St. Francis County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,090. 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 ...

Forrest City Forrest City is a city in and the county seat of St. Francis County, Arkansas, United States. It was named for General Nathan Bedford Forrest, a notable Confederate war hero who later became the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Shortly ...

. St. Francis County comprises the

Forrest City, Arkansas Forrest City is a city in and the county seat of St. Francis County, Arkansas, United States. It was named for General Nathan Bedford Forrest, a notable Confederate war hero who later became the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Shortly ...

Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...

-Forrest City, TN- MS-AR Combined Statistical Area.

History

St. Francis County was formed by the Arkansas territorial legislature on October 13, 1827.

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States * Madison (footballer), Brazilian footballer Places in the United States Populated places * Madi ...

served as the county seat until

, formed in 1869 and named after

Nathan Bedford Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821October 29, 1877) was an List of slave traders of the United States, American slave trader, active in the lower Mississippi River valley, who served as a General officers in the Confederate States Army, Con ...

, replaced it in 1874. The percentage of tenant farmers in the county rose from 43.2% in 1880 to 70.7% in 1900. It is on the eastern border of the state in the Arkansas Delta, formed by the lowlands of the Mississippi River. It was an area of large cotton plantations in the antebellum era, when the workers were enslaved African Americans. It continued as an agricultural area into the late 19th century, when many

freedmen A freedman or freedwoman is a person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their owners), emancipation (granted freedom as part of a larger group), or self- ...

became sharecroppers.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.2%) is water.

Major highways

Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west transcontinental Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States, southeastern and Southwestern United States, southwestern portions of the United States. At a leng ...

* U.S. Highway 70 * Highway 1 *

Highway 38 The following highways are numbered 38: Australia * A38 (Sydney) Canada * Alberta Highway 38 * Ontario Highway 38 (former) * Saskatchewan Highway 38 Czech Republic * I/38 Highway (Czech Republic), I/38 Highway; Czech: :cz:Silnice I/38, Silnic ...

* Highway 50 * Highway 75

Adjacent counties

Cross County Cross County is a rural Northeast Arkansas county in the Arkansas Delta. Created as Arkansas's 53rd county on November 15, 1862, Cross County contains four incorporated municipalities, including Wynne, the county seat and most populous city ...

(north) * Crittenden County (east) * Lee County (south) * Monroe County (southwest) * Woodruff County (northwest)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 23,090 people, 9,388 households, and 5,867 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 28,258 people living in the county. 51.9% were Black or African American, 44.2%

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 ...

, 0.5% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 1.4% of some other race and 1.5% of two or more races. 4.1% were

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

(of any race).

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 29,329 people, 10,043 households, and 7,230 families living in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 11,242 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 48.36%

, 49.01%

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 ...

, 0.25% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.02%

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 ...

, 0.40% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. 4.88% 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 10,043 households, out of which 35.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.90% 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, 20.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.17. In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.90% under the age of 18, 9.90% from 18 to 24, 29.10% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 11.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 105.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $26,146, and the median income for a family was $30,324. Males had a median income of $28,389 versus $20,578 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 county was $12,483. About 23.10% of families and 27.50% 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 38.70% of those under age 18 and 23.10% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Government

The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by the

Constitution of Arkansas The Constitution of Arkansas is the Constitution, primary organizing law for the U.S. state of Arkansas delineating the duties, powers, structures, and functions of the Politics and government of Arkansas, state government. Arkansas' original ...

and the

Arkansas Code 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 to the ...

. 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 St. Francis County Quorum Court has eleven members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is the county judge, who serves as the chief executive 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 after the 2024 elections is 7 Democrats, 3 Republicans, and 1 Independent. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are: * District 1: Charles Jones (D) * District 2: Jimmy Long (I) * District 3: Margarette Lacy Winfrey (D) * District 4: David Coleman (R) * District 5: Ernestine Weaver (D) * District 6: Greg Gray (R) * District 7: Nathaniel Murray (D) * District 8: Christopher Ray (D) * District 9: Maceo J. Hawkins (D) * District 10: Kendall Owens (D) * District 11: Jamie Busby (R) Additionally, the townships of St. Francis County are entitled to elect their own respective constables, as set forth by the

. 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: * Blackfish: Joe W. Cox (D) * Franks: Harry Mathes Jr. (D) * Garland: Joe Askue (D) * Johnson: Kendall Pettus (R) * Madison: George L. Cochran Sr. (D) * Prairie: James Roberts (D) * Telico: Everett Woods (R)

Politics

The Republican Party and Union Labor Party merged for the 1888 election and nominated a multiracial slate of candidates against the all-white Democratic slate. On September 4, Paul M. Cobbs, a white Democrat, shot at men guarding the precinct ballot box and wounded seven. The Republican-Union Labor ticket won the county elections. The Union Labor Party's gubernatorial and

Arkansas's 1st congressional district Arkansas's 1st congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in eastern Arkansas that elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives. It is currently represented by Republican Rick Crawford. With a Cook Parti ...

candidates also won St. Francis County. The

Federal Bureau of Prisons The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Justice that is responsible for all List of United States federal prisons, federal prisons ...

