Wabbaseka, Arkansas

Wabbaseka is a town in Dunnington Township, Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. Its population was 255 at the 2010 U.S. census. It is included in the Pine Bluff, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Wabbaseka, Arkansas
Town
Town of Wabbaseka
Location of Wabbaseka in Jefferson County, Arkansas.
Wabbaseka Location of Wabbaseka in the US
Coordinates: 34°21′36″N 91°47′39″W
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
County	Jefferson
Township	Dunnington
Incorporated[1]	April 12, 1920 (1920-04-12)
Named for	Wabbaseka Bayou
Government [2]
• Type	Mayor–Council
• Mayor	Myra Edwards (I)
• Council	Wabbaseka Town Council
Area [3]
• Total	0.34 sq mi (0.89 km^2)
• Land	0.34 sq mi (0.89 km^2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km^2)
Elevation	203 ft (62 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	255
• Estimate  (2019)[4]	218
• Density	633.72/sq mi (244.78/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	72175
Area code	870
FIPS code	05-72230
GNIS feature ID	78663
Major airport	LIT

Geography

Wabbaseka is located at 34°21′36″N 91°47′39″W (34.359964, -91.794090).[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²), all land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1930	333		—
1940	258		−22.5%
1950	375		45.3%
1960	432		15.2%
1970	644		49.1%
1980	428		−33.5%
1990	332		−22.4%
2000	323		−2.7%
2010	255		−21.1%
Est. 2019	218	[4]	−14.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]

As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 323 people, 132 households, and 83 families residing in the city. The population density was 873.3 people per square mile (337.1/km²). There were 150 housing units at an average density of 405.5/sq mi (156.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.21% Black or African American, 15.17% White, and 0.62% from two or more races.

There were 132 households, out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 17.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the city the population was spread out, with 27.9% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $14,792, and the median income for a family was $24,375. Males had a median income of $16,250 versus $28,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,902. About 28.1% of families and 30.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 44.8% of those under age 18 and 31.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Wabbaseka is served by the Dollarway School District.[8] Students are zoned to James Matthews Elementary School, Robert F. Morehead Middle School, and Dollarway High School, all in Pine Bluff.

It was formerly served by the Wabbaseka-Tucker School District (previously the Wabbaseka School District), which operated schools on a 12-acre (4.9 ha) property in the city. Altheimer-Sherrill School District annexed the former Wabbaseka-Tucker School District on August 16, 1993.[9] As the Altheimer Unified School District it began operations on September 1, 1993.[10] Altheimer Unified operated two schools: Martin Elementary School and Altheimer-Sherrill High School.[11] The Altheimer Unified School District consolidated into the Dollarway School District on July 10, 2006.[10]

Altheimer Unified ended all use of the Wabbaseka school property in 1996.[12] The district sold the Wabbaseka school property to the City of Wabbaseka for $674,623 in the 2001 fiscal year. By June 2001 this property was not yet used for a new purpose.[9] Demolition of most of the school occurred in January 2011, but the chemical storage room was untouched when the crews discovered the presence of various chemicals. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) removed the chemicals in May 2011.[12]

Notable people

• Eldridge Cleaver (1935–1998), born in Wabbaseka, Panther propagandist, author of Soul on Ice[13]
• Willie K. Hocker (1862–1944), lived in Dunnington Township, designer of the Arkansas state flag[14]

See also

• List of cities and towns in Arkansas
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Jefferson County, Arkansas

References

1. Teske, Steven (2017). "Wabbaseka (Jefferson County)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. Central Arkansas Library System. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
2. "Wabbaseka". Arkansas Municipal League. 2017. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
3. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
4. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
5. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
6. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
7. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
8. "SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Jefferson County, AR." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on July 31, 2017. Note that, while the Altheimer Unified School District's boundaries are indicated, the district had already consolidated into Dollarway School District at the time the map was made.
9. "Altheimer Unified School District No. 22 Jefferson County, Arkansas General Purpose Financial Statements and Other Reports June 30, 2001." Legislative Joint Auditing Committee, Arkansas Legislature. Retrieved on August 2, 2017. page 3 (PDF p. 5/22).
10. "ConsolidationAnnex_from_1983.xls." Arkansas Department of Education. Retrieved on July 31, 2017. Note that Wabbaseka Tucker consolidated into Altheimer Unified, which in turn consolidated into Dollarway.
11. "2002-2003 Arkansas Education Directory." Arkansas Department of Education. Retrieved on July 31, 2017. Page 65 (PDF p. 71/157).
12. "EPA Removes Chemicals from Former Wabbaseka School ." Environmental Protection Agency. May 25, 2011. Retrieved on August 2, 2017.
13. Bailey, Jeff (2017). "Leroy Eldridge Cleaver (1935–1998)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. Central Arkansas Library System. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
14. Hooker, Jane M. (2016). "Willie Kavanaugh Hocker (1862–1944)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. Central Arkansas Library System. Retrieved July 4, 2017.

Further reading

• Rand, McNally & Co.'s New Business Atlas Map of Arkansas (Map). 1:900,000. Rand, McNally & Co. 1898. LCCN 98688447. Retrieved July 4, 2017 – via Library of Congress.

External links

Government

• Wabbaseka at Jefferson County, Arkansas (jeffersoncounty.arkansas.gov)

General information

• Altheimer Public Library at Pine Bluff and Jefferson County Library System (pineblufflibrary.org)