Helena is the eastern portion of Helena–West Helena, Arkansas, a city in Phillips County, Arkansas, located on the west bank of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

. It was founded in 1833 by Nicholas Rightor and is named after the daughter of Sylvanus Phillips, an early settler of Phillips County and the namesake of Phillips County. As of the 2000 census, this portion of the city population was 6,323. Helena was the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Phillips County"Phillips County, AR."

National Association of Counties The National Association of Counties (NACo) is an organization that represents County (United States), county governments in the United States.

, January 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016. until January 1, 2006, when it merged its government and city limits with neighboring West Helena. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, the Battle of Helena was fought July 4, 1863. Helena is the birthplace of many notable people including prominent African Americans and Arkansas' former senior United States senator, Blanche Lincoln. Helena is home to the longest running daily radio program in the U.S., '' King Biscuit Time''. Citizens of Helena incorporated the Arkansas Midland Railroad in 1853, intending it to be a fairly straight ” air-line railroad” running west from Helena to

Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

, about 115 miles. However actual trackage was not completed until 1872, and only ran to

Clarendon, Arkansas Clarendon is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Arkansas, United States. Located in the Arkansas Delta, the city's position on the White River at the mouth of the Cache River has defined the community since first incorporating in ...

, about 48 miles. This line later became part of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway in 1910, but was all abandoned by 1979. From 1906 to 1946, Helena was a terminal point on the former

Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad The Missouri and North Arkansas was a railroad in Missouri and Arkansas from 1906 to 1935, with its successor lasting until 1946. History The railroad began as the Eureka Springs Railway in 1883 as a line from the St. Louis–San Francisco Ra ...

, which provided passenger and freight service to

Joplin, Missouri Joplin is a city in Jasper County, Missouri, Jasper and Newton County, Missouri, Newton counties in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bulk of the city is in Jasper County, while the southern portion is in Newton County. J ...

. After a loss of rail service in early 2015, a successful effort was launched by the Helena-West Helena/Phillips County Port Authority to have freight service restored. The service was restored on October 1, 2015, and two new freight customers were quickly gained.

History

Battle of Helena

In June 1863, Confederate Commander Theophilus Holmes sought to take pressure off of

Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat. The population was 21,573 at the 2020 census. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vicksburg ...

, by attacking the Union-held town of Helena, Arkansas. Holmes planned and executed three different failed attacks on the town. The main attack broke through Battery C, but Union troops fended off the attackers and sealed the breach. The Confederates withdrew on July 4, 1863. There were 1,636 Confederate casualties and 205 Union casualties.

Fort Curtis

Fort Curtis was built in August 1862 by Union soldiers and freed slaves in Helena. For the next year, it served as a command post for the Union since it was centrally located on the

. Fort Curtis was not directly attacked during the Battle of Helena as the Confederacy focused its attacks on the outlying batteries. The Confederates charged Fort Curtis in their last attack, but the heavy artillery inside kept the attack from reaching the fort. Helena built a reproduction of Fort Curtis in 2012 that is free to the public.

Geography

Helena is located at (34.5292, -90.5861). 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 ...

, Helena had a total area of , all land.

Climate

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 6,323 people, 2,312 households, and 1,542 families residing in Helena. The population density was . There were 2,710 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of Helena is 67.93% Black or African American, 30.59% White, 0.13% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. 0.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 2,312 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.8% 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, 28.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.28. In Helena, the age distribution included 32.5% of the population under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.5 males. The median income for a household in Helena is $18,662, and the median income for a family was $21,534. Males had a median income of $27,203 versus $17,250 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 Helena is $13,028. About 38.4% of families and 41.4% 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 ...

, including 54.9% of those under age 18 and 24.1% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Blues

Robert Palmer noted that in the mid-1930s Helena was "the

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

capital of the

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...

". Among the musicians who regularly visited and performed in the area at that time were

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His singing, guitar playing and songwriting on his landmark 1936 and 1937 recordings have influenced later generations of musicians. Although his r ...

Johnny Shines John Ned Shines (April 26, 1915 – April 20, 1992) was an American blues singer and guitarist. Biography Shines was born in Frayser, Tennessee, today a neighborhood of Memphis. He was taught to play the guitar by his mother and spent m ...

Sonny Boy Williamson II Alex or Aleck Miller (originally Ford, possibly December 5, 1912 – May 24, 1965), known later in his career as Sonny Boy Williamson, was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. He was an early and influential blues harp s ...

Robert Nighthawk Robert Lee McCollum (November 30, 1909 – November 5, 1967) was an American blues musician who played and recorded under the pseudonyms Robert Lee McCoy and Robert Nighthawk. He was the father of the blues musician Sam Carr. Nighthawk was ind ...

