Pea Ridge, Arkansas
Encyclopedia
Pea Ridge is a city in Benton County
, Arkansas
, United States
. The name Pea Ridge comes from a combination of the physical location of the original settlement of the town, across the crest of an Ozark Mountains ridge, and for the hog peanuts or turkey peas that had been originally cultivated by Native American
tribes centuries before European settlement, which later helped to provide basic subsistence once those pioneer
settlers arrived. The rural town is best known as the location of the pivotal American Civil War
engagement the Battle of Pea Ridge
, or, as it is locally known, the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, which took place approximately five miles east of the town. The site of the battle is preserved as the Pea Ridge National Military Park
. The town's downtown business district is on the National Register of Historic Places
and largely comprises commercial structures from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The population was 4,794 at the 2010 census, which was a 104.3 percent increase over the 2000 census number of 2,346. It is part of the Fayetteville
–Springdale
–Rogers
, AR-MO
Metropolitan Statistical Area
. The local weekly newspaper is the Times of Northeast Benton County
.
Archeologists from the University of Arkansas
have determined the first people to occupy the area were Bluff Dwellers or Rock Shelter Indians. By the artifacts, arrowheads, rock hammers, and crude knives which have been found, they can actually tell which Indians were here first. They also note that for each period of time there was a vast improvement in their relics. During this time several families lived together because the caves or shelters under bluffs were larger. These shelters were always near to a clear spring of bubbling water.
Next came another group of Indians known as Mound Builders
. The Mound Builders were more prevalent in the area, although many of the mounds were destroyed by early white settlement, by either not knowing their significance, or by cultivating the ground in such a manner that would level them out. It was indicated that these Indians were a fun-loving people. They loved to hunt, fish and even to put out gardens in the summer. This may have been because the sparse population allowed them to not need to be over-protective of their hunting grounds. Archeologists report that pieces of pottery unearthed from the mounds were not only skillfully produced, but beautifully decorated; revealing an artistic flair and skill much improved compared to the Bluff Dwellers.
It is not known exactly how long the Native Americans who occupied the area that became northwest Arkansas were here before the Westward expansion of European settlers arrived. But, it is known that the Osage
Indians were roaming on lands north of the Arkansas River
. They were roving bands, very venturesome, and known to delight in making war on their neighbors. The Quapaw
tribe also roamed northwest Arkansas. They were a fearless, happy people who were more settled than the Osage. They loved fishing, hunting and a more peaceful way of life, unlike the fighting Indians. From the makeup of the Pea Ridge area, it is thought that it fits the mold of the Quapaw Indian. It is known that the tribes of this area were more settled and were actually farmers in their way. The town's namesake wild peas are believed to be a product of this early farming, since it would have taken many years of preparation and cultivation to produce them.
Prior to the American Civil War
, area roads were few and undeveloped. Access from other regions was by horseback, wagon, or stagecoach
on what became known as Old Wire Road
, after the US Army ran a telegraph line from St. Louis, Missouri
to Fort Smith, Arkansas
in 1859. In the late 1830s, the Trail of Tears
, over which many Cherokee
and other tribes moved on their way to Indian Territory
and Oklahoma Territory
reservations, formed part of the roadway that would later be the Wire Road.
The settlement which became Pea Ridge began at the western edge of the original town site, near a spring that provided a water supply. Foster is thought to have built the first house at Pea Ridge and also established the first store, across the trail from his house. As streets were formed, the original main street began at the Foster Store and extended three blocks east.
Early settlers to the area included the Fosters, Pratts, Misers, Buttrams, Mahurins, Pattersons, Lees, Marshes and Morgans. The Foster family was settled east of town and just west of Little Round Mountain. The first skirmish of the Battle of Pea Ridge
was fought mostly on the Foster farm. The Pratts also settled near the Elkhorn Mountain at what is now known as Winton Springs.
George W. Miser was in Arkansas when the treaty with the Indians was signed in 1826. He staked out a large spring southwest of Pea Ridge. He eventually acquired 1460 acres (5.9 km²) in the Pea Ridge area. George Miser started a Methodist Church, school, and campground near the big Miser Spring. It was burned down in by Union soldiers, and never rebuilt. George W. Miser and his wife bought the ground for his nephew, Rev. Elijah H. Buttram, to build the Buttram's Chapel and School. Buttram was a circuit-riding Methodist minister was instrumental in organizing Buttram's Chapel and School in 1860 east of Pea Ridge. While the church and school no longer exist, the spot is marked by the still-in-use Buttram’s Chapel Cemetery, where many of the town’s pioneers and their descendents are buried.
