur Springs became a mobilization point for troops in the region. The

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

hospital was moved to White Sulphur Springs from Pine Bluff in 1862, and many died and were buried at

Camp White Sulphur Springs Confederate Cemetery The Camp White Sulphur Springs Confederate Cemetery is an American Civil War cemetery in Arkansas. It is located northeast of the village of Sulphur Springs, Jefferson County, Arkansas, Sulphur Springs, also known as White Sulphur Springs, in Je ...

. In September 1863 the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

burned the town, leaving nothing. Most residents abandoned or sold their land and left the area. According to

records, almost none of those who lived at the springs in 1860 were there in 1870 when a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

minister named Benjamin Watson moved to the area, became a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

, and founded a church and school which was later known as Watson Chapel. It was 25 years after the American Civil War before the springs became the site of a real town again with the building of a hotel by two men, one black and one white. Unfortunately they were burned out twice, possibly by prohibitionists or racists. The two eventually rebuilt the town but it never recovered its former glory. After the war, residents continued to bury their dead in the Camp White Sulphur Springs Confederate Cemetery, with only a few of the grave sites being marked.

Education

Sulphur Springs is served by the

Watson Chapel School District Watson Chapel School District No. 24 (WCSD) is a public school district serving the communities of Pine Bluff (including Watson Chapel) and Sulphur Springs within Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. Headquartered in Pine Bluff, Watson C ...

.SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Jefferson County, AR
"

U.S. 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 ...

. Retrieved on July 31, 2017.

Watson Chapel High School Watson Chapel High School is a comprehensive public high school in the Watson Chapel School District in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, that serves grades 10 through 12. It is one of three public high schools in Pine Bluff and the only high school managed ...

is the zoned high school. Previously it had its own elementary school, Sulphur Springs Elementary School. In the 1969-1970 school year it had 75 students, all white. At the time African-American students were not permitted to attend, and had to go to Coleman Elementary School, with older students going to Coleman High School.

References

External links

Sulphur Springs, Jefferson County, Arkansas
at ''

Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) ''Encyclopedia of Arkansas'' is a web-based encyclopedia of the U.S. state of Arkansas, described by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as "a free, authoritative source of information ab ...

''
Watson Chapel Public Library
at Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System (pineblufflibrary.org)
{{Authority control Census-designated places in Arkansas Census-designated places in Jefferson County, Arkansas Census-designated places in Pine Bluff metropolitan area