Editing Cotton Plant, Arkansas

{{Redirect|Cotton Plant|the community in Missouri|Cotton Plant, Missouri|the cotton genus|Gossypium}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Cotton Plant, Arkansas
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
|image_skyline            = Cotton Plant Commercial Historic District, Arkansas.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = Main Street, Cotton Plant, February 2007
|image_seal               = 
|image_map                = File:Woodruff County Arkansas Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Cotton Plant Highlighted 0515550.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Cotton Plant in Woodruff County, Arkansas.
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             = 
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Arkansas|County]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_name1        = [[Arkansas]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Woodruff County, Arkansas|Woodruff]]
|government_type          = [[Mayor–council government|Mayor–council]]
|leader_title             = Mayor
|leader_name              = Clara Harston Brown (First Female Mayor)
|established_title        = Incorporated
|established_date         = November 14, 1887
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_05.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 29, 2021}}</ref>
|area_total_km2           = 2.69
|area_total_sq_mi         = 1.04
|area_land_km2            = 2.69
|area_land_sq_mi          = 1.04
|area_water_km2           = 0.00
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 190
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 529
|population_metro         = 
|population_density_km2   = 196.62
|population_density_sq_mi = 509.14
|timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = −06:00
|coordinates              = {{coord|35|00|12|N|91|15|05|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = −05:00
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code]]
|postal_code              = 72036
|area_code                = [[Area code 870|870]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 05-15550
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2404137<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2404137}}</ref>
|footnotes                = 
|website                  = 
}}
'''Cotton Plant''' is a [[city]] in southern [[Woodruff County, Arkansas|Woodruff County]], [[Arkansas]],  United States.  As of the [[United States Census 2020|2020 census]], the city had a total [[population]] of 529.

==History==
[[File:City of Cotton Plant.jpg|left|thumb|upright|The [[Cotton Plant Water Tower]] was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 2008.]]
In 1820, when settlers from neighboring states first came to the Cotton Plant area, it was covered in dense timber and [[cane (grass)|cane]]. As a small town began to take shape at the site of present-day Cotton Plant, those settlers initially named their community Richmond.<ref>{{ cite journal |title= Early Days around Cotton Plant |journal= Rivers and Roads and Points in Between | volume=1 | year= 1972 |page= 26 |issue= 1 |location=Augusta, Arkansas |publisher= Woodruff County Historical Society }}</ref>

William Lynch brought cotton seeds with him from [[Mississippi]] in 1846, and the new crop flourished. The community was forced to change its name to Cotton Plant since a community named [[Richmond, Arkansas|Richmond]] was already registered in [[Little River County, Arkansas|Little River County]]. On July 7, 1862, [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] units and Cotton Plant locals skirmished with the 1st and 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Army of the Southwest for the Union, a last-ditch effort by the Confederates to stop [[Samuel Ryan Curtis|Samuel Curtis]]' march to [[Helena, Arkansas|Helena]]. The Confederates were soundly defeated, allowing Curtis and his army to eventually take Helena, resupply his army, and take [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]] the following year.<ref>{{ cite web |last= Patrick |first= Jeffrey L. |title= Action at Hill's Plantation |url= http://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=511 |date= October 22, 2009 |publisher= The Central Arkansas Library System |access-date= March 12, 2012 }}</ref>

