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Introduction
Augusta, Arkansas is a historical town located on the banks of the White River approximately 70 miles northeast of Little Rock and 79 miles west of Memphis. It has a population of around 2600 and is the county seat for Woodruff County. It's a moving and growing town where the cost of living and of new homes are both well below the national average. Augusta is well suited to industry with affordable labor, taxes, utilities, land and construction cost. It's also very accessible by highway, train, truck, or barge. Its residents are hard working and eager to learn new skills. Augusta is a quiet town of warm, friendly, and progressive people who help create an unusually good quality of life for their community. They'll go out of their way to make you feel at home and make you feel like part of the family.
Farming
Farming is one of the leading businesses in Arkansas. Augusta
lies on the western side of the Arkansas Mississippi River delta and features
the flat terrain and deep fertile soil of that region. The rich soil and
mild sub-tropical climate are well suited to area crops. Beans, grains,
cotton, rice, milo, and strawberries are all leading crops and big revenue
producers for Augusta.
Industries
| ITW Paslode | Sloan Valve |
| Van Heusen Co. (closed) | Arkansas Electric Steam Generating Plant |
| Bunge Corporation | Augusta Port and Elevator |
| Augusta Barge Co. | White River Tool and Machine |
Recreation & Outdoors
Augusta's natural environment offers much in the way of recreation. Surrounding rivers, lakes, bays, woodlands and wetlands make the area a haven for sports lovers interested in hunting, fishing, boating, water skiing, etc. Cypress Creek Country Club offers a club house, golf course, swimming pool and tennis courts. Summer recreation programs for children and youth are supported by local civic organizations.
White River: Excellent fishing for catfish, bream, bass, and crappie. Offers hunting, camping, boating and water sports.
Taylor's Bay: Just off White River. Boat and cabin rentals, boat dock and ramp, hunting, fishing and water sports.
Horseshoe Lake: Four miles south of Augusta. Duck hunting, crappie and bream fishing, trailer hookups, boat ramp and bait shop facilities.
Cache River Bottoms: Within six miles of Augusta. Outstanding deer, rabbit, duck and squirrel hunting.
Black Swamp Wildlife Area: Ten miles south of Augusta. Excellent duck hunting and crappie fishing.
Hurricane Lake Wildlife Area: Ten miles west of Augusta. 15,000 acres of excellent hunting of all game and fish.
The following was taken from a larger piece on the history of Woodruff County that is entitled:
A Brief History of the County's Incorporated Cities
by Paula Davis
Woodruff County Monitor-Leader-Advocate Publisher
AUGUSTA--Long before the white man set foot in what is now Arkansas, the Chickasaw Indians built a settlement of tepees and log huts on a high bluff overlooking the White River. The site was used by the Indians as a river crossing and also marked an improtant trail between the tribes.
In 1820, a man named Hamilton came down the White River in a canoe and stopped at the site of the Indian Village. Appreciating the idyllic location, he took squatters rights, but about two years later sold his holdings to Rollo Gray, who settled there with his family.
Other settlers followed, and in 1848 the town of Augusta--named for the niece of the founder, Thomas Hough--was established. Incorporation followed in 1861. Most of the families who settled in Augusta came from the eastern states and brought with them culture and breeding. Visitors remarked upon the beauty of the homes built in the wilderness settlement and often stayed to join in the building of the town.
The towns's situation at a natural river landing brought prosperity with the coming of steamboats to the White River. Boats from Memphis hauling a wide variety of goods landed weekly at Augusta year round, and boats from New Orleans made regular stops there, too.
Business flourished, the population grew, and in 1863, Augusta became the county seat of Woodruff County. Though the town was almost completely destroyed during the Civil War, the citizens rebuilt, and Augusta enjoyed its greatest time of prosperity during the 1870's when its population grew to one thousand.
 Augusta, AR |
Click here to view the weather for Augusta provided by Netcast.
The following was written by John Doe, PTA President, email jdoe@wcl.wmsc.k12.ar.us :
Mexican Chicken Dinner
Prep time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 40 minutes
1 Pkg. (6oz.) STOVE TOP San Francisco Style Stuffing Mix
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 lb.)
1 cup salsa
1 cup (4 oz.) KRAFT Natural Shredded Cheddar Cheese
STIR stuffing crumbs, seasoning packet, 1 1/2 cups hot water and 1/4 cup margarine, cut up, just until moistened.
SPOON stuffing into 12x8-inch baking dish. Top with chicken. Pour salsa over chicken; sprinkle with cheese.
