Sheridan, Arkansas | |
|---|---|
| City of Sheridan | |
 Downtown Sheridan | |
 Location in Grant County and Arkansas | |
  Sheridan Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates:34°15′31″N92°25′22″W / 34.25861°N 92.42278°W /34.25861; -92.42278 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Arkansas |
| County | Grant |
| Townships | Calvert, Merry Green |
| Founded | January 23, 1870 (1870-01-23) |
| Incorporated | August 26, 1887 (1887-08-26) |
| Named after | Philip Sheridan |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–Council |
| • Mayor | Cain Nattin (I) |
| • Council | Sheridan City Council |
| Area | |
• Total | 12.20 sq mi (31.59 km2) |
| • Land | 12.19 sq mi (31.58 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2) |
| Elevation | 276 ft (84 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 4,920 |
| • Density | 403.48/sq mi (155.78/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 72150 |
| Area code | 870 |
| FIPS code | 05-63710 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2405459[2] |
| Major airport | Clinton National (LIT) |
| Website | www |
Sheridan, officially theCity of Sheridan, is a city in and thecounty seat ofGrant County,Arkansas, United States. The community is located deep in the forests of theArkansas Timberlands. It sits at the intersection ofU.S. highways 167 and270.
Early settlers were drawn to the area by the native timber, which is still a very important part of Sheridan's economy, although the city has diversified into several other industries. The city's history also includes a college,Missionary Baptist College, until its closure in 1934, and a series of conflicts during theCivil Rights Movement.[3]
Located at the southern end of theCentral Arkansas region, Sheridan has been experiencing a population boom in recent years, as indicated by a 49% growth in population between the 1990 and 2010 censuses.[4] The population as of the2010 census was 4,603.[5]
What is now Sheridan was formerly part of the historical territories of theQuapaw Nation. After theIndian Removal Act of 1830, the Quapaw were removed from the land and pushed further west. By 1833 most had been removed to theIndian Territory and the land was ceded to the United States.[6] The first recordedAnglo-Americansettler was Dr. Richard C. Rhodes, a native ofNorth Carolina.[3]
Founded on January 23, 1870,[7] Sheridan wasincorporated as amunicipality by the Grant County Quorum Court on August 26, 1887. Lieutenant-GeneralPhilip Sheridan, for whom the city isnamed, served as the eighthcommanding general of the U.S. Army from 1883 until his death in 1888.[3] At the beginning of the20th century, a railroad passed through Sheridan south intoDallas County. Owned by E. S. McCarty, it transported both freight and passengers for hire.[8]
Sheridan was home to Missionary Baptist College, alandmark baptist educational institution from 1917 until 1934 when it was forced to close due to financial circumstances resulting from theGreat Depression. A 1920 bulletin published by the college underscored its goal "to teach and emphasize the very principles for which the realBaptists of Arkansas stand and for which true Baptists have stood for almost nineteen centuries."[9] TheMissionary Baptist Seminary was established byLittle Rock's Antioch Baptist Church in September 1934 to succeed the Missionary Baptist College after its closure.[10]
In 1943, Jewell Williams, aJehovah's Witness, was convicted in the Mayor's Court for selling Bibles without a permit under Sheridan City Ord. No. 50. and fined $10. On atrial de novo, he obtained the same result. Williams joined other members of his faith and appealed similar convictions occurring across the state to theArkansas Supreme Court inBerry v. City of Hope, challenging the city ordinance asunconstitutional under theFirst Amendment. The court agreed and held the ordinances unconstitutional.[11]
The "Mighty 1090"KAAY radio station sponsored the Rebel Springs Rock Festival of 1973 5 miles (8 km) east of Sheridan on Highway 270 that includedZZ Top as a headliner. Tickets were $4 before the show and lasted three days, July 4–6, 1973. TheNational Guard was sent out to maintain "peace". Local property owners attempted to get a court-orderedinjunction to halt the festival from talking place, on the legal theory ofnuisance, but to no avail.[12]
