View source for Plumerville, Arkansas

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Short description|City in Arkansas, US}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Plumerville, Arkansas
| settlement_type    = [[City]]
| image_skyline      = Plumerville School Building.jpg
| image_caption      = Plumerville in 2021
| image_map          = File:Conway County Arkansas Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Plumerville Highlighted 0556480.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location of Plumerville in Conway County, Arkansas.
| 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  = [[Conway County, Arkansas|Conway]]
| area_total_km2     = 2.70
| area_total_sq_mi   = 1.04
| area_land_km2      = 2.67
| area_land_sq_mi    = 1.03
| area_water_km2     = 0.04
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.01
| elevation_ft       = 315
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
| population_total   = 734
| population_density_km2 = 275.37
| population_density_sq_mi = 713.31
| timezone           = [[Central Time Zone (North America)|Central (CST)]]
| utc_offset         = -6
| coordinates        = {{coord|35|9|39|N|92|38|34|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| timezone_DST       = CDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -5
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 72127
| area_code          = [[Area code 501|501]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 05-56480
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 2404542<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2404542}}</ref>
| 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>
}}
'''Plumerville''' is a city in [[Conway County, Arkansas|Conway County]], [[Arkansas]], United States. The population was 734 at the [[2020 United States Census|2020 census]].<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US0556480| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212182715/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US0556480| url-status=dead| archive-date=February 12, 2020| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Plumerville city, Arkansas| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| accessdate=June 18, 2014}}</ref>
==Geography==
Plumerville is located in southern Conway County at {{coord|35|9|39|N|92|38|34|W|type:city}} (35.160896, -92.642794),<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> along [[U.S. Route 64]], which leads east {{convert|5|mi|0}} to [[Menifee, Arkansas|Menifee]] and west {{convert|6|mi|0}} to [[Morrilton, Arkansas|Morrilton]], the county seat. [[Interstate 40]] passes through the northern edge of the city with access from one exit and leads southeast {{convert|45|mi}} to [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]] and west {{convert|113|mi}} to [[Fort Smith, Arkansas|Fort Smith]].
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], Plumerville has a total area of {{convert|3.0|km2|disp=flip}}, of which {{convert|0.04|sqkm|disp=flip|2}}, or 1.39%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010"/>
==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|align=left|1880= 135
|1890= 214
|1900= 296
|1910= 495
|1920= 702
|1930= 613
|1940= 541
|1950= 550
|1960= 586
|1970= 724
|1980= 785
|1990= 832
|2000= 854
|2010= 826
|2020= 734
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 854 people, 345 households, and 239 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|856.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 379 housing units at an average density of {{convert|379.9|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 72.95% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 23.65% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 0.47% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 0.35% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.12% [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.35% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 2.11% from two or more races. 1.17% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race.
There were 345 households, out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,571, and the median income for a family was $37,679. Males had a median income of $27,014 versus $21,607 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $13,968. About 15.1% of families and 21.4% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 21.7% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.
==History==
Plumerville began as Plummer's Station, a stage station on the [[Fort Smith, Arkansas|Fort Smith]] to [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] branch of the [[Butterfield Overland Mail]].
The old downtown area of Plumerville was completely destroyed by fire in 1987. The old town jail or "calaboose" (built circa 1880) still stands intact on Springfield Street near the new city hall.
[[File:Town Jail of Plumerville, Arkansas. Built around 1880.jpg|thumb|The town Jail of Plumerville, Arkansas. Built around 1880]]
===Assassination===
[[John M. Clayton (Arkansas politician)|John Middleton Clayton]] (October 13, 1840 – January 29, 1889) was a Republican [[carpetbagger]] to Arkansas, originally from [[Pennsylvania]]. He was also the younger brother of [[Powell Clayton]], a [[Governor of Arkansas]].
In 1871, John Clayton was elected to the [[Arkansas House of Representatives]], representing [[Jefferson County, Arkansas|Jefferson County]], and in 1873 he served in the [[Arkansas Senate]] representing Jefferson, Bradley, Grant and Lincoln counties, also serving as Speaker of the Senate ''[[pro tempore]]'' for part of his term.
He is best remembered today from his mysterious assassination in 1889. In 1888, he ran for the office of [[Arkansas's 2nd congressional district]] in the [[United States House of Representatives]], going up against incumbent [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] [[Clifton R. Breckinridge]]. The election became one of the most fraudulent in Arkansas' history. Clayton lost the election by a margin of 846 votes of over 34,000 votes cast. However, in one case in Conway County, four masked, armed white men stormed into a predominantly black voting precinct and, at gunpoint, stole the ballot box that contained a large majority of votes for Clayton. Losing under such circumstances, Clayton decided to contest the election and went to Plumerville to start an investigation on the matter. On the evening of January 29, 1889, an unknown assailant shot through the window to the room he was staying in at a local boarding house (still standing at 101 N. Springfield Street) and killed him instantly. He was later declared the winner of the election and Breckinridge was unseated and the seat declared vacant. Clayton's assassin was never found. Breckinridge was not found guilty in any wrongdoing in the rigged election or in Clayton's assassination and was elected to fill the vacant seat in 1890.<ref>Kenneth C. Barnes. ''Who Killed John Clayton? Political Violence and the Emergence of the New South, 1861-1893''. Durham, N.C. and London: Duke University Press, 1998.</ref>
==Education==
It is within the [[South Conway County School District]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/sch_dist/st05_ar/c05029_conway/DC10SD_C05029_001.pdf|title=SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Conway County, AR|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|accessdate=February 27, 2021}}</ref> It operates [[Morrilton High School]].
In 1980 the East Side, [[Morrilton, Arkansas|Morrilton]], and Plumerville School districts consolidated to form the new South Conway County district.<ref name=Goatcherp17>{{cite web|last=Goatcher|first=Truett|url=https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED458075.pdf|title=School District Consolidation Will Save Millions of Dollars: Fact of Myth?|publisher=Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators|date=January 1999|page=17 (PDF p. 17/27)}}</ref>
==Notable people==
*[[Paxton Crawford]] (1977-) Major league baseball player
*[[Maurice Jeffers]] (1979-) Professional basketball player
*[[John H. Yancey]], (1918-1986) Highly decorated United States Marine Corps combat veteran of World War II and the Korean War.
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{commons category|Plumerville, Arkansas}}
{{Conway County, Arkansas}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:Cities in Conway County, Arkansas]]
[[Category:Cities in Arkansas]]