Altheimer, Arkansas

Altheimer
Second-class city
Altheimer Location in Arkansas.
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
County	Jefferson
Area
• Second-class city	2.2 sq mi (5.6 km2)
• Land	2.2 sq mi (5.6 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	207 ft (63 m)
Population (2010)
• Second-class city	984
• Density	541.8/sq mi (212.9/km2)
• Metro	100,258
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	72004
Area code(s)	870
FIPS code	05-01150
GNIS feature ID	0045849

Altheimer is a second-class city in Jefferson County, Arkansas. The community is located near the Arkansas River northeast of Pine Bluff, placing it in a transition zone between the Arkansas Timberlands and Arkansas River lowlands subregion of the Arkansas Delta. Founded as a railroad town along the Cotton Belt, the city flourished from the cotton industry until mechanization on the farm began to replace farmhands in the fields in the mid-20th century. Altheimer is located in the Pine Bluff metropolitan area, and has seen a decrease in population to 984 at the 2010 census.

History

Eponym

The city of Altheimer was founded in 1884 by Louis Altheimer, a planter and business owner of German-Jewish descent. Altheimer, who was born in Darmstadt-Eberstadt in 1850, read stories by German adventurer Frederick Gerstacker telling of the rich natural resources in Arkansas, and left for the United States as a teenager, eventually settling in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Louis Altheimer brought his brother Joseph with him to the land that would eventually bear their name. Joseph's son, Benjamin J. Altheimer, became a successful attorney, establishing the prominent Chicago law firm of Altheimer, Mayer, Woods, and Smith (later known as Altheimer & Gray), and serving twice as president of Chicago's Iroquois Club, the city's oldest Democratic Party political club. Ben Altheimer owned 15,000 acres (61 km²) of land in Arkansas. His foundation, the Ben J. Altheimer Foundation, provided scholarships and funding for projects in the city of Altheimer and throughout the state and continues today as the Ben J. Altheimer Charitable Foundation, Inc.

Geography

Altheimer is located at (34.321827, −91.846240).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.6 km²), all land. Altheimer is part of Timberlands Region of Arkansas, a region rich in natural resources that was discovered by pioneers from the Eastern United States in the early 19th century. Deer hunting, bass fishing, timber and oil are plentiful in this area.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1920	450		—
1930	475		5.6%
1940	494		4.0%
1950	680		37.7%
1960	979		44.0%
1970	1,037		5.9%
1980	1,231		18.7%
1990	972		−21.0%
2000	1,192		22.6%
2010	984		−17.4%
Est. 2014	909		−7.6%
Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture

As of the census of 2010, there were 984 people, 361 households, and 248 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 10% White, 88.1% Black or African American, 1% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 0.3% from two or more races. 1.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 361 households out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.1% were married couples living together, 24.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.29.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.3% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 15 to 19, 7.0% from 40 to 44, 5.3% from 60 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.9 years.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,500, and the median income for a family was $34,153. About 30.9% of families and 35.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 60.4% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

See also: Culture of Arkansas

Tourism

Altheimer's history is on display for residents and tourists in the form of many restored pioneer-era log cabins, Victorian era plantation homes and museums. One of the most prominent locations is The Elms, a former plantation house on the Collier Estate built in 1886, renovated by Ben Altheimer in the 1930s. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, The Elms is open to the public for retreats, family reunions and tours. Also located on the property are the Elms Duck Lodges, which provide hunting and fishing in the private lake and pond. Roselawn, also known as the Collier-Barnett House, was built in 1875 and added to National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Lake Dick is an oxbow lake located four miles (6 km) south of Altheimer. This area formerly held farmsteads of eighty Caucasian families who were moved into the area in 1936 as part of the Farm Security Administration. The lake was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Notable people

• William H. Bowen, who served as chief of staff for Governor Bill Clinton from 1991–1992, is from Altheimer. Bowen served as dean of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's law school from 1995–1997, and the law school was named for him on April 27, 2000, with President Clinton speaking at the dedication.
• James Smith McDonnell, one of the founders of the McDonnell-Douglas aviation company, lived in Altheimer as a child.
• King Russell, aka Kingsley, YouTube personality

See also

• St. Peter's Cemetery (Pine Bluff, Arkansas)

External links

• Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Library System