Camden, Arkansas

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Camden, Arkansas
Location in Ouachita County and the state of Arkansas
Coordinates: 33°34′15″N 92°50′6″W / 33.57083, -92.835
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
County	Ouachita
Area
- Total	16.6 sq mi (42.8 km²)
- Land	16.5 sq mi (42.6 km²)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
Elevation	203 ft (62 m)
Population (2007)
- Total	11,965
- Density	792.4/sq mi (307.3/km²)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	71701, 71711
Area code(s)	870
FIPS code	05-10720
GNIS feature ID	0076505

Camden is a city in and the county seat of Ouachita County in the southern part of the U.S. state of Arkansas.^[1]. According to 2007 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 11,965.^[2] Camden is the principal city of the Camden Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Ouachita and Calhoun counties.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Trivia 5 References 6 See also 7 External links

[edit] History

In 1783, a French trader named Fabre settled on a bluff above the Ouachita River and called the settlement “Ecore Fabre” (Faber’s Bluff or the Hill of Faber). This would mark the permanent settlement of what would become Camden. The city of Camden marks its founding as 1824, but it was not incorporated and officially named “Camden” until 1844. Some controversy exists over the origin of the name but most agree it is named for Camden, Alabama, the hometown of General Thomas Woodward, an early city founder. Prior to the name change from Ecore Fabre to Camden, the location was simply known as "The Bluff".

In the American Civil War, Camden was occupied for several months in l864 by Union soldiers as a part of the Union army's ill fated Red River Campaign. During this epidode the Confederate victory in the Battle of Poison Springs occurred west of the city on April l8, l864.

For several decades, Camden was the headquarters of the Clyde E. Palmer newspaper chain, which included the Camden News, the Texarkana Gazette, the Hot Springs Sentinel-Record, and the Magnolia Banner News. Later the company shifted to Little Rock, when it acquired the Arkansas Democrat and later merged it with acquired assets from the Arkansas Gazette to establish the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Palmer's son-in-law, Walter E. Hussman, Sr. (1906–1988), and Palmer's grandson, Walter E. Hussman, Jr. (born 1947), were threafter publishers of the Camden News and chief executive officers of the Palmer properties. Hussman, Jr., is the publisher of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in Little Rock, home of the Palmer-Hussman management.

In pre-Civil War days Camden was a bustling river port and mercantile center at the headwaters of the Ouachita River, and the town remained an important cotton shipping depot through the early decades of the twentieth century. Before the steamboat era faded, Camden had become a railroad town--served by the mainline of the St. Louis Southwestern (Cotton Belt) and by branch lines of the Missouri Pacific and the Rock Island. A major economic infusion accompanied the South Arkansas oil boom of the l920's and a new International Paper Co. mill in l927. Near the end of World War II thousands of new jobs were created with the l944 construction of a Naval Ammunition Depot across the Ouachita at Shumaker--and a resurgence of that activity during the Korean War. An economic downturn following the post Korean War closure of that plant was addressed by redeveloping its facilities and and grounds into an extensive industrial area which, in time, came to host some major defense establishments and multiple smaller industries. A technical campus of Southern Arkansas University also located there. In the l990's, post Cold-War downsizing of the defense industry brought severe job losses--and resulting population decline--to the Camden area as did the closure of the International Paper Co. mill a few years later. But in recent years a partial resurgence of defense contracts and a diversified mixture of small business and professional activity have stablized the town's economy at a level below the peak levels of the boom years. As one of Arkansas'most historic towns, the city attracts considerable heritage tourism.

[edit] Geography

Camden is located at 33°34′15″N, 92°50′6″W (33.570941, -92.834924).^[3] It is on the Ouachita River, at the end of the navigable river.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.5 square miles (42.8 km²), of which, 16.5 square miles (42.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.36%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 13,154 people, 5,421 households, and 3,561 families residing in the city. The population density was 799.4 people per square mile (308.7/km²). There were 6,259 housing units at an average density of 380.4/sq mi (146.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 48.88% White, 49.41% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. 0.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,421 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were married couples living together, 19.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 82.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,814, and the median income for a family was $35,291. Males had a median income of $31,257 versus $19,046 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,599. About 18.5% of families and 22.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.0% of those under age 18 and 19.4% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Trivia

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (June 2007)

• Lt. Stokeley Morgan of Camden fired the opening shots of the Spanish-American War from a battleship in Manila Harbor, Philippines.
• Elvis Presley performed in the Camden auditorium three times in 1955.
• Sam Walton lived and worked here before he founded Wal-Mart.
• Part of the Civil War mini-series North and South was filmed here.
• The 1970s David Carradine movie Boxcar Bertha was filmed here. Martin Scorsese was the director.
• Carrie Nation, the famous prohibitionist, held a rally here in 1906.
• Will Rogers performed here in 1928.
• Wild Bill Hickok served here during the Union Army’s occupation of Camden.
• Red Adair, the famous oil well fire fighter, was arrested for murder here and later cleared.
• Huey P. Long delivered a stump-speech as he campaigned for U.S. SenatorHattie Caraway in Camden in 1934.
• Jim Ed Brown, famous country-western singer, hauled wood here before he became famous.
• Governor George Washington Hays, Governor Benjamin Travis Laney, Senator John McClellan and Governor/Senator David Pryor were from Camden.
• Porter Clay, brother of Henry Clay the leading US Senator prior to the Civil War, is buried here.
• Robert Hite, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Air Force, retired, one of Crew 16 of Jimmy Doolittle’s Raiders, lives in Camden.
• Nick McDonald (d. 2005 in Hot Springs), graduated from Camden High School, was the Dallas Police officer who captured Lee Harvey Oswald after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
• Matthew H. Rothert presented the suggestion to include “In God We Trust” on our paper currency in November 1953. This led to a law passed in July 1955.
• Hope Rothert Taft, daughter of Matthew H. Rothert, is the wife of former Ohio Governor Bob Taft.
• Tommy Tuberville, head football coach at Auburn University, is a native of Camden.
• Ne-Yo, R&B star, was born in Camden.
• Shawn Andrews, of the Philadelphia Eagles, is a native of Camden.
• Stacy Andrews, of the Cincinnati Bengals, is a native of Camden.
• Corey Williams, of the Cleveland Browns, is a native of Camden.
• William Jennings Bryan, orator and Democratic presidential candidate, spoke in Camden in 1905 or 1906 and was a houseguest of Judge and Mrs. Tom Gaughan.
• Camden was the home of the Grapette and Orangette soft drinks with flavors developed by B.T. Fooks. (In 2005, Sam's Choice Grapette and Sam's Choice Orangette again became available in Wal-Mart stores nationwide.) [1]
• Camark Pottery was based in Camden from 1926 through the 1960s. The pottery was known worldwide and is still collected.
• Beth Brickell, actress and film director, grew up in Camden.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Arkansas Environmental Academy

[edit] External links

• History of Camden's Jewish community (from the Institute of Southern Jewish Life)
• Community history

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Ouachita County, Arkansas County seat: Camden Cities Bearden | Camden | Chidester | Stephens Towns East Camden | Louann | Reader Unincorporated community Cullendale