In 1954, Sheridan's school board voted to comply with the Supreme Court's decision inBrown v. Board of Education. Sheridan had operated an elementary school for Black children and bused its Black high school students to schools in other counties The protests were so severe that the school board reversed itself the following night. Then, local sawmill owner Jack Williams told his Black employees that they could accept his offer to buy out their homes and give them to the employees, and all move 25 miles west to the town ofMalvern. Black residents had no choice, for Williams told them that "if a family refused to move, he would evict them and burn down their home."[13] This left Sheridan as asundown town, and instead of becoming "one of the most racially progressive towns in Arkansas if its initial school board decision had stood, instead became one of its most backward."Loewen's research describes the fact that "no Sheridan resident lifted a voice to protest the forced buyout of its black community" and a "reputation for bigotry when their high school played interracial teams in athletic contests."[13]
| Climate data for Sheridan, Arkansas (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1977–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 80 (27) | 86 (30) | 91 (33) | 96 (36) | 97 (36) | 104 (40) | 108 (42) | 107 (42) | 108 (42) | 97 (36) | 86 (30) | 79 (26) | 108 (42) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 71.2 (21.8) | 75.4 (24.1) | 82.7 (28.2) | 87.3 (30.7) | 91.1 (32.8) | 95.5 (35.3) | 99.5 (37.5) | 100.0 (37.8) | 95.8 (35.4) | 89.4 (31.9) | 79.4 (26.3) | 72.8 (22.7) | 101.0 (38.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 51.3 (10.7) | 56.5 (13.6) | 65.2 (18.4) | 74.1 (23.4) | 81.2 (27.3) | 88.4 (31.3) | 92.0 (33.3) | 91.5 (33.1) | 85.7 (29.8) | 75.0 (23.9) | 62.7 (17.1) | 53.5 (11.9) | 73.1 (22.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 40.2 (4.6) | 44.5 (6.9) | 52.3 (11.3) | 61.0 (16.1) | 69.6 (20.9) | 77.4 (25.2) | 81.0 (27.2) | 80.2 (26.8) | 73.6 (23.1) | 61.9 (16.6) | 50.5 (10.3) | 42.8 (6.0) | 61.2 (16.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 29.2 (−1.6) | 32.5 (0.3) | 39.4 (4.1) | 47.8 (8.8) | 58.0 (14.4) | 66.5 (19.2) | 70.0 (21.1) | 68.8 (20.4) | 61.5 (16.4) | 48.8 (9.3) | 38.4 (3.6) | 32.1 (0.1) | 49.4 (9.7) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 14.9 (−9.5) | 19.4 (−7.0) | 24.1 (−4.4) | 33.3 (0.7) | 44.5 (6.9) | 57.1 (13.9) | 63.3 (17.4) | 61.4 (16.3) | 47.9 (8.8) | 33.7 (0.9) | 23.7 (−4.6) | 19.1 (−7.2) | 13.1 (−10.5) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −3 (−19) | 0 (−18) | 13 (−11) | 26 (−3) | 34 (1) | 45 (7) | 55 (13) | 48 (9) | 37 (3) | 25 (−4) | 14 (−10) | −8 (−22) | −8 (−22) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 4.05 (103) | 4.32 (110) | 5.61 (142) | 5.94 (151) | 5.71 (145) | 4.17 (106) | 4.30 (109) | 2.88 (73) | 3.57 (91) | 4.56 (116) | 4.61 (117) | 5.49 (139) | 55.21 (1,402) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 1.2 (3.0) | 0.9 (2.3) | 0.4 (1.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 2.5 (6.4) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 7.6 | 7.4 | 8.4 | 7.5 | 8.0 | 6.6 | 6.9 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 6.0 | 6.8 | 7.3 | 82.8 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.2 |
| Source:NOAA[14][15] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 42 | — | |
| 1890 | 184 | 338.1% | |
| 1900 | 210 | 14.1% | |
| 1910 | 481 | 129.0% | |
| 1920 | 695 | 44.5% | |
| 1930 | 1,590 | 128.8% | |
| 1940 | 1,338 | −15.8% | |
| 1950 | 1,893 | 41.5% | |
| 1960 | 1,938 | 2.4% | |
| 1970 | 2,480 | 28.0% | |
| 1980 | 3,042 | 22.7% | |
| 1990 | 3,098 | 1.8% | |
| 2000 | 3,872 | 25.0% | |
| 2010 | 4,603 | 18.9% | |
| 2020 | 4,920 | 6.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[16] | |||
Sheridan is part of theLittle Rock–North Little Rock–ConwayMetropolitan Statistical Area.
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 4,323 | 87.87% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 157 | 3.19% |
| Native American | 25 | 0.51% |
| Asian | 48 | 0.98% |
| Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.02% |
| Other/Mixed | 228 | 4.63% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 138 | 2.8% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 4,920 people, 1,884 households, and 1,235 families residing in the city.