William Ruddick was also in this area when the treaty was signed in 1826. He staked out a spring near what is now the Elkhorn Tavern, and then returned to his home in Illinois
. In 1832 he moved his family to Arkansas, built a log cabin near the big spring, and later built the first Elkhorn Tavern. Twelve Corners Baptist Church, recognized as one of the oldest continuously operating Baptist
churches in Benton County, was started in the log cabin
home of William Ruddick.
Brothers Amzi, Horace H. and John R. Patterson settled in Pea Ridge with their families and elderly parents, William and Elizabeth Patterson, around 1850 from Tennessee
. Descendants of this family would play in influential role in the early growth of the town, with family members running the bank, building a large portion of the downtown business district, playing an active role in local churches, serving in local offices and representing the area in the state legislature. The Patterson Cemetery, where several generations of the family are buried, in the eastern section of the town marks the location of the family's original settlement site.
Pea Ridge settlers were mostly farm families. Early farms usually focused more on supplying family needs and less on production of crops for market. Most families kept livestock, raised large gardens and harvested wild berries, such as the plentiful blackberries. As community life developed, farm families could market corn, oats, wheat, tobacco, butter and cream, eggs and meats. After 1881, with the building of the railroad through nearby Garfield and Avoca, and with the rise of the new city of Rogers (all in Benton County), the area’s apple industry grew quite strong, supplying an economic boon to Pea Ridge and the county during the late nineteenth century and into the 1920s.
trail reaching west to California.
On March 7–8, 1862, the fields around Pea Ridge Mountain and Elkhorn Tavern
was the site of the Battle of Pea Ridge during the Civil War. The battle raged between 16,000 Confederate troops led by General Earl Van Dorn
and 10,500 Union troops led by General Samuel R. Curtis. This was the largest Civil War engagement west of the Mississippi River and is credited with preserving Missouri for the Union. Pea Ridge National Military Park, on the battlefield site, was created by the United States Congress
in 1956 and dedicated in 1963.
Although the town of Pea Ridge did not suffer significant physical damage in the war, the times were hard. As a seceded state, Arkansas officially supported the Confederacy, but the support was not unanimous in northwest Arkansas. Some families with roots in Illinois, Indiana
and Ohio
held Union sympathies. Movement of military units through the area brought instability and insecurity as control shifted many times. Raids by “bushwhackers” made the times dangerous and frustrating.
. It operated until 1916, offering elementary, high school, and college-level instruction. Then, as community sentiment favored forming a public school system, the college was closed, and the property deeded to the Pea Ridge Public School. In 1930, the school district dismantled the college building and constructed a one-story building on the site. Principal Joe Roulhac, a noted local educator and carpenter, supervised the design and construction. Extra wings were added in the late 1940s and early 1950s. This community landmark, which housed the entire school before 1948, served as home of the Pea Ridge High School until 2001, when a new high school complex was completed on West Pickens Road. The 1930 building was finally razed in March 2005 after estimated costs to update the aging building to current school standards, or to convert it to other community uses, were determined to be prohibitive.
. This success is largely attributed to then Bank President W. T. Patterson's contribution of his own wealth into the bank's coffers, thus keeping it solvent. After 57 years in its original downtown location, the bank moved in 1968 to a new facility at Curtis Avenue and Leetown Road, where the new town center was developing. During the last quarter of the 20th century, the bank’s ownership changed several times. It currently operates as Arvest Bank
of Pea Ridge. W.T. Patterson, a descendant of the early Patterson settlers, served as the bank's second president for more than 50 years, not retiring until he was well into his 90s. His antique wall clock is still a feature in the current bank building. The Pea Ridge Community Library occupies the original 1911 bank building downtown.
