Graysonia, Arkansas
Encyclopedia
Graysonia was once a boomtown
in Clark County
, Arkansas
, United States
, but has since become a ghost town
. It is located on a dirt road in what is now known locally as "the middle of nowhere", halfway between Arkadelphia
and Alpine
. There are no populated communities in its vicinity and only a few scattered residences within a few miles of the former town's location. In the early 20th century, Graysonia was a main hub for the local timber
industry. It had a population of actual residents estimated at better than 1,000.
due to their previous location no longer having the resources they needed to be productive. The community was named "Graysonia" after William Grayson. At its founding, the community had a population of 350 people, which would more than double shortly thereafter. The high lumber demands brought on by World War I
made the mill in Graysonia one of the most productive in the south. The more than 500 employees were soon producing over 150000 board feet (354 m³) per day, substantially more than any other mill in the south. Most mills at that time were averaging 25000 board feet (59 m³) per day. The "Memphis Dallas and Gulf" railroad
ran its route between 1909 and the mid-1930s. Around 1907, several kiln
s, a fire house, a water reservoir
, the main mill house and some shotgun houses were built. Within a decade there were several hundred houses, a hillside restaurant and some small café
s, three hotels and a number of large mill buildings.
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 Delight, Arkansas
. In 1950 the Graysonia Post Office
closed, routing its mail through Alpine. That same year the US Census listed Graysonia's population as "zero". The last known inhabitant was Brown Hickman, a retired logger who left the town in 1951. All that remains today are the foundations of a few buildings.
The train used in Steven Spielberg
's mini series Into the West was originally built for use in Graysonia. http://www.1880train.com/pr_intothewest.html Logging towns like Graysonia were common in Arkansas in this period, due to an abundance of virgin timber and the desire by companies to cut it. Few of the towns, although all thrived for a time, survive today. Two such towns, Mauldin, Arkansas
and Rosboro, Arkansas
, were extremely successful during the same period that Graysonia existed. Today, the company that formed both of those towns, Caddo River Timber Company (Now Rosboro Timber Company), is one of the largest private timber holders of the Pacific Northwest, and is based in Springfield, Oregon
.
Boomtown
A boomtown is a community that experiences sudden and rapid population and economic growth. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons,...
in Clark County
Clark County, Arkansas
Clark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 22,995. The county seat is Arkadelphia.The Arkadelphia Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Clark County.-Geography:...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, but has since become a ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
. It is located on a dirt road in what is now known locally as "the middle of nowhere", halfway between Arkadelphia
Arkadelphia, Arkansas
Arkadelphia is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 10,548. The city is the county seat of Clark County. The city is situated at the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. Two universities, Henderson State...
and Alpine
Alpine, Arkansas
Alpine is an unincorporated community in Clark County, Arkansas, United States, approximately 8 miles east of Amity. The community center located in its heart is a popular draw for Clark County citizens during Christmas, 4th of July and Halloween celebrations annually.- External links :*...
. There are no populated communities in its vicinity and only a few scattered residences within a few miles of the former town's location. In the early 20th century, Graysonia was a main hub for the local timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
industry. It had a population of actual residents estimated at better than 1,000.
History
In 1902 businessmen William Grayson and Nelson McCleod became principal stock holders in the "Arkadelphia Lumber Company". They made the decision to move their operations along the Antoine RiverAntoine River
The Antoine River is a tributary of the Little Missouri River in southwestern Arkansas in the United States. Via the Little Missouri, Ouachita and Red rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River. According to the GNIS, it has also been known as Antoine Creek...
due to their previous location no longer having the resources they needed to be productive. The community was named "Graysonia" after William Grayson. At its founding, the community had a population of 350 people, which would more than double shortly thereafter. The high lumber demands brought on by World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
made the mill in Graysonia one of the most productive in the south. The more than 500 employees were soon producing over 150000 board feet (354 m³) per day, substantially more than any other mill in the south. Most mills at that time were averaging 25000 board feet (59 m³) per day. The "Memphis Dallas and Gulf" railroad
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
ran its route between 1909 and the mid-1930s. Around 1907, several kiln
Kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
s, a fire house, a water reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
, the main mill house and some shotgun houses were built. Within a decade there were several hundred houses, a hillside restaurant and some small café
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
s, three hotels and a number of large mill buildings.
Although it was a "company owned town", Graysonia elected its town officials, and it became incorporated
Municipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
. Soon the town had its own movie theater
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
, 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
Ozan Lumber Company
The Ozan Lumber Company was a wealthy and productive timber company owned by the once powerful Bemis family of Arkansas during the early 20th century, based out of Nevada County. The company would dominate the economy for that region for decades...
, 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
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
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
Cinnabar
Cinnabar or cinnabarite , is the common ore of mercury.-Word origin:The name comes from κινναβαρι , a Greek word most likely applied by Theophrastus to several distinct substances...
mines
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
south of Amity
Amity, Arkansas
Amity is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 762 at the 2000 census. The city began on the Caddo River in the mid-19th century when William F. Browning and others, including Dr. A.B...
during the Quicksilver Rush
Quicksilver Rush
The Quicksilver Rush was a mining rush for cinnabar in southwest Arkansas and the Ozarks, mostly in Pike and Clark counties, beginning around 1931, in the early days of the Great Depression when people were desperate for jobs....
. 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 Delight, Arkansas
Delight, Arkansas
Delight is a city in Pike County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 311 at the 2000 census. It is the birthplace of country musician Glen Campbell, though the actual early home of the Country Music Hall of Fame inductee was in nearby Billstown, which Campbell describes as a "suburb" of...
. In 1950 the Graysonia Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
closed, routing its mail through Alpine. That same year the US Census listed Graysonia's population as "zero". The last known inhabitant was Brown Hickman, a retired logger who left the town in 1951. All that remains today are the foundations of a few buildings.
The train used in Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
's mini series Into the West was originally built for use in Graysonia. http://www.1880train.com/pr_intothewest.html Logging towns like Graysonia were common in Arkansas in this period, due to an abundance of virgin timber and the desire by companies to cut it. Few of the towns, although all thrived for a time, survive today. Two such towns, Mauldin, Arkansas
Mauldin, Arkansas
Mauldin or Mauldin Logging Camp is a ghost town in Montgomery County, Arkansas, United States. Established in 1918 by Billy Mauldin in cooperation with Thomas Rosborough, it became heavily populated by 1922, based around the cutting and processing of the virgin timber in the immediate area. It was...
and Rosboro, Arkansas
Rosboro, Arkansas
Rosboro is an unincorporated community in Pike County, Arkansas, United States. It lies about 5 miles west of Amity and 6 miles east of Glenwood. Once a thriving and populated mill town, with several stores, a large mill and kiln, and over one hundred shotgun houses, it now has only one store, and...
, were extremely successful during the same period that Graysonia existed. Today, the company that formed both of those towns, Caddo River Timber Company (Now Rosboro Timber Company), is one of the largest private timber holders of the Pacific Northwest, and is based in Springfield, Oregon
Springfield, Oregon
Springfield is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. Located in the Southern Willamette Valley, it is within the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. Separated from Eugene to the west, mainly by Interstate 5, Springfield is the second-most populous city in the metropolitan area...
.