As of the2010 United States census[18] of 2010, there were 4,603 people, 1,841 households, and 1,238 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,150.8 inhabitants per square mile (444.3/km2). There were 2,007 housing units at an average density of 501.8 per square mile (193.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.0%White, 1.6%Black orAfrican American, 0.4%Native American, 0.5%Asian, 1.3% fromother races, and 1.2% from two or more races. 2.8% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. There were 1,841 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% weremarried couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 33.7% from 25 to 44, 16.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.6 years. The gender makeup of the city was 49.6% male and 50.4% female.
The median income for a household in the city was $57,305, and the median income for a family was $64,123. Males had a median income of $46,438 versus $31,580 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $23,969. About 3.8% of families and 8.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.
As of the2000 United States Census,[19] there were 3,872 people, 1,509 households, and 1,050 families residing in the city. The population density was 978.8 inhabitants per square mile (377.9/km2). There were 1,685 housing units at an average density of 426.0 per square mile (164.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 97.34% White, 0.96% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.57% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. 0.96% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 1,509 households, out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 27.0% 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 2.49 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.3% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,207, and the median income for a family was $43,953. Males had a median income of $32,216 versus $22,891 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,184. About 7.0% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 17.6% of those age 65 or over.
Sheridan is provided public education from theSheridan School District, including theSheridan High School.
Sheridan had asegregated school forAfrican-Americans until theBrown v. Board decision. At the time, Sheridan had around 199 African American residents out of the town's total population of 1,898. On May 21, 1954, the local school board voted unanimously to integrate its 21 African-American students into its high school to avoid the $4,000 it would have cost the school board to send them toJefferson County. The white parents became upset and called another vote the next night. At that vote, the board voted unanimously to keep the local school segregated. Community members in the area, still not happy, petitioned and forced four school board members to step down.[20]
Next, Jack Williams, the largest employer of African-Americans in the area, told Black families that they could accept his offer to buyout their homes and move them, or he would burn their houses down.[13] After the departure of the last African-American student from the city limits, the city bulldozed the African-American school; the remnants of the school were buried and the city no longer had a duty to integrate their schools.[21] This incident is recounted by former resident James Seawood on storycorps.[22]
In March 2014, Sheridan High School principal Rodney Williams ordered the removal of student profiles from the student yearbook, rather than publish one of an openly gay student. In response, a human rights organization held a rally on theState Capitol steps, and the principal received a petition with 30,000 signatures asking Williams to reverse the decision.[23]
Sheridan hosts an annual event based on the area's deep roots in the timber industry called Timberfest,[24] which includes alumberjack competition and live music around the courthouse square.The White River Kid, starringAntonio Banderas andRandy Travis, was filmed during a mock Timberfest during the summer of 1998, with many of the local residents appearing as extras.[25][26]
TheGrant County Museum, located on Shackleford Road in Sheridan, preserves and interprets the history and culture of the county for residents and visitors. The museum features exhibits detailing theBattle of Jenkins' Ferry, a segment of theUnion's failedRed River Campaign during theCivil War, as well as a largeWorld War II vehicle collection. Other exhibits include pioneer life and settlement in Grant County, and the flora and fauna native to the county. The Heritage Square is also on the museum grounds, featuring ten relocated and restored buildings. Just 5.8 miles north of Sheridan is the B-17 Crash Memorial where a replicaB-17 was constructed to honor nine airmen who died in a plane crash at this location in 1943.
Bales and Cleveland started the first newspaper in the Grant County area, titledThe Sheridan Spy. The first issue was dated September 1, 1881. In 1882, the Hon. J.S. Williams, who a year later became a state senator, bought theSheridan Spy and renamed itThe Sheridan Headlight, which is still published today. The short livedGrant County News was started in 1916 by William GoForth.[27]
Sheridan's water system began when a private entity began installing water lines in the 1930s. This system was eventually purchased by the city, which now allows the Sheridan Water and Sewer Department to operate the system independently of city funds.[3] Today, Sheridan is capable of treatinggroundwater obtained from five wells at a rate of 4.5 million gallons (17 million liters) per day (MGD/MLD). Sheridan'swastewater treatment facility is located at the end of Gatzke Drive and discharges treated effluent to Big Creek in accordance with the permit granted by theArkansas Department of Environmental Quality.[28] The facility utilizes a three-cell pond stabilization system followed by a holding pond and is designed for a flow of 0.67 MGD (2.5 MLD).
Geographic data related toSheridan, Arkansas atOpenStreetMap Places adjacent to Sheridan, Arkansas | |
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Municipalities and communities ofGrant County, Arkansas,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated community | ||
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