BAKE at 375F for 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Makes 4 servings.
Submitted by Catherine Miller, email at: cmiller3@uswest.net
1 tall jar salad green olives
1 small can black sliced olives
1 small can green chilies, chopped
1 can diced Ro-Tel
3 green onions, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
MIX above ingredients. Refrigerate overnight. Serve with chips.
Submitted by Rose Mary
Jackson
Chicken Casserole
4 boneless chicken breasts
4 slices dried beef
4 slices bacon
1 pkg. Lipton onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can Veg-All
Put chicken, dried beef, and bacon in casserole dish. Cover with remaining ingredients. Bake in covered Casserole dish for 2 hours at 350F.
Submitted by Rose Mary
Jackson
Are you from Augusta or a neighboring town, submit your favorite
recipe to be posted here by sending email to: shermanmiller@uswest.net
A Helpful People
I received this email a while back after a couple of other emails back and forth with this person out in cyberspace whom I've never met. I think it says something good of the folks in Woodruff County. This gentleman is working on his family tree and was looking for an obituary on his grandfather who died in 1940 in McCrory. I replied to an advert he had placed on a genealogy web page asking for any information on a local paper for McCrory, AR. I emailed him the snail mail address to the Woodruff County Monitor - Leader - Advocate along with the name of the publisher, Paula Davis. A few days later I forwarded an email from my sister-in-law in Augusta, Rose Mary Jackson, to him that contained some names and email addresses of the librarians at the county library in Augusta. The email tells the rest. I'm not trying to pat myself on the back here and I hope that this doesn't come across that way. I think as the email says - - that the newspaper went above and beyond. And I am proud of the impression they made on this individual.
Here's a copy of the email:
----------
From: R. Mark Reid Jr.
Sent: Friday, May 30, 1997 7:02 PM
To: Sherman Miller
Subject: Re: REID surname
Sherman: Some time ago, you gave me information on the McCrory, AR newspaper. As a result, I wrote to the newspaper to confirm the existance of hard copies or microfilm. (Both exist.) The publisher actually looked up the obit on my Grandfather and sent me a copy, from which I obtained everything that I hoped for and more. This is extraordinary effort for a newspaper -- certainly would not have happened here in Wood Co., TX. My appreciation to you and to the newspaper publisher is without bounds. Thanks you very much and all the very best to you and yours. Mark.
MR Farmers
MR Not
OSAR, CM MT Pockets
OIB, MR Farmers
If you can understand this you MIGHT be from Arkansas, but if you can't: CLICK HERE.
Stories and Poetry
Please send us stories and poems by people from the Augusta
area.
A Story about a Story by Sherman Miller
One of the funniest things that has happened to me involving story writing happened a long time ago. I was in the third grade and we had to write a story in English class. I wrote a story about a bank robber that dressed up as Santa Claus. For some reason the English teacher liked the story and pulled me out of another class the next day to come to her classroom and rewrite it. My handwriting is terrible you see and always has been. I rewrote it no questions asked. That’s how we were back in those days you see.
Well the next day, as I recall, I go to school and find that my story
has been posted on the bulletin board just inside the entrance to the school.
Cool, huh. Not cool. You see the bank robber’s name happened to have the
same name as our principal, Mr. Brown. I was a little intimidated by him
as it was and this made it especially hard to face him. I thought it was
a good story myself but I think the real reason she probably picked it
out and posted it there was to allow her and the faculty a little laugh
at Mr. Browns expense.
'bank robber, huh?' ....... ......
This must have something to do with the disclaimer authors use that goes something like: this is a work of fiction, any resemblance to any real person dead or alive is coincidental. Some lessons we learn on our own I guess. (GRIN)
All’s well that ends well. I remember feeling uneasy for a while, but eventually Mr. Brown either told me he thought it was a good story or some one told me that he said he thought it was a good story, not sure now after all these years. In short, he had a sense of humor.
Eldridge Supply Company A farm equipment dealership with locations in Augusta, Brinkley, Newport, Marianna, and West Helena. Has an online "used equipment list" and an online "Showroom."
Waldron, Arkansas Yet another small southern town with "great people"
Ravenden, Arkansas Here's an EXCELLENT page about another small Arkansas town.
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Credits:
Many thanks to Rose Mary Jackson
of Augusta for the information, encouragement, and feedback that she
has provided. And for just being a great sister-in-law. (grin)
General information and photos taken from brochures on Augusta.
© 1997 Sherman Miller
This page last updated August 27, 1997
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