Sparkman is a city in
Dallas County, Arkansas
Dallas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,116, making it the fourth-least populous county in Arkansas. The county seat is Fordyce. Dallas County is Arkansas's 49th county, for ...
, United States. The population was 427 at the
2010 census,
down from 586 in
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
.
History
Sparkman was established between 1911 and 1913 and was named after sawmill owner Lemuel "Pete" Sparkman. In 1915, the ''Sparkman News'' was established, Sparkman's first election was held, and electricity was installed. The first school in Sparkman was a two-story building with an enrollment of 132. H.O. Theatt was the first principal, with Miss Ethel Fite and Miss Ella Adams being the first teachers.
A Baptist church was organized in 1914, with Methodist and
A.M.E. churches organizing in 1916.
Geography
Sparkman is located in western Dallas County at (33.917201, -92.848763).
passes through the center of town as Main Street and leads southeast to
Highway 9 at
Holly Springs.
Arkansas Highway 7
Highway 7 (AR 7, Ark. 7, Hwy. 7, and partially Scenic 7 Byway) is a north–south state highway that runs across the state of Arkansas. As Arkansas's longest state highway, the route runs from Louisiana Highway 558 at the Louisiana state line n ...
passes through the west side of Sparkman, leading north (with Highway 128) to
Highway 8 at Dalark and south to
Camden.
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 t ...
, Sparkman has a total area of , all land.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, Sparkman has a
humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
Demographics
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 servi ...
, there were 427 people living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 55.3% White, 38.4% Black and 1.4% from two or more races. 4.9% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
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 in ...
of 2000, there were 586 people, 237 households, and 167 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 291 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 50.85%
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 o ...
, 42.15%
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 ...
, 0.34%
Native American, 6.48% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 0.17% from two or more races. 6.83% of the population were
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...
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 237 households, out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were
married couples living together, 18.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,208, and the median income for a family was $32,875. Males had a median income of $26,875 versus $20,795 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 $12,492. About 14.0% of families and 21.9% 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 t ...
, including 28.4% of those under age 18 and 18.6% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Harmony Grove School District of
Camden operates local public schools.
Sparkman Elementary School and
Sparkman High School with an enrollment of less than 200 pupils K-12 are in the community. Sparkman athletics teams are known as the Raiders. They compete at the 1A level in girls and boys basketball, baseball, and softball. Sparkman had a football team until they consolidated in 2004. They were very competitive for many years in which they played in state playoff games, sometimes with only 16 players.
The community was previously in the
Sparkman School District. On July 1, 2004, it consolidated into the Harmony Grove district.
Notable people
*
John Edward Taylor
John Edward Taylor (11 September 1791 – 6 January 1844) was an English business tycoon, editor, publisher and member of The Portico Library, who was the founder of the '' Manchester Guardian'' newspaper in 1821, which was renamed in 195 ...
(born 1921), military archivist
*
Bonnie Brown (born 1937), musician
*
Jim Ed Brown
James Edward Brown (April 1, 1934 – June 11, 2015) was an American country singer-songwriter who achieved fame in the 1950s with his two sisters as a member of the Browns. He later had a successful solo career from 1965 to 1974, followed by ...
(born 1934), musician
*
The Browns
The Browns were an American country and folk music vocal trio best known for their 1959 Grammy-nominated hit, " The Three Bells". The group, composed of Jim Ed Brown and his sisters Maxine and Bonnie, had a close, smooth harmony characteristic ...
, entertainers,
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 ...
Points of interest
*
Sardis Methodist Church
*
Tate's Bluff Fortification
*
Long Lake and Round Lake
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Cities in Dallas County, Arkansas
Cities in Arkansas