Through the years, many businesses have come and gone in Pea Ridge, such as the Pea Ridge Canning Company, which for long years canned tomatoes under various brands, supplying some local families a cash income during lean times. The building was destroyed by fire in January 1977, and the plant never reopened. The Stroud family opened their first retail business in Pea Ridge, co-owned by by Allen Bryant Stroud (1831–1914) and his son Harlan Lafayette (H.L.) Stroud (1858–1950). In 1884, H.L. Stroud sold his interest in the Stroud store in Pea Ridge and purchased a dry goods store in Rogers, which would be named Stroud's Mercantile
and become a regional institution, remaining in business until 1993. In 1930, a Pea Ridge sports legend, major league baseball pitcher Clyde Pea Ridge Day
, built the Day’s Place filling station at the main downtown intersection. This structure, built of native rough stone in an attractive design, with its small adjacent park area and shaded “loafer’s benches,” gave an appealing picturesque flavor to downtown Pea Ridge. It was finally removed in 1990 to make room for an expanding building materials business. One of Pea Ridge’s most enduring businesses has been Webb’s Feed and Seed, established in the 1930s by Hugh and Nell Webb. As a farm supply store and poultry production firm, Webb’s was influential, especially in the 1940s, in greatly expanding the local broiler industry, thus improving local farm incomes. The store, now owned and operated by Fred and Mabel Webb McKinney, continues in its original location on East Pickens downtown. Pea Ridge City Hall occupies a restored historic 1920s building at 227 East Pickens, previously the site of cafes, markets, and medical offices.
brought major changes. In 1945, rural electricity was extended to the farms around Pea Ridge. City water and fire departments were initiated in the early 1950s. Televisions began appearing in homes about 1951. By 1954, the Pea Ridge Telephone Company had extended service to most rural homes in the school district. In place of the disappearing apple orchards, large poultry farms appeared, as did modern dairy farms and beef cattle operations. The formation of Beaver Lake
on the White River
enhanced the area’s tourist and retirement attractions and provided abundant water supplies for Pea Ridge and other area cities.
As a result of these new economic opportunities, the population of Pea Ridge has grown steadily. The town is still largely residential, with a variety of service businesses and several busy cabinet shops and small construction firms. Many residents are employed at large industrial and commercial firms in Rogers and Bentonville, so the Pea Ridge economy is closely tied to the economic life of the larger area.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 4.1 square miles (10.6 km²), all of it land.
As of the census
of 2000, there are 2,346 people, 880 households, and 667 families residing in the city. The population density
is 573.8 people per square mile (221.5/km²). There are 927 housing units at an average density of 226.7 per square mile (87.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city is 97.70% White
, 0.04% Black
or African American
, 0.98% Native American
, 0.30% Asian
, 0.13% Pacific Islander
, 0.38% from other races
, and 0.47% from two or more races. 1.02% of the population are Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There are 880 households out of which 37.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.3% are married couples
living together, 7.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% are non-families. 21.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.63 and the average family size is 3.05.
In the city the population is spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $37,244, and the median income for a family is $42,222. Males have a median income of $29,340 versus $21,298 for females. The per capita income
for the city is $15,149. 7.7% of the population and 6.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 9.9% of those under the age of 18 and 7.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Benton County, Arkansas
Benton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2000 census, the population was 153,406. The U.S. Census Bureau 2010 population is 221,339. The county seat is Bentonville. Benton County was formed on 30 September 1836 and was named after Thomas Hart Benton, a U.S...
, 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 name Pea Ridge comes from a combination of the physical location of the original settlement of the town, across the crest of an Ozark Mountains ridge, and for the hog peanuts or turkey peas that had been originally cultivated by Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribes centuries before European settlement, which later helped to provide basic subsistence once those pioneer
American pioneer
American pioneers are any of the people in American history who migrated west to join in settling and developing new areas. The term especially refers to those who were going to settle any territory which had previously not been settled or developed by European or American society, although the...
settlers arrived. The rural town is best known as the location of the pivotal American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
engagement the Battle of Pea Ridge
Battle of Pea Ridge
The Battle of Pea Ridge was a land battle of the American Civil War, fought on March 6–8, 1862, at Pea Ridge in northwest Arkansas, near Garfield. In the battle, Union forces led by Brig. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis defeated Confederate troops under Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn. The outcome of the...
, or, as it is locally known, the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, which took place approximately five miles east of the town. The site of the battle is preserved as the Pea Ridge National Military Park
Pea Ridge National Military Park
Pea Ridge National Military Park is a United States National Military Park located in extreme northwestern Arkansas near the Missouri border. The park protects the site of the American Civil War Battle of Pea Ridge which was fought March 7 and March 8, 1862...
