Paris, Arkansas
Encyclopedia
Paris is a city in Logan County, Arkansas
Logan County, Arkansas
Logan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 22,353. There are two county seats: Booneville and Paris.-History :...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, and serves as the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 for the northern district of Logan County; its southern district counterpart is Booneville
Booneville, Arkansas
Booneville is a city in Logan County, Arkansas, United States, and the county seat of its southern district. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 4,082....

. The population was 3,707 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Paris is located in a river valley
River Valley
River Valley is the name of an urban planning area within the Central Area, Singapore's central business district.The River Valley Planning Area is defined by the region bounded by Orchard Boulevard, Devonshire Road and Eber Road to the north, Oxley Rise and Mohamed Sultan Road to the east, Martin...

 near 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...

 in the Ozark Mountain region of northwest 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...

. Its FIPS is 53480. Its ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...

 is 72855.

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 4.8 square miles (12.4 km²), of which, 4.5 square miles (11.7 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²) of it (5.43%) is water.

Demographics

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 were 3,707 people, 1,553 households, and 984 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...

 was 818.1 people per square mile (316.0/km²). There were 1,713 housing units at an average density of 378.1 per square mile (146.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.09% 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...

, 2.00% 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...

, 0.40% 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...

, 0.11% 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...

, 1.11% 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 1.29% from two or more races. 2.16% of the population were 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 were 1,553 households out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% were 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, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 86.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,424, and the median income for a family was $32,409. Males had a median income of $21,955 versus $17,015 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 was $14,738. About 15.0% of families and 18.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.7% of those under age 18 and 18.7% of those age 65 or over.

History

Pioneers settled into the area about 1820. The village Paris was formed on the Old Military Road between Little Rock and Fort Smith
Fort Smith
Fort Smith is the name of several locations:* Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada* Fort Smith, Arkansas, United States* Fort Smith National Historic Site, in Fort Smith, Arkansas...

, and 5 miles (8 km) south 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...

. The Logan County seat, Paris, was named after the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 capital in 1874. Paris was incorporated on February 18, 1879.

The villagers constructed a one-story frame courthouse
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...

. The town prison was constructed nearly three blocks from the courthouse, and remained the town's prison for many years. The prison now serves as the Logan County Museum.

Coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...

 flourished. In the 1890s, Paris was a bustling city of 800 people. Citizens boasted of two newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...

s, a bottling works company, nine general stores and the Paris Academy. Coal mining was the community's main industry by 1917, but declined by the 60's. As a result, community leaders sought to diversify the town's economic base. Today, the economy of Paris is benefitting from the presence of manufacturing facilities producing parts for the automotive industry and the aerospace
Aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...

 industry. Farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...

ing and ranch
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...

ing remain among the largest industries in the county and tourism got a boost with the construction and opening of a 60-room, world-class lodge and guest cabins on the top of Mount Magazine, which is 19 miles from Paris. An estimated 400,000 people a year travel to Mount Magazine State Park (2008 estimate).

Paris' school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...

s have seen a steady increase in enrollment over the last three years. The High School and Middle School switched campuses two years ago to complete a promise to the patrons that was made in 1988.

Several interests have been made in the area by bauxite
Bauxite
Bauxite is an aluminium ore and is the main source of aluminium. This form of rock consists mostly of the minerals gibbsite Al3, boehmite γ-AlO, and diaspore α-AlO, in a mixture with the two iron oxides goethite and hematite, the clay mineral kaolinite, and small amounts of anatase TiO2...

 mining companies looking to reduce the costs of aluminum foil production.

Last hanging in Arkansas

Paris was the site of the last public hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...

 in Arkansas before the first electric chair
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...

 in Little Rock.

In 1914, Paris was thrown into turmoil from the murder of a young girl from Delaware, Arkansas. A young man named Arthur Tillman was courting a girl named Amanda Stevens. She disappeared one evening from her home and was found about eight days later, partly submerged in water in a well on the farm of Ambrose Johnson. She was found with a large stone tied around her neck with telephone wire, a bullet through her head, and approximately a wagon load of rocks covering her body.

It is believed that the girl was not dead when she was put into the well because her hands were filled with dirt that could only result from a struggle or attempting to free herself.

