Woodson 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 Pulaski 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. Its population was 403 at the 2010 census. It is part of the

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

–

North Little Rock North Little Rock is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, across the Arkansas from Little Rock in the central part of the state. The population was 64,591 at the 2020 census. In 2019 the estimated population was 65,903, making it the seventh-mo ...

– Conway

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

. Woodson and its accompanying Woodson Lake and Wood Hollow are the namesake for Ed Wood Sr., a prominent plantation owner, trader, and businessman at the turn of the 20th century. Woodson is adjacent to the Wood Plantation, the largest of the plantations own by Ed Wood Sr.

Geography

Woodson is located at . 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 CDP has a total area of , of which is land and (2.29%) is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 346 people, 141 households, and 82 families residing in the CDP.

2000 census

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 445 people, 177 households, and 113 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 198 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 24.94%

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 ...

, 73.93%

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 ...

, and 1.12% from two or more races. There were 177 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% 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, 19.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.26. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 23.8% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 29.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $28,750, and the median income for a family was $35,781. Males had a median income of $22,143 versus $30,893 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 CDP was $12,854. About 13.5% of families and 15.4% 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 12.1% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

History

Ed Wood, Sr. founded a settlement in central Arkansas after migrating from Alabama with his mother ''circa'' 1880. What is now called Woodson was known for much of the area's early history as "Wood Hollow" in recognition of Ed Wood Sr. and his 1890 purchase of the first black-owned plantation in Arkansas. In the period following

Radical Reconstruction The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...

, Ed Wood, Sr. began hosting gathering of the

Prince Hall Freemasonry Prince Hall Freemasonry is a branch of North American Freemasonry for African Americans founded by Prince Hall on September 29, 1784. There are two main branches of Prince Hall Freemasonry: the independent State Prince Hall Grand Lodges, most of ...

, of which he was a founding member of the Arkansas Lodge and held rank of highest degree. It was in these meetings at the Wood Plantation that he became an associated with Scipio Africanus Jones, John E. Bush, Chester W. Keatts, and John Hamilton McConico. From these meetings, a vibrant African-American Establishment matured. Wood was able to sustain the Prince Hall Lodge, but his contemporaries spun off to form the Mosaic Templars of America.

Education

It is within the

Pulaski County Special School District Pulaski County Special School District No. 1 (PCSSD) is one of four public school districts in Pulaski County, Arkansas—along with the Little Rock School District, the North Little Rock School District, and the Jacksonville North Pulaski Schoo ...

. It is zoned to Daisy Bates Elementary School, Fuller Middle School, and Wilbur D. Mills University Studies High School.

References

External links

Woodson Lateral Road
{{authority control Census-designated places in Pulaski County, Arkansas Census-designated places in Arkansas Census-designated places in Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway metropolitan area Populated places established in 1880 1880 establishments in Arkansas