. The town's downtown business district is on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and largely comprises commercial structures from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The population was 4,794 at the 2010 census, which was a 104.3 percent increase over the 2000 census number of 2,346. It is part of the Fayetteville
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...
–Springdale
Springdale, Arkansas
As of the census of 2010, there were 69,797 people, 22,805 households, and 16,640 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 64.7% White, 0.82% Black or African American, 1.8% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 5.7% Pacific Islander, 22% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more...
–Rogers
Rogers, Arkansas
Rogers is a suburban city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city has a population of 55,964. The city is located in the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metropolitan Area, in the northwest corner of the state.-History:...
, AR-MO
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metropolitan Area
The Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Metropolitan Statistical Area as defined by the United States Census Bureau is a four-county area including three Arkansas counties and one Missouri county...
. The local weekly newspaper is the Times of Northeast Benton County
Times of Northeast Benton County
The Times of Northeast Benton County is a weekly newspaper with a 1,300-1,400 circulation located in Pea Ridge, Arkansas, located in the northeast corner of Benton County...
.
Pre-pioneer history
While the official governmental history of Pea Ridge dates to the establishment of a post office in 1850, the area actually has a history of human habitation stretching back centuries prior.Archeologists from the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
have determined the first people to occupy the area were Bluff Dwellers or Rock Shelter Indians. By the artifacts, arrowheads, rock hammers, and crude knives which have been found, they can actually tell which Indians were here first. They also note that for each period of time there was a vast improvement in their relics. During this time several families lived together because the caves or shelters under bluffs were larger. These shelters were always near to a clear spring of bubbling water.
Next came another group of Indians known as Mound Builders
Mound builders
The group of cultures collectively called Mound Builders were prehistoric inhabitants of North America who constructed various styles of earthen mounds for religious and ceremonial, burial, and elite residential purposes...
. The Mound Builders were more prevalent in the area, although many of the mounds were destroyed by early white settlement, by either not knowing their significance, or by cultivating the ground in such a manner that would level them out. It was indicated that these Indians were a fun-loving people. They loved to hunt, fish and even to put out gardens in the summer. This may have been because the sparse population allowed them to not need to be over-protective of their hunting grounds. Archeologists report that pieces of pottery unearthed from the mounds were not only skillfully produced, but beautifully decorated; revealing an artistic flair and skill much improved compared to the Bluff Dwellers.
It is not known exactly how long the Native Americans who occupied the area that became northwest Arkansas were here before the Westward expansion of European settlers arrived. But, it is known that the Osage
Osage Nation
The Osage Nation is a Native American Siouan-language tribe in the United States that originated in the Ohio River valley in present-day Kentucky. After years of war with invading Iroquois, the Osage migrated west of the Mississippi River to their historic lands in present-day Arkansas, Missouri,...
Indians were roaming on lands north of the Arkansas River
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...
. They were roving bands, very venturesome, and known to delight in making war on their neighbors. The Quapaw
Quapaw
The Quapaw people are a tribe of Native Americans who historically resided on the west side of the Mississippi River in what is now the state of Arkansas.They are federally recognized as the Quapaw Tribe of Indians.-Government:...
tribe also roamed northwest Arkansas. They were a fearless, happy people who were more settled than the Osage. They loved fishing, hunting and a more peaceful way of life, unlike the fighting Indians. From the makeup of the Pea Ridge area, it is thought that it fits the mold of the Quapaw Indian. It is known that the tribes of this area were more settled and were actually farmers in their way. The town's namesake wild peas are believed to be a product of this early farming, since it would have taken many years of preparation and cultivation to produce them.
White settlement
White settlers first began staking claims in Pea Ridge area during the decade prior to Arkansas statehood in 1836 and continued through the 1850s. The official history of the town dates to August 6, 1850, when its first post office was established. The town was laid out by Robert Carroll Foster, with Robert H. Wallace serving as the first postmaster. At first, the town’s name was one word, Pearidge, but it soon was changed to two.Prior to the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, area roads were few and undeveloped. Access from other regions was by horseback, wagon, or stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
on what became known as Old Wire Road
Old Wire Road
The Old Wire Road is a historic road in Missouri and Arkansas. Several local roads are still called this. It followed an old Native American route, the Great Osage Trail across the Ozarks and became a road along a telegraph line from St. Louis, Missouri to Fort Smith, Arkansas. This route was...
