Amity, Arkansas
| Amity, Arkansas | |
|---|---|
| City | |
 Location in Clark County and the state of Arkansas |
|
| Coordinates: 34°15′58″N 93°27′51″W / 34.26611°N 93.46417°WCoordinates: 34°15′58″N 93°27′51″W / 34.26611°N 93.46417°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arkansas |
| County | Clark |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.3 sq mi (8.5 km2) |
| • Land | 3.3 sq mi (8.5 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 512 ft (156 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 723 |
| • Density | 221/sq mi (85.2/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 71920-71921 |
| Area code(s) | 501 |
| FIPS code | 05-01360 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0070440 |
Amity is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 723 at the 2010 census. The city began on the Caddo River in the mid-19th century when William F. Browning and others, including Dr. A.B. Clingman, at various times moved to the area.
Amity was founded in 1847 by several pioneer families from the Mount Bethel area of Clark County under the leadership of William F. Browning, who served as the Clark County surveyor during the years of 1846 until his death in 1854. The group settled along the Caddo River, drawn to the area by an abundance of rich bottomland and fresh water. Browning constructed a two-story log house just west of Caney Creek, which soon became the center of the expanding community. It was Browning who gave Amity its name.
Together with other citizens, Browning formed the Caddo Valley Baptist Church of Christ, which before several other names would later develop into the Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Glenwood and First Baptist Church in Amity. It is thought to be the first religious organization in the area, though Dr. A.B. Clingman, a physician and minister associated with the Church of Christ was in the area before Browning's group arrived. Browning's group built a large log house that would serve as both the church and the school house. The first school teacher was Captain Robert S. Burke, a former military officer and Browning's brother-in-law. A few months later, the first Amity Post Office was established nearby.
With the outbreak of the Civil War, the community saw dark times. Initially in support of the Confederacy, soon the community became divided, with the men of Amity leaving to fight in both the Confederate Army and the Union Army. In several cases, families were split by their loyalties, causing turmoil within the small community. Midway through the war, Union soldiers burned the Burke schoolhouse and the Browning cotton press.
Following the war's end, the center of the community shifted to a location 2 miles (3 km) south of the Caddo River, first settled by John Hays Allen and Dr. Amariah Biggs. Dr. Biggs was widely known as a physician and Methodist minister, and first settled in the area around 1850. The Amity Post Office was soon after relocated to this area. In 1870, retired army Colonel Philander Curtis, a Connecticut native, settled in the area. Curtis built the first house where the town of Amity now stands, and served for several years as the town's postmaster. In 1871, Col. Curtis and businessmen Riley Thompson and Jacob H. Lightsey purchased property from John Hays Allen, and on that property they laid out plans for the town, centering on a public square. By 1874 Amity had become a thriving village, with several new businesses and churches. In 1877 an adjacent area became "Amity Township", and in 1880 the town made a move to become incorporated, but it did not come to pass until 1907.
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