Poinsett County, Arkansas: History and Information

Poinsett County, Arkansas

Poinsett County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

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Etymology - Origin of County Name

Meaning of County Name

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History

Created on February 28, 1838, from parts of Greene and St. Francis counties, in which the county was named after Joel Roberts Poinsett. He was a diplomat, statesman and competent amateur botanist. The county seat is Harrisburg. The landscape of the county is rich, flat, delta farmland in the east and west and rolling hills in the center of the county. Crowley's Ridge splits the county. East of the ridge is cotton and soybeans and west of the ridge is rice. Along the ridge are beef and dairy cattle. The economic base of the county is agricultural. The St. Francis Sunken Lands Wildlife Management Area features hunting on sunken lands that were created by the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 and 1812, that sank the land between 15 to 20 feet in places, destroying the St. Francis River's channel and creating the St. Francis swamps and the Sunken Lands. After the earthquakes the federal government instituted its first "Disaster Relief Fund" by issuing New Madrid Certificates entitling displaced landowners to new acreage in the Louisiana Purchase Territory. Lake Poinsett, Lake Poinsett State Park, Lake Hogue, and Bayou Deview Wildlife Management area all offer fishing, hunting and other water activities. A unique feature of Poinsett County is the sight of one river running under another. The Riverdale Tunnel carries the Buffalo Ditch under the water of the left hand chute, a branch of the river. Many visitors enjoy the waters and wildlife of this area. The courthouse building is constructed mainly of Bedford stone, although the large columns on the east and west entrances, as well as the other columns and accents, are sandstone. The courtyard is enclosed by evergreen privet shrub. The tower clock has four faces and the tower-arches and brass trim accents the red tile roof. The date of construction in Roman numerals is inscribed over both entries: MCMXVIII.

Neighboring Counties:

North: Craighead County

Northeast: Mississippi County

Southeast: Crittenden County

Southwest: Cross County

West: Jackson County

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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

Arkansas State...

Arkansas

Arkansas Counties

Poinsett County, Arkansas

Poinsett County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Demographics:

History

Neighboring Counties:

Cities and Towns:

County Resources:

Poinsett County, Arkansas

County Resource Guide

Penn Foster High School