St. Charles, Arkansas

Coordinates: 34°22′30″N 91°07′55″W / 34.37500°N 91.13194°W / 34.37500; -91.13194
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

St. Charles, Arkansas
FIPS code
05-61940
GNIS feature ID2407265[2]

St. Charles is a town in

White River, which borders the town. St. Charles is also known for being in the White River National Wildlife Refuge
.

History

Early history

The area known as St. Charles was within the territory of the Middle Mississippian culture during the Woodland Period of Native American History. In early modern times, possibly after

Dewitt
after many of the larger settlements, including St. Charles, wished to take power from Arkansas post after the Territorial capitol was moved to Little Rock.

Civil War and the Gilded Age

See also: Battle of St. Charles
The Battle at St. Charles, White River, Arkansas—Explosion of the "Mound City" by Alexander Simplot

St. Charles is the site of the most deadly single shot of the American Civil War. On June 17, 1862, at the Battle of Saint Charles, eight Federal vessels including the ironclad gunboat USS Mound City attempted to pass Confederate shore guns here, on the banks of the White River. A single shot from a Confederate cannon entered the Mound City and penetrated her steam drum. The resulting explosion and release of scalding steam killed most of her crew, approximately 129 men.[5]

St. Charles suffered like other southern communities after the Civil War. The town’s incorporation was in 1880. Until railroads came, it was an important port. Most commerce of inland communities passed through the town, until rails reached DeWitt (Arkansas County), after which St. Charles began declining. For many years, its economy depended on timber, fishing, hunting, trapping, mussels for the button industry, and crops. A school district opened in 1891, with the first commencement exercise in Arkansas County occurring in 1892.

St. Charles Lynching of 1904

In the

mobs terrorized black families in the area, and lynched or otherwise murdered thirteen black people. The killers or mob members were never identified. The incident began on March 21, 1904, when Jim Searcy, a white man, began arguing with a black man named Griffin over a game of chance. The two men began to fight, and a local police officer
arrested Griffin for assault, telling him he would be hanged. Whether the police officer was simply saying that to cause fear, or whether that was their actual intention, has never been known for certain.

In any event, having been told he would be hanged, Griffin struck the police officer, grabbed the officer's pistol, then fled. Griffin went into hiding, but angry white mobs were determined to locate him. By March 23, 1904, white mobs on horseback were accosting black citizens on sight, shooting those who resisted. Between sixty and seventy black men, women and children were driven from their homes and penned inside a warehouse. That night, members of the mob were intent on burning the warehouse with all inside. Some mob members began to argue to spare the lives of certain black persons who they personally knew, then other mob members began arguing for caution, believing the thing had gone too far. Around 3:00 am on March 24, 1904, angry white men stormed the warehouse and dragged six black men outside. They were marched to the high point on the highway between St. Charles and

De Witt, made to stand in a line, then all six were shot dead. On March 27, 1904, the most detailed newspaper report of the killings, posted in the Arkansas Gazette
, listed those who had been killed. They were Abe Bailey, Mack Baldwin, Will Baldwin, Garrett Flood, Randall Flood, Aaron Hinton, Will Madison, Charley Smith, Jim Smith, Perry Carter, Kellis Johnson, Henry Griffin, and Walker Griffin. The latter two were brothers, Walker Griffin being the man originally arrested. Their killings brought the total to thirteen. The investigation into the murders was all but nonexistent, with no one ever being arrested, tried, or interviewed. To this day it remains little known, but in fact it was one of the largest murders of this sort, given the population of the town at the time, in Arkansas history.

Present day

Duck hunting is a common pastime in St. Charles, which draws hunters from other parts of the South.

In 1935, the White River was designated a wildlife refuge and was named the White River National Wildlife Refuge, which protects the many types of wetland wildlife that calls the Lower White River home, though this refuge does allow for waterfowl hunting, namely ducks quail and pheasants. Charles has declined in tandem with many Delta towns since the expansion of large-scale industrial farming but has remained intact as a small town due to the influx of hunters, naturalist and birdwatchers that venture to the White River NWR.

In 2013, the refuge was given the distinction of being a National Blueway by the Fish and Wildlife service. Later in the year, they called for an expansion of more than 100,000 acres, which would be done through purchasing land from willing sellers. The purpose of this expansion would be to protect wildlife that lives on the lower river and it would also preserve the Arkansas "Big Woods", which only 10% remains. In 2014, the refuge was formally renamed the "Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge" to honor former Arkansas Governor Dale Bumpers.

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
188073—
189012875.3%
1920200—
193024522.5%
194041268.2%
1950313−24.0%
1960255−18.5%
1970201−21.2%
1980199−1.0%
1990169−15.1%
200026154.4%
2010230−11.9%
2020207−10.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.85 sq mi (2.2 km2), of which 0.0077 sq mi (0.02 km2), or 1.04%, is water.[4]

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, St. Charles has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[8]

Climate data for St. Charles, Arkansas (1991–2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 50.0
(10.0) 		54.7
(12.6) 		63.6
(17.6) 		72.4
(22.4) 		80.0
(26.7) 		87.0
(30.6) 		90.1
(32.3) 		89.7
(32.1) 		84.9
(29.4) 		74.6
(23.7) 		62.4
(16.9) 		52.7
(11.5) 		71.8
(22.1)
Daily mean °F (°C) 41.3
(5.2) 		45.1
(7.3) 		53.5
(11.9) 		62.0
(16.7) 		70.3
(21.3) 		77.8
(25.4) 		80.8
(27.1) 		79.9
(26.6) 		74.0
(23.3) 		62.8
(17.1) 		51.9
(11.1) 		44.0
(6.7) 		62.0
(16.6)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 32.5
(0.3) 		35.6
(2.0) 		43.5
(6.4) 		51.6
(10.9) 		60.7
(15.9) 		68.7
(20.4) 		71.6
(22.0) 		70.1
(21.2) 		63.0
(17.2) 		50.9
(10.5) 		41.5
(5.3) 		35.3
(1.8) 		52.1
(11.2)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 4.36
(111) 		4.70
(119) 		5.73
(146) 		5.86
(149) 		4.49
(114) 		3.54
(90) 		3.80
(97) 		2.76
(70) 		3.02
(77) 		3.79
(96) 		4.55
(116) 		5.28
(134) 		51.88
(1,319)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 0.6
(1.5) 		0.2
(0.51) 		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) 		1.2
(3.01)
Source: NOAA[8]

Demographics

As of the

Latino
of any race.

There were 113 households, out of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.3% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.69.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 17.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 29.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $24,375, and the median income for a family was $29,167. Males had a median income of $25,417 versus $13,125 for females. The

poverty line
, including 21.4% of those under the age of 18 and 19.1% of those 65 or over.

Education

Residents are zoned to the DeWitt School District, including DeWitt High School. On July 1, 1985, the St. Charles School District consolidated into the DeWitt district.[10]

References

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: St. Charles, Arkansas
  3. ^ "Saint Charles ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com. 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): St. Charles town, Arkansas". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  5. ^ "Engagement at St. Charles". The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. Central Arkansas Library System. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  6. ^ "St. Charles Lynching of 1904". The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. Central Arkansas Library System. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
  7. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on July 1, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  8. ^ "NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access". NOAA. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  9. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  10. ^ "Consolidation/Annexations of LEA's (1983-June 30, 2012) Archived September 12, 2015, at the Wayback Machine." Arkansas Department of Education. Retrieved on July 31, 2017.
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