McGehee is a city in Desha County,

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

, United States. The population was 4,219 at the 2010 census.

History

The history of the city of McGehee and the history of the railroad through McGehee are intricately interwoven. The history of the railroad dates back to 1870 when a railroad was constructed from Pine Bluff southeast through Varner, to Chicot County. Important in the history of the town of McGehee is the McGehee family which came to the area from

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

in 1857. Benjamin McGehee, his wife, Sarah, a son, Abner, and daughters Laura and Mary settled on land that is now a part of McGehee. Abner McGehee, son of Benjamin and Sarah McGehee, purchased of land on July 1, 1876, on which the town of McGehee was later to be located. When the railroad came into McGehee in 1878 and continued south and southwest, people began to move into the area. Abner McGehee constructed a large

commissary A commissary is a government official charged with oversight or an ecclesiastical official who exercises in special circumstances the jurisdiction of a bishop. In many countries, the term is used as an administrative or police title. It often c ...

building and entered the mercantile business to accommodate the new arrivals. One of the first buildings in the area was a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

. The lumber cut in this mill was used to build shotgun-type rent houses. A post office was established in the McGehee commissary, and in 1879 Abner McGehee became the first postmaster. The post office was named McGehee and served between 400 and 500 people. An order of incorporation was signed March 5, 1906. The first meeting of the town council was held July 21, 1906. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the outskirts of McGehee was the site of an American detention camp used to house Japanese and Japanese-American civilians who had previously lived on the U.S. West Coast. Today the economy of the area is largely dependent upon

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

. The railroad has been largely replaced by the trucking industry which hauls farm products from the gins and grain bins of the area to their destination. From a population of 400 in 1879, McGehee has grown into a community of about 5,000 citizens. Port facilities on 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 ...

are being developed, and the present highway system is rebuilt to accommodate increased traffic. But the city maintains its connections with the railroads, with both the

North Louisiana and Arkansas Railroad The North Louisiana and Arkansas Railroad (NL&AR) operates more than 62 miles of track, extending from McGehee, Arkansas to Lake Providence, Louisiana. The NL&AR owns about 24 miles of the track, while about 41 miles are leased from the Lake Pro ...

and the Arkansas Midland Railroad directly serving McGehee, and the

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad is a Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United States after BNSF, ...

indirectly serving it through interchange with the Arkansas Midland.

Geography

U.S. Route 278 passes through the center of town, leading west to

Monticello Monticello ( ) was the primary residence and plantation of Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third president of the United States. Jefferson began designing Monticello after inheriting l ...

and intersecting U.S. Routes 65 and 165 on the southeast side of town. US 65/165 leads north to Dumas. The three highways lead south together for before splitting; US 65 and 278 continue south to Lake Village, while US 165 turns southwest and leads to Montrose. 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 ...

, McGehee has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,849 people, 1,641 households, and 1,147 families residing in the city.

2000 census

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 4,570 people, 1,836 households, and 1,259 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,044 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 56.72%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 41.51%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.57% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.22% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. 1.49% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 1,836 households, out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% 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, 22.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.99. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.5% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $21,909, and the median income for a family was $25,270. Males had a median income of $31,429 versus $19,464 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 the city was $14,191. About 26.7% of families and 30.0% 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 42.2% of those under age 18 and 23.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

operates the McGehee Post Office. As of April 2020, the current mayor of McGehee is Jeff Owyoung.

Culture

The Japanese American Internment Museum is in McGehee.

Education

The McGehee School District operates two public schools, including McGehee Elementary School (PK through grade 6) and McGehee High School (grades 7 through 12). The mascot and athletic emblem is the ''Owl'' with red and white serving as the school colors. The Southeast Arkansas Public Library operates the McGehee Branch Library.

Notable people

* Oliver Keith Baker, experimental particle physicist and astrophysicist, born in McGehee * Marquesha Davis, professional basketball player, born and raised in McGehee. * Ben F. Gross, first African-American mayor of Milpitas * Caldwell Jones, professional basketball player, was native of McGehee * Seth J. McKee, United States Air Force general, born in McGehee * Charles Robert McPherson, senior pastor of the great Riverside Baptist Church * Robert B. Stobaugh (1927–2017), chemical engineer and economist

References

External links

City of McGehee official website

(from the Institute of Southern Jewish Life) {{DEFAULTSORT:Mcgehee, Arkansas Cities in Desha County, Arkansas Cities in Arkansas Populated places established in 1878 1878 establishments in Arkansas