, after the US Army ran a telegraph line from St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
to Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
in 1859. In the late 1830s, the Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced relocation and movement of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830...
, over which many Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
and other tribes moved on their way to Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
and Oklahoma Territory
Oklahoma Territory
The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as the State of Oklahoma.-Organization:Oklahoma Territory's...
reservations, formed part of the roadway that would later be the Wire Road.
The settlement which became Pea Ridge began at the western edge of the original town site, near a spring that provided a water supply. Foster is thought to have built the first house at Pea Ridge and also established the first store, across the trail from his house. As streets were formed, the original main street began at the Foster Store and extended three blocks east.
Early settlers to the area included the Fosters, Pratts, Misers, Buttrams, Mahurins, Pattersons, Lees, Marshes and Morgans. The Foster family was settled east of town and just west of Little Round Mountain. The first skirmish of the Battle of Pea Ridge
Battle of Pea Ridge
The Battle of Pea Ridge was a land battle of the American Civil War, fought on March 6–8, 1862, at Pea Ridge in northwest Arkansas, near Garfield. In the battle, Union forces led by Brig. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis defeated Confederate troops under Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn. The outcome of the...
was fought mostly on the Foster farm. The Pratts also settled near the Elkhorn Mountain at what is now known as Winton Springs.
George W. Miser was in Arkansas when the treaty with the Indians was signed in 1826. He staked out a large spring southwest of Pea Ridge. He eventually acquired 1460 acres (5.9 km²) in the Pea Ridge area. George Miser started a Methodist Church, school, and campground near the big Miser Spring. It was burned down in by Union soldiers, and never rebuilt. George W. Miser and his wife bought the ground for his nephew, Rev. Elijah H. Buttram, to build the Buttram's Chapel and School. Buttram was a circuit-riding Methodist minister was instrumental in organizing Buttram's Chapel and School in 1860 east of Pea Ridge. While the church and school no longer exist, the spot is marked by the still-in-use Buttram’s Chapel Cemetery, where many of the town’s pioneers and their descendents are buried.
William Ruddick was also in this area when the treaty was signed in 1826. He staked out a spring near what is now the Elkhorn Tavern, and then returned to his home in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. In 1832 he moved his family to Arkansas, built a log cabin near the big spring, and later built the first Elkhorn Tavern. Twelve Corners Baptist Church, recognized as one of the oldest continuously operating Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
churches in Benton County, was started in the log cabin
Log cabin
A log cabin is a house built from logs. It is a fairly simple type of log house. A distinction should be drawn between the traditional meanings of "log cabin" and "log house." Historically most "Log cabins" were a simple one- or 1½-story structures, somewhat impermanent, and less finished or less...
home of William Ruddick.
Brothers Amzi, Horace H. and John R. Patterson settled in Pea Ridge with their families and elderly parents, William and Elizabeth Patterson, around 1850 from Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. Descendants of this family would play in influential role in the early growth of the town, with family members running the bank, building a large portion of the downtown business district, playing an active role in local churches, serving in local offices and representing the area in the state legislature. The Patterson Cemetery, where several generations of the family are buried, in the eastern section of the town marks the location of the family's original settlement site.
Pea Ridge settlers were mostly farm families. Early farms usually focused more on supplying family needs and less on production of crops for market. Most families kept livestock, raised large gardens and harvested wild berries, such as the plentiful blackberries. As community life developed, farm families could market corn, oats, wheat, tobacco, butter and cream, eggs and meats. After 1881, with the building of the railroad through nearby Garfield and Avoca, and with the rise of the new city of Rogers (all in Benton County), the area’s apple industry grew quite strong, supplying an economic boon to Pea Ridge and the county during the late nineteenth century and into the 1920s.
Civil War
Old Wire Road, which took its name from the telegraph lines running beside it after 1860, passed through the area five miles (8 km) east of Pea Ridge, providing a connection north to Springfield, Missouri, and south to Fayetteville (Washington County) and Fort Smith (Sebastian County). Before 1881, mail for Pea Ridge was dropped at Elkhorn Inn and Tavern, a stagecoach stop, and carried to the town by horseback, buggy, or wagon. The Butterfield Company bought the stage line in 1858, making the road part of the Butterfield Overland MailButterfield Overland Mail
The Butterfield Overland Mail Trail was a stagecoach route in the United States, operating from 1857 to 1861. It was a conduit for the U.S. mail from two eastern termini, Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri, meeting Fort Smith, Arkansas, and continuing through Indian Territory, New Mexico,...
trail reaching west to California.
