Graysonia, Arkansas

Graysonia was once a

History

In 1902 businessmen William Grayson and Nelson McCleod became principal

Although it was a "company owned town", Graysonia elected its town officials, and it became incorporated. Soon the town had its own movie theater, three hotels, a school and a church, along with a running water system and electricity. In 1924, the Bemis family bought into the corporation, and it became the "Ozan-Graysonia Lumber Company". The Bemis family were major mill owners, owning the Ozan Lumber Company, and for the next five years the company saw its greatest success. The decline of the town was due mainly to the company operating on a "cut and move" mentality, meaning they used the resources readily available, then moved on to another location.

However, the Great Depression also contributed to its demise. Beginning in 1929, the depression swept across the country. For a time, the mill at Graysonia held on, and the planer mill lasted for a while cutting stored lumber. The company considered opening several small mills in Graysonia to continue production, but the depression worsened and the mill was closed. For a time starting in 1930, residents were encouraged to stay in Graysonia due to there being employment in the cinnabar mines south of Amity during the Quicksilver Rush. However, the mining operations were short-lived, and the residents began moving to other communities. Within a very short time, the town was deserted.

In 1937 much of the equipment used at Graysonia was moved to be used in a mill in

The train used in

• Ghosttowns AR
• Ghosttowns
• Nashville-Ashdown
• Arkansas Encyclopedia, Graysonia, Arkansas
• Quicksilver Rush, 1932 article
• J. R. Bernis, Graysonia^{[permanent dead link]}

34°07′37″N 93°26′24″W / 34.12694°N 93.44000°W / 34.12694; -93.44000