Desha County, Arkansas

Desha County ( ) is a county located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of Arkansas, with its eastern border the Mississippi River. At the 2020 census, the population was 11,395. The county is plurality-African American. The county seat is Arkansas City.

History

Desha County was created by the Arkansas Legislature on December 12, 1838, consisting of the lands of Arkansas County separated from the county seat by the Arkansas River and the White River, and land from Chicot County. The county was named for Captain Benjamin Desha, who fought in the War of 1812.

Located in the Arkansas Delta, Desha County's rivers and fertile soils proved to be prosperous for planters under the cotton-based slave society of plantation agriculture in the antebellum years. After the Civil War, cotton continued as the primary commodity crop into the early 20th century, and planters did well. Labor was provided by sharecroppers and tenant farmers.

But following widespread farm mechanization, laborers were thrown off the land, and Desha County had a demographic and economic transformation. Thousands of African-American farm workers left the area and went north or west in the Great Migration, and there was a decline in population. Farm holdings have been consolidated into industrial-scale farms, with few governmental benefits for small farmers, and the economy cannot support much activity. In the 21st century, the county is seeking to reverse population and economic losses through better education for its workforce, and developing tourism based on its cultural, historical and outdoor recreation amenities.

During World War II, the federal government established the Rohwer War Relocation Center, an internment camp for Japanese nationals and Japanese Americans it forced out of the coastal area of California, the U.S. Pacific Northwest, and Alaska. The camp operated from late 1942 into 1945 and the end of the war, holding up to nearly 8500 ethnic Japanese, many American-born citizens. The Rohwer War Relocation Center Cemetery has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (6.3%) is water. Desha County is within the Arkansas Delta and is considered a member of the Southeast Arkansas region.

Major highways

* Future Interstate 69
* U.S. Highway 65
* U.S. Highway 165
* U.S. Highway 278
* Highway 1
* Highway 4
* Highway 138

Adjacent counties

* Arkansas County (north)
* Phillips County (northeast)
* Bolivar County, Mississippi (east)
* Chicot County (south)
* Drew County (southwest)
* Lincoln County (northwest)

National protected area

* White River National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

The county has been depopulating since 1940, almost always losing population decade after decade, like some other rural Black Belt counties.

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 11,395 people, 5,204 households, and 3,545 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 15,341 people, 5,922 households, and 4,192 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 6,663 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 50.50% White, 46.33% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.73% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 3.16% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,922 households, out of which 34.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.50% were married couples living together, 19.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.20% were non-families. 26.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.90% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 25.20% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,121, and the median income for a family was $30,028. Males had a median income of $29,623 versus $18,913 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,446. About 23.60% of families and 28.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.60% of those under age 18 and 24.00% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Government

The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by the Constitution of Arkansas and the Arkansas Code. The quorum court is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all spending and revenue collection. Representatives are called ''justices of the peace'' and are elected from county districts every even-numbered year. The number of districts in a county vary from nine to fifteen, and district boundaries are drawn by the county election commission. The Desha County Quorum Court has nine members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is the ''county judge'', who serves as the chief operating officer of the county. The county judge is elected at-large and does not vote in quorum court business, although capable of vetoing quorum court decisions.

The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 5 Democrats and 4 Republicans. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:

* District 1: Troy Jackson Jr. (D)
* District 2: G. Lynn Weatherford (D)
* District 3: Patricia Watkins (D)
* District 4: Rick Helton (D)
* District 5: Hollis Mankin (R)
* District 6: Ken Holt (R)
* District 7: Rita K. Kolb (R)
* District 8: Dollie Ann Wilson (D)
* District 9: Norris Sims (R)

Additionally, the townships of Desha County are entitled to elect their own respective constables, as set forth by the Constitution of Arkansas. Constables are largely of historical significance as they were used to keep the peace in rural areas when travel was more difficult. The township constables as of the 2024 elections are:

* Randolph: Dennis Blankenship (R)

Politics

Desha County had consistently voted Democratic, even as Arkansas as a whole has strongly shifted to the Republican Party and the margins in the county shrinking due to depopulation, voting for the Democratic nominee in every presidential election from 1972 to 2020. In 2020, Joe Biden became the first Democrat since Walter Mondale to fall under 50% in the county, winning a plurality. In 2024, Donald Trump became the first Republican since Richard Nixon in 1972 to win the county.

Communities

Cities

* Arkansas City (county seat)
* Dumas
* McGehee
* Mitchellville
* Tillar (partly in Drew County)
* Watson

Towns

* Reed

Unincorporated areas

* Back Gate
* Halley
* Kelso
* Pea Ridge
* Pickens
* Rohwer
* Snow Lake

Historic community

* Napoleon

Townships

* Bowie (most of McGehee)
* Clayton ( Reed, Tillar, small part of McGehee)
* Franklin ( Arkansas City)
* Halley (small part of McGehee)
* Jefferson
* Mississippi
* Randolph ( Mitchellville, most of Dumas)
* Red Fork ( Watson)
* Richland
* Silver Lake
* Walnut Lake

Notable people

* John "Kayo" Dottley
* Jim Hines
* John H. Johnson
* Major Jones
* Doug Terry
* Barry Williamson

See also

* List of lakes in Desha County, Arkansas
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Desha County, Arkansas

References

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1838 establishments in Arkansas
Populated places established in 1838
Arkansas counties on the Mississippi River
Internment camps for Japanese Americans
Majority-minority counties in Arkansas