On March 7–8, 1862, the fields around Pea Ridge Mountain and Elkhorn Tavern
Elkhorn Tavern
Elkhorn Tavern is a two-story, wood-frame structure that served as a physical epicenter for the American Civil War Battle of Pea Ridge, also known as the Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, which was fought on March 7 and March 8, 1862, approximately five miles east of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, located in the...
was the site of the Battle of Pea Ridge during the Civil War. The battle raged between 16,000 Confederate troops led by General Earl Van Dorn
Earl Van Dorn
Earl Van Dorn was a career United States Army officer, fighting with distinction during the Mexican-American War and against several tribes of Native Americans...
and 10,500 Union troops led by General Samuel R. Curtis. This was the largest Civil War engagement west of the Mississippi River and is credited with preserving Missouri for the Union. Pea Ridge National Military Park, on the battlefield site, was created by the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in 1956 and dedicated in 1963.
Although the town of Pea Ridge did not suffer significant physical damage in the war, the times were hard. As a seceded state, Arkansas officially supported the Confederacy, but the support was not unanimous in northwest Arkansas. Some families with roots in Illinois, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
and Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
held Union sympathies. Movement of military units through the area brought instability and insecurity as control shifted many times. Raids by “bushwhackers” made the times dangerous and frustrating.
Educational history
The first known school to operate at Pea Ridge was the Shelton Academy, opened in 1851 with a Professor Lockhart as teacher. For unknown reasons (possibly low enrollment and inadequate funds), the school closed in 1858. In 1874, Reverend Elijah Buttram opened a school at Buttram’s Chapel outside town, with Professor John Rains Roberts as principal. After five years, the school, sponsored by the Masonic lodge, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and local patrons, was moved into Pea Ridge where, in 1880, a two-story brick schoolhouse was erected. The school was granted a charter as an academy in 1884, and in 1887–88, the building was enlarged to accommodate 250 pupils. Professor Roberts directed the academy until 1894. Nannie Roberts, his sister, devoted her long career to teaching younger pupils at Pea Ridge Academy and later in the public school. By 1914, the academy was known as the Pea Ridge Masonic CollegePea Ridge Masonic College
The Pea Ridge Masonic College was a private school located in Pea Ridge, Arkansas that offered a structured education in primary, secondary and collegiate levels. It served primarily as a normal college or teaching school, where students were taught to work as primary and secondary education teachers...
. It operated until 1916, offering elementary, high school, and college-level instruction. Then, as community sentiment favored forming a public school system, the college was closed, and the property deeded to the Pea Ridge Public School. In 1930, the school district dismantled the college building and constructed a one-story building on the site. Principal Joe Roulhac, a noted local educator and carpenter, supervised the design and construction. Extra wings were added in the late 1940s and early 1950s. This community landmark, which housed the entire school before 1948, served as home of the Pea Ridge High School until 2001, when a new high school complex was completed on West Pickens Road. The 1930 building was finally razed in March 2005 after estimated costs to update the aging building to current school standards, or to convert it to other community uses, were determined to be prohibitive.
Commerce history
The Bank of Pea Ridge, incorporated in 1911, was one of only two banks in Benton County that did not fail during the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. This success is largely attributed to then Bank President W. T. Patterson's contribution of his own wealth into the bank's coffers, thus keeping it solvent. After 57 years in its original downtown location, the bank moved in 1968 to a new facility at Curtis Avenue and Leetown Road, where the new town center was developing. During the last quarter of the 20th century, the bank’s ownership changed several times. It currently operates as Arvest Bank
Arvest Bank
Arvest Bank is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, with branches in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Beginning with Benton County's first automatic teller machine in 1976 and the launch of an Internet banking web site in 1998, Arvest Bank has...
of Pea Ridge. W.T. Patterson, a descendant of the early Patterson settlers, served as the bank's second president for more than 50 years, not retiring until he was well into his 90s. His antique wall clock is still a feature in the current bank building. The Pea Ridge Community Library occupies the original 1911 bank building downtown.