Federal Correctional Complex, Forrest City is in Forrest City. A portion of St. Francis County is represented in the

Arkansas State Senate The Arkansas State Senate is the upper branch of the Arkansas General Assembly. The Senate consists of 35 members, each representing a district with about 83,000 people. Service in the state legislature is part-time, and many state senators have ...

by Republican Ronald R. Caldwell. In presidential elections, St. Francis County generally votes Democratic. Following Reconstruction and disenfranchisement of black voters at the turn of the century, the county voted Democratic in every election since

1896 Events January * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports Wilhelm Röntgen's dis ...

, other than

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15 ...

(

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

1908 This is the longest year in either the Julian or Gregorian calendars, having a duration of 31622401.38 seconds of Terrestrial Time (or ephemeris time), measured according to the definition of mean solar time. Events January * January ...

(

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...

), and

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

(

George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who was the 45th and longest-serving governor of Alabama (1963–1967; 1971–1979; 1983–1987), and the List of longest-serving governors of U.S. s ...

). By the late 1960s, white conservatives began to shift into the Republican Party, and St. Francis County was carried by

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

amidst a national landslide. In

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

carried the county in his landslide reelection. The county has voted Democratic in every subsequent presidential election, albeit be narrowing margins in recent years. In

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, Kamala Harris narrowly won the county by 44 votes.

Communities

Cities

(county seat) *

Towns

Caldwell Caldwell may refer to: People * Caldwell (surname) * Caldwell (given name) * Caldwell First Nation, a federally recognized First Nation in southern Ontario, Canada Places Great Britain * Caldwell, Derbyshire, a hamlet * Caldwell, Ea ...

* Colt *

Heth Heth, sometimes written Chet or Ḥet, is the eighth letter of the Semitic abjads, including Phoenician ''ḥēt'' 𐤇, Hebrew ''ḥēt'' , Aramaic ''ḥēṯ'' 𐡇, Syriac ''ḥēṯ'' ܚ, and Arabic ''ḥāʾ'' . It is also related to ...

* Hughes *

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

* Wheatley * Widener

Townships

* Black Fish * Franks (small part of

) * Garland ( Hughes) * Goodwin * Griggs ( Widener) * Heth * Johnson * L'Anguille * Madison (most of

) * Prairie (

) * Telico (

, Colt, small part of

) * Wheatley (most of Wheatley)

Education

School districts include: *

Forrest City School District Forrest City School District 7 (FCSD) is a school district headquartered in Forrest City, Arkansas. In addition to Forrest City it serves other areas in central St. Francis County, including Caldwell, Colt, Madison, and Widener. The board ...

* Palestine-Wheatley School District *

West Memphis School District West Memphis School District is a public school district that is owned by Drew Davis. Headquartered in West Memphis, Arkansas. United States, covering sections of Crittenden and St. Francis counties. It serves most of West Memphis, the munic ...

Former school districts:
Text list
/ref> *

Hughes School District The Hughes School District, formerly located in Hughes, Arkansas, United States was a public school district that closed in the summer of 2015 due to declining enrollment. The school district encompassed of land in St. Francis County and Crit ...

Notable people

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), known professionally as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer. He is best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Tired of ...

, soul singer *

Charlie Rich Charles Allan Rich (December 14, 1932July 25, 1995) was an American country singer. His eclectic style of music also blended influences from rockabilly, jazz, blues, soul, and gospel. In the later part of his life, Rich acquired the nickname t ...

, country singer *

Sonny Liston Charles L. "Sonny" Liston ( – December 30, 1970), nicknamed "the Big Bear", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. A dominant contender of his era, he became the undisputed world heavyweight champion in 1962 after k ...

, world heavyweight

boxing Boxing is a combat sport and martial art. Taking place in a boxing ring, it involves two people – usually wearing protective equipment, such as boxing glove, protective gloves, hand wraps, and mouthguards – throwing Punch (combat), punch ...

champion * Mark R. Martin,

Secretary of State of Arkansas The Arkansas Secretary of State is one of the elected constitutional officers of the U.S. State of Arkansas. The current Secretary of State is Republican Cole Jester who was appointed by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders after John Thurston be ...

References

Works cited

* *

External links

*
St. Francis, Arkansas
entry on the

Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) ''Encyclopedia of Arkansas'' is a web-based encyclopedia of the U.S. state of Arkansas, described by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as "a free, authoritative source of information abou ...

{{authority control 1827 establishments in Arkansas Territory Populated places established in 1827 Black Belt (U.S. region) Majority-minority counties in Arkansas