Howlin' Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player. He was at the forefront of transforming acoustic Delta blues into electric Chica ...

Elmore James Elmore James ( Brooks; January 27, 1918 – May 24, 1963) was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and bandleader. Noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice, James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ...

David "Honeyboy" Edwards David "Honeyboy" Edwards (June 28, 1915 – August 29, 2011) was an American delta blues guitarist and singer from Mississippi. Biography Edwards was born in Shaw, Mississippi.

Memphis Slim John Len Chatman (September 3, 1915 – February 24, 1988), known professionally as Memphis Slim, was an American blues pianist, singer, and composer. He led a series of bands that, reflecting the popular appeal of jump blues, included saxopho ...

and

Roosevelt Sykes Roosevelt Sykes (January 31, 1906July 17, 1983) was an American blues musician, also known as "the Honeydripper". Career Sykes was born the son of a musician in Elmar, Arkansas. "Just a little old sawmill town", Sykes said of his birthplace. The ...

Historic buildings

Helena, Arkansas is home to historic buildings such as the Sidney H. Horner House and the Centennial Baptist Church. The Edwardian Inn is located on land occupied by Union forces during the

Siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed th ...

in 1863, and is listed in 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 ...

In fiction

The city features prominently in the novel '' The Pirates of the Mississippi'' by Friedrich Gerstäcker, published in 1848.

Education

Helena-West Helena School District operates schools in what was Helena. Schools in the former West Helena. *J. F. Wahl Elementary School *S.T.A.R.S. (Students Tapping Academic Resources for Success) Academy (alternative school) Eliza Miller Junior High School and Central High School, the designated secondary schools, were in West Helena. Helena previously had a Catholic grade school for black children, St. Cyprian School; it closed in 1963.

Notable people

* James M. Alexander, formerly enslaved African-American politician and businessperson; served in the

Arkansas House of Representatives The Arkansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Arkansas. The House has 100 members elected from an equal number of constituencies across the state. Each distr ...

and as first African-American Justice of the Peace in Arkansas * John Hanks Alexander, first African American officer in U.S. armed forces to hold regular command position and second African American graduate of U.S. Military Academy * Dorathy M. Allen, first woman elected to Arkansas Senate *

John Allin John Maury Allin (April 22, 1921 – March 6, 1998) was an American Episcopal bishop who served as the 23rd Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church from 1974 to 1985. Early life Allin was born in Helena, Arkansas. He graduated from the Univ ...

, presiding bishop of the

Episcopal Church (United States) The Episcopal Church (TEC), also known as the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America (PECUSA), is a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, based in the United States. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is ...

* Bankroll Freddie, rapper *Bruce Bennett, former

Arkansas Attorney General The attorney general of Arkansas, usually known simply as the attorney general (AG), is one of Arkansas's seven constitutional officers. The officeholder serves as the state's top law enforcement officer and consumer advocate. History The at ...

* Joseph Robert Booker, African-American civil rights leader * Caroline Shawk Brooks, first known American sculptor to work with butter *

Patrick Cleburne Major general, Major-General Patrick Ronayne Cleburne ( ; March 16, 1828November 30, 1864) was a senior Officer (armed forces), officer in the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, West ...

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

General * CeDell Davis, blues guitarist and longtime recording artist despite disabled hands * William Henry Grey, Reconstruction-era politician and state senator * Thomas Burton Hanly, Arkansas judge and legislator * Ken Hatfield, college football coach * Thomas C. Hindman,

General * Red Holloway, jazz saxophonist * Alex Johnson, baseball player, 1970 American League batting champion * Mary Lambert, film director * Blanche Lincoln, former U.S. Senator from Arkansas * Roberta Martin, gospel singer * Theodore D. McNeal, union organizer, equal employment opportunity activist, and state senator in Missouri * Abraham Hugo Miller, formerly enslaved African-American politician and businessperson; served in the Arkansas House of Representatives; minister of Centennial Baptist Church. * Elias Camp Morris, pastor of Centennial Baptist Church and president of the National Baptist Convention * Johnny Taylor, painter *

Conway Twitty Harold Lloyd Jenkins (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993), better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene, Twitty was best known as a country music performer. ...

, country singer and actor in

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 amass ...

* Ellis Valentine, former right fielder for the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...

and the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

. * James T. White - Reconstruction-era politician and Baptist minister

References

External links

''The Helena-West Helena Daily World''
the newspaper serving Helena-West Helena and Phillips County
ePodunk: Profile for Helena, Arkansas
* {{Authority control American Civil War sites Former municipalities in Arkansas Arkansas populated places on the Mississippi River Populated places in Phillips County, Arkansas Populated places established in 1833 Populated places disestablished in 2006 1833 establishments in Arkansas Territory