Through the years, many businesses have come and gone in Pea Ridge, such as the Pea Ridge Canning Company, which for long years canned tomatoes under various brands, supplying some local families a cash income during lean times. The building was destroyed by fire in January 1977, and the plant never reopened. The Stroud family opened their first retail business in Pea Ridge, co-owned by by Allen Bryant Stroud (1831–1914) and his son Harlan Lafayette (H.L.) Stroud (1858–1950). In 1884, H.L. Stroud sold his interest in the Stroud store in Pea Ridge and purchased a dry goods store in Rogers, which would be named Stroud's Mercantile
Stroud's Mercantile
Stroud's Mercantile or Stroud's Department Store was a department store located in Rogers, Arkansas. At the time of its closing in 1993, Stroud's was the oldest continuously operated privately owned retail business in the state...
and become a regional institution, remaining in business until 1993. In 1930, a Pea Ridge sports legend, major league baseball pitcher Clyde Pea Ridge Day
Pea Ridge Day
Henry Clyde Day was a champion Arkansas hog-caller and right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who committed suicide after an operation to repair his throwing arm proved unsuccessful.-The "Hog-Calling Pitcher":...
, built the Day’s Place filling station at the main downtown intersection. This structure, built of native rough stone in an attractive design, with its small adjacent park area and shaded “loafer’s benches,” gave an appealing picturesque flavor to downtown Pea Ridge. It was finally removed in 1990 to make room for an expanding building materials business. One of Pea Ridge’s most enduring businesses has been Webb’s Feed and Seed, established in the 1930s by Hugh and Nell Webb. As a farm supply store and poultry production firm, Webb’s was influential, especially in the 1940s, in greatly expanding the local broiler industry, thus improving local farm incomes. The store, now owned and operated by Fred and Mabel Webb McKinney, continues in its original location on East Pickens downtown. Pea Ridge City Hall occupies a restored historic 1920s building at 227 East Pickens, previously the site of cafes, markets, and medical offices.
World War II to present
The years after World War IIWorld 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...
brought major changes. In 1945, rural electricity was extended to the farms around Pea Ridge. City water and fire departments were initiated in the early 1950s. Televisions began appearing in homes about 1951. By 1954, the Pea Ridge Telephone Company had extended service to most rural homes in the school district. In place of the disappearing apple orchards, large poultry farms appeared, as did modern dairy farms and beef cattle operations. The formation of Beaver Lake
Beaver Lake (Arkansas)
Beaver Lake is a man-made reservoir in the Ozark Mountains of Northwest Arkansas and is formed by a dam across the White River. Beaver Lake has some of natural shoreline...
on the White River
White River (Arkansas)
The White River is a 722-mile long river that flows through the U.S. states of Arkansas and Missouri.-Course:The source of the White River is in the Boston Mountains of northwest Arkansas, in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest southeast of Fayetteville...
enhanced the area’s tourist and retirement attractions and provided abundant water supplies for Pea Ridge and other area cities.
As a result of these new economic opportunities, the population of Pea Ridge has grown steadily. The town is still largely residential, with a variety of service businesses and several busy cabinet shops and small construction firms. Many residents are employed at large industrial and commercial firms in Rogers and Bentonville, so the Pea Ridge economy is closely tied to the economic life of the larger area.
Geography
Pea Ridge is located at 36°26′52"N 94°7′0"W (36.447822, -94.116691).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 4.1 square miles (10.6 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
Asd of 2010 Pea Ridge had a population of 4,794. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 90.7% non-Hispanic white, 0.7% Afican American, 0.9% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 2.0% from two or more races and 5.8% Hispanic or Latino.As of the census
Census
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 are 2,346 people, 880 households, and 667 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...
is 573.8 people per square mile (221.5/km²). There are 927 housing units at an average density of 226.7 per square mile (87.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city is 97.70% 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...
, 0.04% 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...
, 0.98% 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...
, 0.30% 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...
, 0.13% 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...
, 0.38% 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 0.47% from two or more races. 1.02% of the population are 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 are 880 households out of which 37.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.3% are 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, 7.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% are non-families. 21.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.63 and the average family size is 3.05.
In the city the population is spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $37,244, and the median income for a family is $42,222. Males have a median income of $29,340 versus $21,298 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 is $15,149. 7.7% of the population and 6.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 9.9% of those under the age of 18 and 7.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
External links
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry: Pea Ridge (Benton County)