Toad Suck, Arkansas

Toad Suck is an unincorporated community in Perry County, Arkansas, United States. It is the location of (or is the nearest community to) Bigelow Rosenwald School, which is located at the junction of Arkansas Highway 60 and Bethel AME Road and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[2]

Toad Suck, Arkansas
Unincorporated community
Toadsuck Square, 2016
Toad Suck, Arkansas
Toad Suck, Arkansas
Coordinates: 35°04′32″N 92°33′36″W
CountryUnited States
StateArkansas
CountyPerry
Elevation
305 ft (93 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)501
GNIS feature ID57209[1]

The origin of the name Toad Suck is disputed. Some believe that it received the name when idle rivermen would congregate at the local tavern where they would "suck on the bottle 'til they swell up like toads", while others believe it is a corruption of a French phrase meaning "a narrow channel in the river."[3][4] Toad Suck has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.[5][6]

The community lent its name to the Toad Suck Ferry Lock and Dam on the Arkansas River.[7] The dam is also a bridge bringing AR 60, locally named Prince Street, across the river. The Bigelow Rosenwald School is inland west of the river while Toad Suck Road is east of the river.

Toad Suck Daze is an annual fair that raises funds for scholarships.[3] First organized in 1982, the festival is held annually in nearby downtown Conway during the first weekend in May. Originally held at Toad Suck Park near the Arkansas River Lock and Dam, the festival was moved to the downtown location in 1990 due to flooding at the river and has remained in the downtown area ever since.

References
  1. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  3. "Toad Suck Daze".
  4. "Colorful Names". Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism. Archived from the original on November 24, 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2014.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
  5. Gallant, Frank K. (2012). A Place Called Peculiar: Stories about Unusual American Place-Names. Courier Dover Publications. p. 21.
  6. "Toad Suck voted most unfortunate town name". KATV. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  7. http://corpslakes.usace.army.mil/visitors/projects.cfm?Id=M400748

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