Sparkman is a city in

Dallas County, Arkansas Dallas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,482, making it the fourth-least populous county in Arkansas. The county seat is Fordyce. Dallas County is Arkansas's 49th county, fo ...

, United States. The population was 355 at the 2020 census, down from 427 in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

History

Sparkman was established between 1911 and 1913 and was named after sawmill owner Lemuel "Pete" Sparkman. In 1915, the ''Sparkman News'' was established, Sparkman's first election was held, and electricity was installed. The first school in Sparkman was a two-story building with an enrollment of 132. H.O. Theatt was the first principal, with Miss Ethel Fite and Miss Ella Adams being the first teachers. A Baptist church was organized in 1914, with Methodist and A.M.E. churches organizing in 1916.

Geography

Sparkman is located in western Dallas County.

Arkansas Highway 128 Arkansas Highway 128 (AR 128) is a designation for four state highways in Southwest Arkansas. One segment of runs from Highway 7 in Sparkman east to Highway 9 at Holly Springs. A second segment of runs from Highway 51 at Jo ...

passes through the center of town as Main Street and leads southeast to Highway 9 at Holly Springs.

Arkansas Highway 7 Arkansas Highway 7 (AR 7) is a north–south state highway in Arkansas, United States. As Arkansas's longest state highway, the route runs from the Louisiana state line north to Diamond City. With the exception of the segment north of Harris ...

passes through the west side of Sparkman, leading north (with Highway 128) to Highway 8 at Dalark and south to Camden. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, Sparkman has a total area of , all land.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Sparkman has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 427 people living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 55.3% White, 38.4% Black and 1.4% from two or more races. 4.9% were Hispanic or Latino of any race. As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 586 people, 237 households, and 167 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 291 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 50.85%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 42.15%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.34% Native American, 6.48% from other races, and 0.17% from two or more races. 6.83% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 237 households, out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 18.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.95. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $25,208, and the median income for a family was $32,875. Males had a median income of $26,875 versus $20,795 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $12,492. About 14.0% of families and 21.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 28.4% of those under age 18 and 18.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Harmony Grove School District of Ouachita County operates local public schools. Sparkman Elementary School and

Sparkman High School Sparkman High School is a public high school in Harvest, Alabama, United States in the Madison County Schools district. The school was named after senator and former vice presidential nominee John Jackson Sparkman. Sparkman is one of the large ...

with an enrollment of less than 200 pupils K-12 are in the community. Sparkman athletics teams are known as the Raiders. They compete at the 1A level in girls and boys basketball, baseball, and softball. Sparkman had a football team until they consolidated in 2004. They were very competitive for many years in which they played in state playoff games, sometimes with only 16 players. The community was previously in the Sparkman School District. On July 1, 2004, it consolidated into the Harmony Grove district.

Notable people

* Bonnie Brown (born 1937), musician *

Jim Ed Brown James Edward Brown (April 1, 1934 – June 11, 2015) was an American Country music, country singer who achieved fame in the 1950s with his two sisters as a member of the Browns. He later had a successful solo career from 1965 to 1974, followed b ...

(born 1934), musician *

The Browns The Browns were an American country and folk music vocal trio best known for their 1959 Grammy-nominated hit, "The Three Bells". The group, composed of Jim Ed Brown and his sisters Maxine and Bonnie, had a close, smooth harmony characteristi ...

, entertainers,

Country Music Hall of Fame The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amass ...

John Edward Taylor John Edward Taylor (11 September 1791 – 6 January 1844) was an English business tycoon, editor, publisher and member of The Portico Library, who was the founder of the ''Manchester Guardian'' newspaper in 1821. It was renamed in 1959 '' ...

(born 1921), military archivist *

Samuel Woodrow Williams Samuel Woodrow Williams was a Baptist minister, professor of philosophy and religion, and Civil Rights activist. Williams was born on February 12, 1912, in Sparkman (Dallas County) then grew up in Chicot County, Arkansas. An African American, ...

(born 1912), Civil Rights activist, professor of philosophy and religion

Points of interest

* Sardis Methodist Church * Tate's Bluff Fortification * Long Lake and Round Lake

References

External links

National Register of Historic Places listings in Dallas County, Arkansas __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Dallas County, Arkansas. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Dallas County, Ark ...

{{authority control Cities in Dallas County, Arkansas Cities in Arkansas