Independence County

History

Independence County was the ninth county formed in the Arkansas Territory, and the fourth created after the territory itself was established. The act creating the county was signed by territorial governor James Miller in October 1820. As originally formed, the county was far larger than its present boundaries, extending from the mouth of the Little Red River to the Missouri line and encompassing all or part of the present-day counties of Fulton, Baxter, Sharp, Izard, Stone, Cleburne, Van Buren, White, Jackson, and Woodruff, each of which was later separated from Independence County as the region's population grew.

The area had been inhabited by Native Americans for at least ten millennia before European settlement, and more than 1,200 archaeological sites have been recorded within the modern county by the Arkansas Archeological Survey. Archaeologist Clarence B. Moore excavated several of the county's sites in the early 20th century, including the Little Turkey Hill site near the Black River. The Mississippian-era culture identified along this stretch of the White River is known as the Greenbrier Phase, named for a large town site located near Batesville. The Osage ceded the surrounding territory to the United States by treaty in 1808, and the Cherokee, who also held land in the area for a period, ceded it back to the federal government in 1828.

Batesville, the county seat, was settled at the site of a trading post at the mouth of Poke (or Polk) Bayou on the White River, where a branch of the Southwest Trail crossed the river. A post office was opened at the site under the name Poke Creek on November 7, 1820, with the county's first sheriff, Charles Kelly, serving as postmaster; the office was formally renamed Batesville, after territorial congressional delegate James Woodson Bates, on January 7, 1824. In 1832, President Andrew Jackson appointed Jesse Bean, a resident of the county, to command a newly formed cavalry company tasked with patrolling the western frontier; the unit, largely made up of Independence County men and known as "Bean's Rangers," was later described by Washington Irving in his book A Tour on the Prairies. The county provided two infantry companies to the United States Army during the Mexican–American War; one of two county men killed at the Battle of Buena Vista was Andrew Porter, a local newspaper editor, who was memorialized with a monument erected in Batesville.

Independence County has been the home of three Arkansas governors: Thomas S. Drew, Elisha Baxter, and William R. Miller.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 772 square miles (2,000 km2), of which 764 square miles (1,980 km2) is land and 7.6 square miles (20 km2) (1.0%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Sharp County (north)

Lawrence County (northeast)

Jackson County (east)

White County (south)

Cleburne County (southwest)

Stone County (west)

Izard County (northwest)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 37,938. The median age was 38.8 years. 24.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.2 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 84.6% White, 2.2% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 5.1% from some other race, and 6.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 8.6% of the population.

28.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 71.2% lived in rural areas.

There were 14,934 households in the county, of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.9% were married-couple households, 18.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 16,667 housing units, of which 10.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 68.3% were owner-occupied and 31.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.2%.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 34,233 people, 13,467 households, and 9,669 families residing in the county. The population density was 45 people per square mile (17 people/km2). There were 14,841 housing units at an average density of 19 units per square mile (7.3 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 94.91% White, 2.04% Black or African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races, and 1.28% from two or more races. 1.53% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 13,467 households, out of which 32.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.00% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.50% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 24.10% from 45 to 64, and 14.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,920, and the median income for a family was $38,444. Males had a median income of $27,284 versus $20,086 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,163. About 9.90% of families and 13.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.10% of those under age 18 and 14.40% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Government

The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by the Constitution of Arkansas and the Arkansas Code. The quorum court is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all spending and revenue collection. Representatives are called justices of the peace and are elected from county districts every even-numbered year. The number of districts in a county vary from nine to fifteen, and district boundaries are drawn by the county election commission. The Independence County Quorum Court has eleven members. Presiding over quorum court meetings is the county judge, who serves as the chief executive officer of the county. The county judge is elected at-large and does not vote in quorum court business, although capable of vetoing quorum court decisions.

The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 11 Republicans. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:

District 1: Timothy Stewart (R) of Batesville.

District 2: Johnny McMullin (R) of Locust Grove.

District 3: Brent Henderson (R) of Pleasant Plains.

District 4: Charles Bradley Covington (R) of Batesville.

District 5: Bill Lindsey (R) of Newark.

District 6: Tammy Pearce (R) of Batesville.

District 7: Jason W. Jones (R) of Batesville.

District 8: Kenny Hurley (R) of Cushman.

District 9: Johnathan Abbott (R) of Batesville.

District 10: Charles Jordan (R) of Batesville.

District 11: Dennis Stephens (R) of Batesville.

Politics

Over the past few election cycles Independence County has trended heavily towards the GOP. The last Democrat (as of 2024) to carry this county was Bill Clinton in 1996.

Communities

Cities

Batesville (county seat)

Cave City

Cushman

Newark

Southside

Towns

Magness

Moorefield

Oil Trough

Pleasant Plains

Sulphur Rock

Census-designated places

Bethesda

Desha

Floral

Salado

Other unincorporated communities

Antioch (Independence County)

Cedar Grove

Charlotte

Cord

Dota

Gainsboro

Jamestown

Limedale

Locust Grove

McHue

Pfeiffer

Rosie

Sandtown

Thida

Walnut Grove

Townships

Townships in Arkansas are the divisions of a county. Each township includes unincorporated areas; some may have incorporated cities or towns within part of their boundaries. Arkansas townships have limited purposes in modern times. However, the United States census does list Arkansas population based on townships (sometimes referred to as "county subdivisions" or "minor civil divisions"). Townships are also of value for historical purposes in terms of genealogical research. Each town or city is within one or more townships in an Arkansas county based on census maps and publications. The townships of Independence County are listed below; listed in parentheses are the cities, towns, and/or census-designated places that are fully or partially inside the township.

Source:

Education

Lyon College, a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, is located in Batesville. It was founded in 1872 as Arkansas College, in part as a rebuilding effort following the American Civil War, and was renamed Lyon College in 1994.

School districts in Arkansas include: