Portia, Arkansas

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Portia
Historic school house from 1914
Historic school house from 1914
Location in Arkansas
Portia, Arkansas
Portia
Portia
Basic data
State : United States
State : Arkansas
County : Lawrence County
Coordinates : 36 ° 5 ′  N , 91 ° 4 ′  W Coordinates: 36 ° 5 ′  N , 91 ° 4 ′  W
Time zone : Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 )
Residents : 437 (as of 2010)
Population density : 132.4 inhabitants per km 2
Area : 3.3 km 2  (approx. 1 mi 2 ) of
which 3.3 km 2  (approx. 1 mi 2 ) are land
Height : 79 m
Postal code : 72475
Area code : +1 870
FIPS : 05-56720
GNIS ID : 0053704

Portia is a city in Lawrence County , Arkansas , United States . In 2010 it had 437 inhabitants.

geography

Portia is located at the at 36.09 ° north latitude and 91.07 degrees west longitude Portia Bay , a backwater of the Black River . The only road of national importance through the place is the US Highway 63 , which runs from a confluence east of the place on a common route with the US Highway 412 to Hardy . The railway line of the former St. Louis - San Francisco Railway runs parallel to the street between Memphis and Springfield .

history

An Indian settlement in the area of ​​today's city is proven by archaeological finds. Around 1800, the first European immigrants settled and established homesteads as a result of a land allocation by the Spanish colonial administration, which was confirmed by the government of the United States in 1816 . With the construction of the railroad between Fort Scott and Kansas City , a town developed on both sides of the route from 1882 and received municipal status on May 19, 1886. Because of the convenient traffic, Portia was temporarily considered as the seat of the administration of Lawrence County, but this remained in Powhatan . The inhabitants mainly operated in agriculture, but also worked with wood and cotton. In 1906, a major fire caused by a burst oil lamp in a butcher's shop caused major damage, especially on the southern side of the city.

Dr. FW Buercklin House, oldest preserved house in Portia

The construction of a new bridge over the Black River and the expansion of US Highway 63 did not bring the city the expected upswing. Even today, many of the town's residents are still active in agriculture, while others are commuters and work in Walnut Ridge or Jonesboro . In addition to the school house and its housekeeping, the Dr. FW Buercklin House , originally a Dogtrot house and probably the oldest preserved house in the city, registered as a monument under number 98000882.

Population development

year 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2015
population 571 400 367 519 416 393 349 333 381 480 521 483 437 420
source                            


education

The first schoolhouse, a wooden building from before 1903 on the southern edge of the city, was replaced in 1914 by the red brick schoolhouse in City Park. This remained the only school in the small town until 1948 and has been registered as a monument in the National Register of Historic Places since 1978 under number 78000604 . A gymnasium was built in 1936, which burned down in 1972, and a building for home economics in 1938. The latter was added to the list of monuments in 1990 with the number 90000901.

religion

By 1890 Methodist and Baptist congregations had established themselves in Portia. Today the city is home to the Portia Missionary Baptist Church , Meyers Street Church of Christ, and Portia Church of Christ .

Events

Since 1905, the Portia Picnic has been held every year in the first week of July , which at times attracted thousands of visitors.

proof

  1. ↑ a b Census of Population and Housing . Census.gov. Archived from the original on November 15, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  2. ↑ US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990 . United States Census Bureau . February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  3. ↑ a b c d e Portia (Lawrence County) . The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. November 2, 2016.
  4. ↑ Buercklin, Dr. FW, House . National Park Service. - The illustration and the document shown refer to the wrong building (as of December 12, 2016)
  5. ^ Portia School . National Park Service.
  6. ↑ Home Economics - FFA Building . National Park Service.

Web links

Commons : Portia (Arkansas)  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files