McGehee, Arkansas
Encyclopedia
McGehee is a city in Desha County
, Arkansas
, United States
. The population was 4,219 at the 2010 census.
southeast through Varner
, to Chicot.
In April 1923, the Gulf Coast Lines
and the International-Great Northern were acquired, forming the Missouri Pacific Lines
.
Important in the history of the town of McGehee is the McGehee family which came to the area from Alabama
in 1857. Benjamin McGehee, his wife, Sarah, a son, Abner, and daughters Laura and Mary settled on land that is now a part of McGehee. Abner McGehee, son of Benjamin and Sarah McGehee, purchased 240 acre (0.9712464 km²) of land on July 1, 1876, on which the town of McGehee was later to be located.
When the railroad came into McGehee in 1878 and continued south and southwest, people began to move into the area. Abner McGehee constructed a large commissary
building and entered the mercantile business to accommodate the new arrivals.
One of the first buildings in the area was a sawmill
. The lumber cut in this mill was used to build shotgun-type
rent houses.
A post office was established in the McGehee commissary, and in 1879 Abner McGehee became the first postmaster. The post office was named McGehee and served between 400 and 500 people.
An order of incorporation was signed March 5, 1906. The first meeting of the town council was held July 21, 1906.
During World War II
, the outskirts of McGehee was the site of an American concentration camp used to house Japanese
and Japanese-American civilians who had previously lived on the U.S. West Coast.
Today the economy of the area is largely dependent upon agriculture
. The railroad has been largely replaced by the trucking industry which hauls farm products from the gins and grain bins of the area to their destination. From a population of 400 in 1879, McGehee has grown into a community of about 5,000 citizens. Port facilities on the Mississippi River
are being developed, and the present highway system is rebuilt to accommodate increased traffic.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 6.4 square miles (16.6 km²), all land.
of 2000, there were 4,570 people, 1,836 households, and 1,259 families residing in the city. The population density
was 711.7 people per square mile (274.8/km²). There were 2,044 housing units at an average density of 318.3 per square mile (122.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 56.72% White
, 41.51% Black
or African American
, 0.57% Native American
, 0.24% Asian
, 0.04% Pacific Islander
, 0.22% from other races
, and 0.70% from two or more races. 1.49% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 1,836 households out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were married couples
living together, 22.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $21,909, and the median income for a family was $25,270. Males had a median income of $31,429 versus $19,464 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $14,191. About 26.7% of families and 30.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.2% of those under age 18 and 23.6% of those age 65 or over.
operates the McGehee Post Office.
Desha County, Arkansas
Desha County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,008. The county seat is Arkansas City. Desha County is Arkansas's 40th county, formed on December 12, 1838, and named for Captain Benjamin Desha who fought in the War of...
, 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...
. The population was 4,219 at the 2010 census.
History
The history of the city of McGehee and the history of the railroad through McGehee are intricately interwoven. The history of the railroad dates back to 1870 when a railroad was constructed from Pine BluffPine Bluff, Arkansas
Pine Bluff is the largest city and county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. It is also the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Arkansas Combined Statistical Area...
southeast through Varner
Varner, Arkansas
Varner is an unincorporated community in Lincoln County, Arkansas, United States. Its elevation is 177 ft . It is located southeast of Little Rock.-History:Around 1958 Varner, which had five residents, had a crossroads gas station and a store....
, to Chicot.
In April 1923, the Gulf Coast Lines
Gulf Coast Lines
The Gulf Coast Lines was the name of a railroad system comprising three principal railroads, as well as some smaller ones, that stretched from New Orleans, Louisiana via Baton Rouge and Houston to Brownsville, Texas...
and the International-Great Northern were acquired, forming the Missouri Pacific Lines
Missouri Pacific Railroad
The Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway , Texas and Pacific...
.
Important in the history of the town of McGehee is the McGehee family which came to the area from Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
in 1857. Benjamin McGehee, his wife, Sarah, a son, Abner, and daughters Laura and Mary settled on land that is now a part of McGehee. Abner McGehee, son of Benjamin and Sarah McGehee, purchased 240 acre (0.9712464 km²) of land on July 1, 1876, on which the town of McGehee was later to be located.
When the railroad came into McGehee in 1878 and continued south and southwest, people began to move into the area. Abner McGehee constructed a large commissary
Commissary
A commissary is someone delegated by a superior to execute a duty or an office; in a formal, legal context, one who has received power from a legitimate superior authority to pass judgment in a certain cause or to take information concerning it.-Word history:...
building and entered the mercantile business to accommodate the new arrivals.
One of the first buildings in the area was a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
. The lumber cut in this mill was used to build shotgun-type
Shotgun house
The shotgun house is a narrow rectangular domestic residence, usually no more than 12 feet wide, with doors at each end. It was the most popular style of house in the Southern United States from the end of the American Civil War , through the 1920s. Alternate names include shotgun shack,...
rent houses.
A post office was established in the McGehee commissary, and in 1879 Abner McGehee became the first postmaster. The post office was named McGehee and served between 400 and 500 people.
An order of incorporation was signed March 5, 1906. The first meeting of the town council was held July 21, 1906.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the outskirts of McGehee was the site of an American concentration camp used to house Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
and Japanese-American civilians who had previously lived on the U.S. West Coast.
Today the economy of the area is largely dependent upon agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. The railroad has been largely replaced by the trucking industry which hauls farm products from the gins and grain bins of the area to their destination. From a population of 400 in 1879, McGehee has grown into a community of about 5,000 citizens. Port facilities on the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
are being developed, and the present highway system is rebuilt to accommodate increased traffic.
Geography
McGehee is located at 33°37′32"N 91°23′40"W (33.625426, -91.394330).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 6.4 square miles (16.6 km²), all land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 4,570 people, 1,836 households, and 1,259 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 711.7 people per square mile (274.8/km²). There were 2,044 housing units at an average density of 318.3 per square mile (122.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 56.72% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 41.51% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.57% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.24% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.04% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.22% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.70% from two or more races. 1.49% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 1,836 households out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 22.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $21,909, and the median income for a family was $25,270. Males had a median income of $31,429 versus $19,464 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $14,191. About 26.7% of families and 30.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.2% of those under age 18 and 23.6% of those age 65 or over.
Government and infrastructure
The United States Postal ServiceUnited States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
operates the McGehee Post Office.
External links
- History of McGehee's Jewish community (from the Institute of Southern Jewish Life)