Discover the 4 Oldest Cities in Arkansas

With origins dating back to the 17th century, the history of the oldest colonial cities in Arkansas stretches out over hundreds of years and includes many tumultuous and complicated events.

In this article, we’ll look at the four oldest cities with roots that shaped the history of Arkansas. Read on to learn more about the events and people that surrounded the formation of these settlements, as well as the struggles they endured.

The 4 Oldest Cities in Arkansas

Below, we’ll give a brief insight into four of the oldest cities in Arkansas. Some of them have origins reaching back to the 17th century. It is important to remember that these colonial settlements appeared late in the history of the continent, though. Native peoples preceded European settlers by millennia. 

That said, in this article, we’ll focus on four of the settlements directly related to the formation of Arkansas.

1. Arkansas Post

The oldest recorded colonial settlement founded by Europeans was the Arkansas Post. Originally an unsuccessful French fur-trading post, this 1686 settlement was made on indigenous Quapaw land. Eventually, in 1819, it would become the Arkansas Territory’s first capital.

Over the settlement’s first 15 years or so, trade was not particularly consistent. The types of fur that the French wanted from the local peoples were not in great supply.

By the early 1700s, however, things began to change. Because the post’s location afforded the French major access to the Mississippi River, it started to grow in importance. Louis XIV took interest in expanding colonies southward into Louisiana. Thus, colonists used the post to move crops, arms, and, horrifically, slaves, in that direction.

In 1724, the Company of the West, which was responsible for a large portion of this trade, fell bankrupt and withdrew from the Arkansas Post. Many indentured servants who were brought to the Post, now freed, stayed in the area. From about 1731–1749, the post functioned as a colonial trading post between the French and indigenous peoples such as the Osage, Caddo, Chickasaw, and Quapaw.

Eventually, the post changed hands from the French to the Spanish and ultimately became a part of the United States. In 1819, it became the first official capital of the Arkansas Territory. However, it lost this title to Little Rock by 1821.

During the Civil War, the Post became the site of a Confederate fort. Troops stationed there were crushed by the Union Army at the beginning of 1863, and the Post was completely destroyed.

Today, the site exists in the registry of Arkansas state parks, which it entered in 1929. In 1960 it became an official national memorial.

2. Georgetown

While not technically a city, Georgetown is the oldest Arkansas settlement still in existence. It was first settled in 1789, just to the northeast of what would eventually become Little Rock. The settlement overlooks the White River, which was a major contributing factor to the town’s later development. Over the first 100 years or so of its existence, the settlement was known as Francure Township. In 1909, however, it finally received its current name, Georgetown.

Around this time, the Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad issued the construction of a rail line through the town. Within the first two decades of its existence, however, flooding caused the single major rail bridge over the White River to fail. Because the damages were extensive and irreparable, the railroad industry withdrew from Georgetown. The remnants of the truss bridge were eventually removed.

In the early 1900s, there were strong logging and timber milling industries in Georgetown. The town manufactured wood products. It had a few small stores and attractions that served locals and residents of nearby towns. The White River continued to serve as an important source of food, income, and transportation for local people. After World War II, however, roads and schools improved in neighboring towns, and industry there improved as well. Eventually, residents began to relocate, and business ventures shut down.

The town itself was never large, only anecdotally reaching a population as large as 500 or so. This remains true today — according to the 2020 census, the tightly knit population of Georgetown is smaller than 100 people.

3. Batesville

The city plan of Batesville was drafted in 1821 to be built on native Osage land, ceded due to tremendous pressure by colonizing forces. By signing the Osage Treaty at Fort Clark in 1808, the early government coerced the Osage Nations to relinquish over 50 million acres of land in exchange for some yearly supplies and a small sum of money.

Batesville is the oldest city, but not the oldest existing settlement, in Arkansas, having celebrated its 200th year in 2021. Early on in the settlement’s existence, it relied heavily on fur and hide trade to keep its colonists supplied. Because of its location close to the White River, trade through the city would eventually flourish, and its small, initial population of settlers would grow. Eventually, Batesville would also become a contested space during the Civil War.

By the 1900s, increasing railroad traffic would begin to influence the city’s growing industry. This was a crucial factor leading to the establishment of its modern, diverse economy. Today, the city holds the county seat of Independence County. It is home to over 10,000 people, a marked increase from its original population, who keep the city moving. Batesville’s Lyon College is also home to historic architecture from the early and mid-1800s that is still in use today.

4. Little Rock

The city of Little Rock took the title of territory capital from the Arkansas Post in 1821, right around the time that Batesville began to form. It sits near the center of the state of Arkansas. The city is named for its proximity to the “little rock”, a rock formation situated nearby the settlement along the Arkansas River.

The city was fought over during the Civil War but was ultimately occupied by the Union army by 1863. By 1860, there were more recorded military burials in the city than there were residents.

In May of 1927, due to consistent, heavy rainfall across the middle of the country, nearby levees gave way and Little Rock suffered major flooding. It, along with many other Arkansas cities situated along the Arkansas and Mississippi Rivers, dealt with record flood waters until August of that year.

Little Rock Fight for Desegregation 

The same year as the Great Flood, what would become Little Rock Central High School opened in the fall. This high school would become a historic site in the brutal fight for civil rights. In 1957, in a test of the ruling of the recent Brown v. Board of Education desegregation of public schools, nine black students were enrolled in the previously all-white high school. As a result, several showdowns between angry students, teachers, parents, and federal troops took place outside the doors.

On September 2nd, the governor of Arkansas threatened to call the National Guard to prevent the black students from entering the building — a threat he would follow through with. He suggested that if the students were allowed to enter the school, they might be met with violence. On the morning of September 4th, when the nine students showed up, they and their families were met by an angry and violent mob. When they reached the front door of the building, the National Guard forcibly denied their entry.

Ultimately, nearly a month and many horrifying fights later, the students were escorted through the front doors and into class, protected from the surrounding mob by their families, federal troops, and supporters of the civil rights movement. The battle was far from over, however, and the Little Rock Nine and their families continued to experience violence and harassment throughout the school year and for years afterward. The city of Little Rock would remain a contested space in the fight for integration for years to come.

Summary of the 4 Oldest Cities in Arkansas