Wittsburg, Arkansas : Notable person Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wittsburg, Arkansas

Unincorporated community in Arkansas, United States

35°13′08″N 90°42′06″W / 35.21889°N 90.70167°W / 35.21889; -90.70167Country

United StatesState

ArkansasCountyCrossElevation

^[1]

78 m (256 ft)Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)Area code870GNIS feature ID58904^[1]

Wittsburg is an unincorporated community in Cross County, Arkansas, United States. Wittsburg is located on the St. Francis River and at the southern terminus of Arkansas Highway 163, 4.8 miles (7.7 km) east of Wynne.^[2]

Wittsburg was created as a port city as the northernmost navigable point for steamboats on the St. Francis River. Cotton was shipped from the surrounding areas and stored in warehouses at Wittsburg for shipment and sale downstream in the big cotton cities like Memphis, Tennessee or New Orleans, Louisiana.

When Cross County was created in 1862 during the Civil War, Wittsburg was a thriving commercial and community hub in the region. Wittsburg was designated as the first county seat, but county business was actually conducted in Pineville due to threats from Union forces in the area.^[3]

Notable person

Thomas H. McCray, Confederate Army officer lived here after the war

References

^ ^a ^b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Wittsburg, Arkansas
^ Cross County, Arkansas General Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. 2007. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
^ Dillard, Tom (July 3, 2011). "A-Cross the state". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Little Rock: WEHCO Media. p. 76 – via NewsBank.