A new line of the [[White and Black River Valley Railway#Batesville and Brinkley Railroad|Batesville and Brinkley Railroad]] charged the Cotton Plant economy when it was completed in 1881.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.midcontinent.org/rollingstock/builders/brinkley.htm |title=Brinkley Car Works & Manufacturing Company|publisher=Mid-Continent|accessdate=October 6, 2022}}</ref>  Warehouses, cotton gins, and a cotton compress brought jobs to the city, and downtown Cotton Plant became a bustling cultural center for Woodruff County. In 1908, the newly completed [[Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad]] opened up the timber industry about Cotton Plant, bringing the Standard Stave and Hoop Mill, sawmills, woodworking factories, and a veneer plant in subsequent years. Hit hard by the [[Great Depression]], the [[Works Progress Administration]] was tasked with installing a water and sewer system in town in 1935. Residents celebrated with fireworks and parades upon the completion of the project.<ref>{{ cite journal |last= McGregor |first= Dale |title= Cotton Plant's First Real Water and Sewer System |journal= Rivers and Roads and Points in Between | volume= 9 | year= 1981 |pages= 2–5 |issue= 3 |location=Augusta, Arkansas |publisher= Woodruff County Historical Society }}</ref> The community was also impacted by [[World War II]], but boomed after the war, experiencing its most prosperous times in the 1950s.<ref>{{ cite web |last= Barnett |first= Paula Harmon |title= Cotton Plant (Woodruff County) |url= http://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?search=1&entryID=2551 |date= November 15, 2011 |publisher= The Central Arkansas Library System |access-date= March 12, 2012 }}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|1.0|sqmi|km2}}, all land.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 98
|1890= 429
|1900= 458
|1910= 1081
|1920= 1661
|1930= 1689
|1940= 1778
|1950= 1838
|1960= 1704
|1970= 1657
|1980= 1323
|1990= 1150
|2000= 960
|2010= 649
|2020= 529
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Cotton Plant Racial Composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US0515550&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 9, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]]
|133
|25.14%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]]
|363
|68.62%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
|1
|0.19%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
|25
|4.73%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|7
|1.32%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 529 people, 282 households, and 153 families residing in the city.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2000, there were 960 people, 416 households, and 262 families residing in the city.  The population density was {{convert|933.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 470 housing units at an average density of {{convert|456.8|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|racial]] makeup of the city was 74.06% Black or African American, 23.96% White, 0.21% Native American, 0.31% Asian, and 1.46% from two or more races. 1.88% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 416 [[household]]s, out of which 27.2% had [[child]]ren under the age of 18 living with them, 31.7% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 27.6% had a [[female]] householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.7% 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 2.98.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.7% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 19.6% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 75.2 [[male]]s.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.5 males.

The median [[income]] for a household in the city was $13,264, and the median income for a family was $15,625. Males had a median income of $18,125 versus $16,250 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $9,652.  47.3% of the population and 39.5% of families were below the [[poverty line]]. 66.8% of those under the age of 18 and 36.1% of those 65 and older were living below the [[poverty]] line.

== Education ==
Public education for early childhood, elementary and secondary school students is provided by the [[Augusta School District (Arkansas)|Augusta School District]], which leads to graduation from [[Augusta High School (Arkansas)|Augusta High School]].

On July 1, 2004, the [[Cotton Plant School District]] merged into the Augusta School District.<ref name=Consolfrom1983>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20150912013154/http://www.arkansased.gov/public/userfiles/Legal/ConsolidationAnnex_from_1983.xls ConsolidationAnnex_from_1983.xls]." [[Arkansas Department of Education]]. Retrieved on June 4, 2018.</ref> Cotton Plant Elementary School remained as one of three schools in the district and served prekindergarten through grade 3. In 2014 the Augusta school district planned to close Cotton Plant Elementary and the [[Arkansas Department of Education]] (ADE) approved the closure.<ref>{{cite web|author=Musa, Aziza|author2=Cynthia Howell|url=https://www.pressreader.com/usa/northwest-arkansas-democrat-gazette/20140411/281517929101108|title=Stephens school split-up OK'd|publisher=[[Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette]]|date=April 11, 2014|access-date=June 5, 2018}}</ref>

==Historic sites==
{{main|National Register of Historic Places listings in Woodruff County, Arkansas}}
Two sites in Cotton Plant are on the [[National Register of Historic Places]], including the [[Cotton Plant Commercial Historic District]] and the [[Cotton Plant Water Tower]].

==Notable people==
* [[Johnnie S. Aikens]], Missouri state representative
* [[Jim McElroy]], professional basketball player<ref>{{cite web | title = Jim McElroy | publisher = Basketball Reference | url = https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/mcelrji01.html | access-date = October 31, 2013}}</ref>
* [[Pearl Peden Oldfield]], first female from Arkansas elected to Congress<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | title = HAMER, Thomas Ray, (1864 - 1950) | dictionary = Biographical Directory of the United States Congress | url = http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=O000061 | access-date = October 31, 2013}}</ref>
* [[Florence Price]], classical composer, pianist, and music teacher
* [[Sister Rosetta Tharpe]], gospel singer who began performing in local churches at the age of four<ref>{{cite book | last = Cusic | first = Don | title = The Sound of Light: A History of Gospel and Christian Music | publisher = Hal Leonard | year = 2002 | isbn = 9780634029387 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=gUDROVX5Du4C&pg=PP1}}</ref>
* [[Peetie Wheatstraw]], blues singer with 166 recordings.

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Portal|United States}}
{{Commons category}}

==External links==
* [http://www.wendtroot.com/wright/d0000/d0000notes/CottonPlantHistory.htm History of Cotton Plant]

{{Woodruff County, Arkansas}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Arkansas]]
[[Category:Cities in Woodruff County, Arkansas]]
[[Category:1887 establishments in Arkansas]]