Delight, Arkansas
| Delight, Arkansas | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 Location in Pike County and the state of Arkansas |
|
| Coordinates: 34°1′51″N 93°30′12″W / 34.03083°N 93.50333°WCoordinates: 34°1′51″N 93°30′12″W / 34.03083°N 93.50333°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arkansas |
| County | Pike |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.5 sq mi (1.3 km2) |
| • Land | 0.5 sq mi (1.3 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 348 ft (106 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 279 |
| • Density | 558/sq mi (232.5/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 71940 |
| Area code(s) | 870 |
| FIPS code | 05-18100 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0057637 |
Delight is a town in Pike County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 279 at the 2010 census.
Several decades after Pike County was formed and almost seventy years after Arkansas became a state, Delight became an incorporated town. The earliest known inhabitants of the area were the Quapaw Indians, a tribe of the great Dakotas who at one time had a population of many thousands. By the latter part of the seventeenth century white people had begun to settle near the banks of Wolf Creek. In fact, so many came that the settlement became known as "Wolf Creek". Some of the earliest settlers of "Wolf Creek" community were the Kirkhams, Kellys, Dixons, Dosses, Carpenters, Dosseys, Mobleys, Wards, Greens, Lambs, Griffins, Clingmans, Wilsons, and Hancocks. On January 18, 1832, a post office was granted to a place called "Wolf Creek," the settlement which was later to become Delight. In the 1833 Territorial Papers of the United States proposals for mail contracts in Arkansas Territory, "Wolf Creek" was named as a mail stop between Little Rock and Hempstead County Courthouse, which was in Washington at that time. The "Wolf Creek" post office was listed again in 1834. The amount of postage from "Wolf Creek's" post office was $13.73 for that year.
On August 21, 1873, Samuel Hasley purchased almost 43 acres of land from the United States for $1.25 an acre. This acreage covers the present site of Delight. A few years later the land was sold to S. B. Dixon and wife, Nancy, who in turn sold it to Abner H. Hancock for $500. On January 4, 1853 he deeded it to David Mobley for the consideration of $700. This land remained in the Mobley family until 1860 when the heirs to David Mobley, then deceased, granted to convey their rights, titles, and interest to William H. Kirkham for the sum of $800. On December 13, 1895, Southwestern Arkansas, an Indian Territory Railroad Company, paid William H. Kirkham $1.00 for a 100-foot right-of-way and other territory through which their railroad was to be built. As the people of the community learned of the coming of the railroad, excitement grew. The prospects of train service brought new life into the community. A town site was provided and the location of the railroad station was selected. A new town was born, but it must have a name. Since William H. Kirkham, known also as Bill Kirkham, had so generously given the site for the town the city fathers thought he should have the privilege of giving the new town its name. Kirkham said, "This is such a delightful place to live, we shall call the town Delight.". In Pike County Court Record B, page 413, it is found the proceedings of the Incorporation of the town of Delight. It was July 25, 1904, when the petition for incorporation of the town was read before the court and properly filed. All the requirements were met and the petition duly recorded September 9, 1905. John Brock became the first mayor of the new town.
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