On July 13, 1914, Arthur Tillman was convicted and hanged for the murder of his girlfriend, Amanda.

Today, a tree grows where the gallows once stood, and the Jail (seen here) is now a museum dedicated to coal mining and displays exhibits changed monthly . Where spectators were located is now a road, joining to the main road, HWY 22. You can tour through the jails upstairs, and see many relics of Paris' past, such as farming equipment, clothing, and everyday objects from the settlers' lives. The house in the background still stands.

Paris Express

The Paris Express was founded in 1880, one year after the community of Paris was established and it is the oldest, continually operating business in Paris. J.T. Perryman was the first publisher and W.H.H. Harley was the first editor. During the next five years of its existence it had several owners.

In 1885 the weekly Express was purchased from Charles Noble by William M. Greenwood, former publisher of the Chismville Star and an associate with the Fort Smith Daily Tribune. Greenwood published the Paris Express for 46 years until his death in 1929.

Hugh and J.C. Park of the Van Buren Press-Argus purchased the Express from the Greenwood estate and then sold it a few months later to Wallace D. Hurley. Hurley published the paper until 1939 when it was purchased by John Guion and Robert Breeden. Guion was editor and publisher of the Express and a sister paper, the Paris Progress, and in 1946 served as president of the Arkansas Press Association. It was at that time that the Paris company began publishing the Charleston and Greenwood papers.

The Progress, which was launched in 1910 with J.W. Wagner as owner and editor
Editor
The term editor may refer to:As a person who does editing:* Editor in chief, having final responsibility for a publication's operations and policies* Copy editing, making formatting changes and other improvements to text...

, started out as a semi-weekly. In 1920 it was renamed the Paris Progress and in 1927 became a weekly. By that time Leslie and C.E. Gray, father and son, were the owners. In 1941 it was sold to John Guion.

The Paris Commercial Press, which was only in business during 1937 became consolidated with the Progress. It was also a weekly.

The papers were purchased in 1976 by Harte-Hanks Communications, Inc., of San Antonio, Tex. from John Guion. Victor Schneider continued as publisher. On Jan. 1, 1987 the newspaper was purchased by Worrell Enterprises of Lynchburg, Va.

The Paris Express and the Paris Progress were combined into a bi-weekly bearing the name of Paris Express Progress in January 1977. The Paris Express Progress was sold in April 1988 to Westward Communications, a Dallas-based company.

The bi-weekly Paris Express Progress combined into a "super" weekly issue on May 17, 1989 called the Paris Express. In July 1997 Westward Communications sold to Westward Communications, LLC based out of The Woodlands, Tex.

Stephens Media Group purchased the Paris Express in March, 2000. The company is based in Las Vegas, Nev. with Sherman Frederick, President and Michael Ferguson, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Vickey Wiggins continued as publisher.

The Paris Express located at 22 South Express, currently employs six full-time employees and one part-time employee with a circulation of 3,600.

Paris school district

Paris School District has three public schools:
  • Paris Elementary
  • Paris Middle School-Many small boxing matches are held here
  • Paris High School-Site of many small boxing matches


One private school:
  • Saint Joseph Catholic School

Points of interest

  • Mount Magazine State Park is the highest point in the state of Arkansas and one of the highest points between the Alleghenies and the Rockies
    Rocky Mountains
    The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...

    .
  • County Line Auction House and Flea Market held every Wednesday, just west of Paris in Countyline, AR.
  • Cowie Wine Cellars is a local vineyard and bottler of wines in the Arkansas River Valley, offering a museum and Bed and Breakfast.
  • Logan County Museum is the restored jail and the site of the last state-sanctioned hanging in Arkansas (in 1914). Prisoners were kept in an iron cages upstairs, while the jailer and his family lived downstairs. Displays on permanent exhibit at the Museum include the history of local mining, the development and demise of the county's railroads, the history and impact of the Smith family of doctors, numerous Indian artifacts, and vintage quilts and other needlework. Main entrance exhibit themes change monthly.
  • Cove Lake Recreation Area near Mount Magazine. Noted campsite 31.

