Rockport, Arkansas
| Rockport Rockport on the Ouachita | |
|---|---|
| City | |
| City of Rockport | |
 Location in Hot Spring County and the state of Arkansas | |
  Rockport Location within the contiguous United States of America | |
| Coordinates: 34°24′9″N 92°48′40″W / 34.40250°N 92.81111°WCoordinates: 34°24′9″N 92°48′40″W / 34.40250°N 92.81111°W | |
| Country |
 United States |
| State |
 Arkansas |
| County | Hot Spring |
| Townships | Butterfield, Fenter |
| Incorporated | January 2, 1851 |
| Government[1] | |
| • Type | Mayor–Council |
| • Mayor | Darrell Hughes (I) |
| • Council | |
| Area | |
| • Total | 8.1 km2 (3.1 sq mi) |
| • Land | 8.1 km2 (3.1 sq mi) |
| • Water | 0 km2 (0 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 101 m (331 ft) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 755 |
| • Density | 97.8/km2 (255.5/sq mi) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 72104 |
| Area code(s) | 501 |
| FIPS code | 05-60020 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0058508 |
| Major airport | Adams Field (LIT) |
Rockport is a city on the Ouachita River in Hot Spring County, Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population of Rockport was 755, down from 792 in 2000.[2]
History
Rockport is one of the oldest historical places in Arkansas. Rockport served as county seat of Hot Spring County from 1846 to 1879 and was a landmark Arkansas community for many years before and after that time. Many early Texas settlers passed through Rockport on the Southwest Trail military road.
Large novaculite boulders in the Ouachita River that lent the community its name made Rockport ideal as a river crossing and a resting place for weary river travelers. A plaque near Rockport United Methodist Church says Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto visited the location in 1541. But contemporary historians are less certain about the exact route followed by de Soto and his group while west of the Mississippi River.
French hunters and trappers forded the Ouachita River here. The Hunter-Dunbar Expedition struggled to navigate the Rockport rapids and falls on December 3, 1804, recording their experience in a travel diary. During the 1830s, the U.S. Army used used the boulders to improve the Southwest Trail's river crossing. Around 1847, a bridge on the Southwest Trail was completed over the Ouachita River. It was the first toll bridge built in Arkansas. Over the years, it repeatedly washed away and was rebuilt.
The settlement was populated by the time Arkansas became a state in 1836. Politician Lorenzo Gibson built a house on a bluff overlooking the river and became Rockport’s first postmaster in 1837. Other early settlers were Colonel A. R. Givens, Samuel Emerson and Henry Miller. Emerson laid out the city and opened its first hotel. Three physicians and a lawyer also were living in Rockport.
Hot Spring County was created in 1829, with its county seat at Hot Springs. When the county seat was moved to Rockport in 1846, it already had a grist mill, a shop where wagons were built, stores, and residences. A Methodist church was meeting in a private home as early as 1815, and has met continuously ever since. Its first building, a log structure, was erected in 1836. Rockport Baptist Church began holding services in 1849 and also housed Rockport’s first school. New Hope Baptist Church was established in 1859.
A new Hot Spring County courthouse was dedicated in 1860, a few months before the Civil War's outbreak.
After the war, the Cairo and Fulton Railroad offered to build tracks through the area with a Rockport depot, but city leaders declined its offer.
Three events in 1873 shaped Rockport's decline. Railroad tracks were located farther south, and the city of Malvern was created. A major fire devastated Rockport, destroying the county courthouse and other structures. And Garland County was created and hewn from Hot Spring County, greatly reducing the older county's size and population. As a result of all three events, county leaders chose to build a new courthouse in Malvern, and county government moved there in 1879.
Rockport's population then began to decrease. The Ouachita Falls Lumber Company was a major employer in Rockport, but lumber companies and brick factories in Malvern increasingly lured workers to the newer city. [3]
After insufficient finances led to previous false starts, in 1900 developers completed a plan to build an iron bridge across the Ouachita River. It replaced a wooden bridge that had washed away. Construction on the iron bridge began August 10, 1900, and was completed November 6. A dedication and community meal were November 8.[4] The bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places after its 1982 nomination.[5] It washed away in a catastrophic flood following a heavy Hot Springs rain the evening of May 19-20, 1990.[6]
During the Arkansas Centennial in June 1936, President Franklin Roosevelt visited Arkansas. After morning June 16 events in Hot Springs and lunch with Arkansas Power and Light Company founder Harvey Couch, the president and his party attended a service at Rockport Methodist Church, which was followed by a motorcade parade. After the parade, the presidential group traveled to Little Rock for more festivities. [7]
A 2.5-acre part of Rockport Cemetery, including its two oldest sections, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.1 km² (3.1 mi²), all land.[8]
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1960 | 162 | — | |
| 1970 | 158 | −2.5% | |
| 1980 | 231 | 46.2% | |
| 1990 | 388 | 68.0% | |
| 2000 | 792 | 104.1% | |
| 2010 | 755 | −4.7% | |
| Est. 2014 | 754 | [9] | −0.1% |
As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 792 people, 324 households, and 238 families residing in the city. The population density was 97.4/km² (252.3/mi²). There were 348 housing units at an average density of 42.8/km² (110.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.44% White, 2.40% Black or African American, 1.26% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, and 1.14% from two or more races. 0.63% of the population were Hispanic or Latino ethnicity of any race.
There were 324 households, out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.7% were married couples living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,250, and the median income for a family was $40,750. Males had a median income of $26,875 versus $21,146 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,299. About 2.5% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Ełementary and secondary education
Public education for early childhood, elementary and secondary school students is provided by:
- Malvern School District, which leads to graduation from Malvern High School
- Magnet Cove School District, which leads to graduation from Magnet Cove High School
- Glen Rose School District, which leads to graduation from Glen Rose High School
Infrastructure
Transportation
Rockport is connected by Interstate 30, U.S. Route 270 and Arkansas Highway 84.
See also
References
- ↑ Rockport at Arkansas Municipal League
- ↑ Local.Arkansas.gov - Rockport, retrieved September 3, 2012
- ↑ "Arkansas Gazette", June 7, 1936 | Title=Old Rockport
- ↑ "The Heritage 12", 1985, pages 45–47 | Title=The Rockport Bridge
- ↑ http://www.arkansashighways.com/historic_bridge/HAER%20Documents/AR-47%20Rockport%20Bridge%20%28M1576%29.pdf Historic Arkansas Bridges
- ↑ http://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/1992/4007/report.pdf Report on May 1990 Ouachita River basin flood
- ↑ "A Pictorial History of Malvern and Hot Spring County"
- ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
Further reading
- Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Pulaski, Jefferson, Lonoke, Faulkner, Grant, Saline, Perry, Garland and Hot Spring Counties, Arkansas. Chicago, Nashville and St. Louis: Goodspeed Publishing Co. 1889. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
External links
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