Rosboro, Arkansas
Encyclopedia
Rosboro is an unincorporated community
in Pike County
, Arkansas
, United States
. It lies about 5 miles west of Amity
and 6 miles east of Glenwood
. Once a thriving and populated mill town
, with several stores, a large mill and kiln
, and over one hundred shotgun house
s, it now has only one store, and a few homes, with a population of less than 100. It is not incorporated, but is the location of the Centerpoint High School, a consolidated school district
made up of the two former school
s of Amity
and Glenwood
.
, in Montgomery County
a few years later, in 1918. He shipped logs from Mauldin to Rosboro, his main mill, by way of train for processing. He also built a railway line from Norman
to Mauldin to make this happen. Due to it being Rosborough's main mill operations base, it outlasted Mauldin by almost a decade, as well as outlasting another milltown of similar origins, Graysonia, Arkansas
.
In 1939, Rosborough decided to move his operations to the far northwest. He relocated to Springfield, Oregon
, taking with him any loyal employees who wished to make the trip. The move effectively ended the small town of Rosboro, with almost the entire population moving within one years time, either following Thomas Rosborough west, or moving to other locations in search of work. For a time, however, the town did have another mill, which was opened there that same year by the Ozan Lumber Company
. That mill operated, though on a much smaller scale than Rosborough's, until 1956. Thomas Rosborough's company, called "Rosboro", flourished. Today, still based in Springfield, Oregon, it is one of the few fully integrated forest products operators in the United States, and now has one of the largest private timberland holdings in the Pacific Northwest.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Pike County
Pike County, Arkansas
Pike County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 11,291. The county seat is Murfreesboro. Pike County is Arkansas's 25th county, formed on November 1, 1833, and named for Lieutenant Zebulon Pike, the explorer who discovered Pikes Peak...
, 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...
. It lies about 5 miles west of Amity
Amity, Arkansas
Amity is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 762 at the 2000 census. The city began on the Caddo River in the mid-19th century when William F. Browning and others, including Dr. A.B...
and 6 miles east of Glenwood
Glenwood, Arkansas
Glenwood is a city in Pike and Montgomery counties in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The population was 1,751 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Glenwood is located at ....
. Once a thriving and populated mill town
Mill town
A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories .- United Kingdom:...
, with several stores, a large mill and kiln
Kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
, and over one hundred shotgun house
Shotgun house
The shotgun house is a narrow rectangular domestic residence, usually no more than 12 feet wide, with doors at each end. It was the most popular style of house in the Southern United States from the end of the American Civil War , through the 1920s. Alternate names include shotgun shack,...
s, it now has only one store, and a few homes, with a population of less than 100. It is not incorporated, but is the location of the Centerpoint High School, a consolidated school district
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
made up of the two former 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 of Amity
Amity, Arkansas
Amity is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 762 at the 2000 census. The city began on the Caddo River in the mid-19th century when William F. Browning and others, including Dr. A.B...
and Glenwood
Glenwood, Arkansas
Glenwood is a city in Pike and Montgomery counties in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The population was 1,751 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Glenwood is located at ....
.
History
Rosboro was started by Thomas Whitaker Rosborough. Rosborough had formed the Caddo River Timber Company in 1906, in Rosboro, a town named in a shortened version of his own name. His company also formed Mauldin, ArkansasMauldin, Arkansas
Mauldin or Mauldin Logging Camp is a ghost town in Montgomery County, Arkansas, United States. Established in 1918 by Billy Mauldin in cooperation with Thomas Rosborough, it became heavily populated by 1922, based around the cutting and processing of the virgin timber in the immediate area. It was...
, in Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Arkansas
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 9,487. The county seat is Mount Ida. Montgomery County is Arkansas's 45th county, formed on December 9, 1842, and named after Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War...
a few years later, in 1918. He shipped logs from Mauldin to Rosboro, his main mill, by way of train for processing. He also built a railway line from Norman
Norman, Arkansas
Norman is a town in Montgomery County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 423 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Norman is located at ....
to Mauldin to make this happen. Due to it being Rosborough's main mill operations base, it outlasted Mauldin by almost a decade, as well as outlasting another milltown of similar origins, Graysonia, Arkansas
Graysonia, Arkansas
Graysonia was once a boomtown in Clark County, Arkansas, United States, but has since become a ghost town. It is located on a dirt road in what is now known locally as "the middle of nowhere", halfway between Arkadelphia and Alpine. There are no populated communities in its vicinity and only a few...
.
In 1939, Rosborough decided to move his operations to the far northwest. He relocated to Springfield, Oregon
Springfield, Oregon
Springfield is a city in Lane County, Oregon, United States. Located in the Southern Willamette Valley, it is within the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. Separated from Eugene to the west, mainly by Interstate 5, Springfield is the second-most populous city in the metropolitan area...
, taking with him any loyal employees who wished to make the trip. The move effectively ended the small town of Rosboro, with almost the entire population moving within one years time, either following Thomas Rosborough west, or moving to other locations in search of work. For a time, however, the town did have another mill, which was opened there that same year by the Ozan Lumber Company
Ozan Lumber Company
The Ozan Lumber Company was a wealthy and productive timber company owned by the once powerful Bemis family of Arkansas during the early 20th century, based out of Nevada County. The company would dominate the economy for that region for decades...
. That mill operated, though on a much smaller scale than Rosborough's, until 1956. Thomas Rosborough's company, called "Rosboro", flourished. Today, still based in Springfield, Oregon, it is one of the few fully integrated forest products operators in the United States, and now has one of the largest private timberland holdings in the Pacific Northwest.