Local festivals

  • Frontier Day - Held on the first Saturday of October, Frontier Day celebrates the founding members of the city.
  • Butterfly Festival - Next to last weekend in June, honors the multitudes of butterflies (both rare and nonrare) found in the bluff region of Mount Magazine, founded in 1997. This initiative for the festival was spearheaded by June Gilbreath (fundraising and awareness) after the discovery of a rare species of butterfly — the Diana Fritillary
    Diana Fritillary
    The Diana Fritillary is a dimorphic butterfly found in several wooded areas in southern and eastern North America . The butterfly is the official insect of the state of Arkansas...

     butterfly (discovered by Gary Noel Ross, Ph.D. Lepidopterist
    Lepidopterist
    A lepidopterist is a person who specialises in the study of Lepidoptera, members of an order encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...

    ) — that was previously thought to be extinct, but is found in abundance on the mountain summit. The species has since been designated as the official state butterfly of Arkansas. The festival is celebrated at two sites, atop Mount Magazine and in downtown Paris. Attendance has steadily climbed since 2002 with the 2007 event topping 10,000 people.
  • Farmers Market - beginning in May, farmers bring fresh produce to the square for sale.

Noted natives

  • James Bridges
    James Bridges
    James Bridges was an American screenwriter and film director.Bridges was born in Paris, Arkansas. He got his start as a writer for Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and one of his episodes, "An Unlocked Window", earned him a 1966 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Episode in a TV...

     - American screenwriter and director. Director of The Baby Maker
    The Baby Maker
    The Baby Maker is a film directed and co-written by James Bridges and released by Twentieth Century Fox.-Plot:Barbara Hershey portrays a flower child who is hired to have the baby of a middle-class couple ....

    (1970), The Paper Chase (1973), The China Syndrome
    The China Syndrome
    The China Syndrome is a 1979 American thriller film that tells the story of a reporter and cameraman who discover safety coverups at a nuclear power plant. It stars Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Michael Douglas, Scott Brady, James Hampton, Peter Donat, Richard Herd, and Wilford Brimley.The film was...

    (1979), Urban Cowboy
    Urban Cowboy
    Released as a 2× vinyl record album, re-released on CD in 1995.Side A:#Hello Texas – Jimmy Buffett #All Night Long – Joe Walsh #Times Like These – Dan Fogelberg #Nine Tonight – Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band...

    (1980), Perfect
    Perfect (film)
    The soundtrack to Perfect was initially released in 1985 as a 12" vinyl record, and later re-released on CD.Side A#" Perfect" – 3:50#"I Sweat " – 3:54...

    (1985), and Bright Lights, Big City
    Bright Lights, Big City (film)
    Bright Lights, Big City is a 1988 drama film starring Michael J. Fox, Kiefer Sutherland and Phoebe Cates, based on the novel of the same name by Jay McInerney. It was the last film directed by James Bridges before his death in 1993.-Plot:...

    (1988)
  • Paul Gibson
    Paul Gibson (American football)
    Paul Dean Gibson is a former wide receiver in the National Football League.-Career:Gibson was drafted in the eighth round of the 1972 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills and was a member of the Green Bay Packers that season. He played at the collegiate level at the University of Texas at El...

     - NFL player
  • Zilphia Horton
    Zilphia Horton
    Zilphia Horton was American musician, community organizer, educator, Civil Rights activist, and folklorist. She is best-known for her work with her husband Myles Horton at the Highlander Folk School where she is generally credited with turning such songs as "We Shall Overcome", "Keep Your Eyes on...

     - American community organizer, educator, and folklorist, born 1910. Helped turn We Shall Overcome
    We Shall Overcome
    "We Shall Overcome" is a protest song that became a key anthem of the African-American Civil Rights Movement . The title and structure of the song are derived from an early gospel song by African-American composer Charles Albert Tindley...

    and other hymns into songs of the Civil Rights movement
    Civil rights movement
    The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...

    .
  • R. H. Sikes
    R. H. Sikes
    Richard H. Sikes is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1960s and 1970s.A native of Paris, Arkansas, Sikes had a stellar amateur and college career as a member of the golf team at the University of Arkansas. He won the U.S. Amateur Public Links in 1961 and 1962. In...

    , professional golfer. Winner of two PGA Tour
    PGA Tour
    The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...

     events.
  • James Lee Witt
    James Lee Witt
    James Lee Witt was Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency during the administration of President Bill Clinton....

     - Director of FEMA under Clinton.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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