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Subiaco is a town in Logan 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 ...
, United States. The population was 572 at the 2010 census. The town is named after
Subiaco Abbey The Abbey of Saint Scholastica, also known as Subiaco Abbey ( Italian: ''Abbazia di Santa Scolastica''), is located just outside the town of Subiaco in the Province of Rome, Region of Lazio, Italy; and is still an active Benedictine abbey, ter ...
, which is located there, and which donated in the early 20th century for a townsite and railroad connection. Founded as a priory in 1878, Subiaco Abbey was established and named by Pope
Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-ol ...
in 1891, after the Italian city of that name in the
Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
region, where
St. Benedict Benedict of Nursia ( la, Benedictus Nursiae; it, Benedetto da Norcia; 2 March AD 480 – 21 March AD 548) was an Italian Christian monk, writer, and theologian who is venerated in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Orient ...
founded his first monastery. The town celebrated the arrival of its first train in June 1909.


History

The development of both the abbey and the town were related to the expansion of the
Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad The Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad was a railroad that operated in the state of Arkansas between 1853 and 1875. It came to national prominence when its bonds were the subject of a scandal involving Republican presidential candidate James G. ...
(LR&FS) in the area in the late 19th century. In 1877, it owned thousands of acres in Arkansas through federal subsidies for railroad development, and wanted to attract German Catholic immigrants to the region as settlers. The railroad came to an agreement with Abbot Martin Marty, O.S.B., of St. Meinrad Archabbey in Indiana, to grant the abbey land in Logan County to establish a monastery and school to serve the hoped-for settlers. The railroad granted to the Benedictines to establish a monastery for
monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
s, and an additional to found a
convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglic ...
for Benedictine nuns. Although the Benedictine abbey and order are independent of the local
diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...
, as are all Catholic institutes, Edward Fitzgerald, Bishop of Diocese of Little Rock, supported the proposal. He needed German-speaking priests to serve the growing numbers of German immigrants in his diocese. In March 1878, three monk-missionaries from St. Meinrad Archabbey settled here, founding what became known first as St. Benedict's Priory. Another priest, and eight monastery candidates, joined them the following year. In 1886, the priory became independent of St. Meinrad's, as a
conventual priory The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv) is a male religious fraternity in the Roman Catholic Church that is a branch of the Franciscans. The friars in OFM CONV are also known as Conventual Franciscans, or Minorites. Dating back to ...
. In 1891,
Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...
named the institute as an abbey, to be called
Subiaco Abbey The Abbey of Saint Scholastica, also known as Subiaco Abbey ( Italian: ''Abbazia di Santa Scolastica''), is located just outside the town of Subiaco in the Province of Rome, Region of Lazio, Italy; and is still an active Benedictine abbey, ter ...
, after Subiaco, Italy, where St. Benedict had his first monastery. German Catholic immigrants did settle in the area, generally working as farmers. They began to lobby for a direct railroad connection. The nearby town of Spierlerville, Arkansas, was the site of the local post office in the region. The Spieler family lobbied for the railroad to pass through their town. The Prior of
Subiaco Abbey The Abbey of Saint Scholastica, also known as Subiaco Abbey ( Italian: ''Abbazia di Santa Scolastica''), is located just outside the town of Subiaco in the Province of Rome, Region of Lazio, Italy; and is still an active Benedictine abbey, ter ...
, Fr. Wolfgang Schlumpf, O.S.B., had lobbied for the railroad to pass by the Abbey quarry so that it could have a viable commercial enterprise, but the railroad company chose a more level route that passed to the south of the Abbey property. Subiaco Abbey donated of land to form the new town of Subiaco, where a
railroad depot A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing suc ...
could be located. The depot and a new store, established by Conrad Elsken, formed the basis of the settlement. The Subiaco Development Company was established to sell related lands to the general public. The first train arrived at Subiaco on June 22, 1909, and the official inauguration was on June 30, 1909.
Abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. Th ...
Ignatius Conrad Ignatius Conrad (November 13, 1846 Au, Switzerland – March 13, 1926 Baldegg, Switzerland) was a Benedictine monk, a Swiss missionary, and the first Abbot of Subiaco Abbey in Arkansas, which was named as an abbey in 1891. He served from 1892 t ...
of Subiaco Abbey drove the last spike for the railway connection. Dressed in full vestments, the Abbot also greeted passengers and blessed the train. Festivities included music by both the Subiaco band and the band from nearby Spielerville.''Logan County, Arkansas: Its History and Its People'' (Paris, AR: Logan County Historical Society, 1987).


Geography

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 An economy is an area of th ...
, the town has a total area of , all land.


Demographics

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 in ...
of 2000, there were 439 people, 147 households, and 115 families in the town. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...
was 238.3 inhabitants per square mile (92.1/km). There were 167 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town is 93.62%
White White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 3.64%
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 ha ...
or
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 0.46% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.23% from other races, and 1.82% from two or more races. 0.68% of the population were
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or Latino of any race. There were 147 households, of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18, 63.9% 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, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.1% were non-families. 17.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.86. In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.3% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 122.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 131.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $38,182, and the median income for a family was $40,417. Males had a median income of $25,125 versus $17,969 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 town was $14,012. About 6.0% of families and 17.7% 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 16.7% of those under age 18 and 36.0% of those age 65 or over.


Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
system, Subiaco has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.


Education

Most of Subiaco is in Scranton School District, while a section is in
Paris School District Paris School District 7 is a school district in Paris, Arkansas, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. ...
. The former district's comprehensive high school is Scranton High School.
Subiaco Academy Subiaco Academy is an American Roman Catholic day and boarding school for boys founded in 1928. Serving grades 7-12, it is part of Subiaco Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in Subiaco, Arkansas. Earlier schools at the priory and abbey dated to 1887 ...
is in Subiaco.


Gallery

First Train.jpg, Arrival of the first train to Subiaco, June 22, 1909 Railroad Inauguration.jpg, Official Inauguration and Driving of the Last Spike for the Railroad at Subiaco, June 30, 1909 Subiaco Station.jpg, Early Subiaco Railroad Depot in Subiaco Subiaco Depot with Mercantile Store.jpg, Early Subiaco Railroad Depot, with Store of Conrad Elsken in the background


References

{{authority control Towns in Logan County, Arkansas Towns in Arkansas