History of JonesboroIn 1858, Senator William Jones proposed the establishment of a new county. The proposal called for the county to include land in the area represented by Senator Thomas Craighead, who opposed the idea. When the bill was passed, Jones proposed the county be named for Craighead, who in turn suggested that the county seat be named after Jones. Thus, the town of "Jonesborough" was created, later the name was simplified.[J1]
Craighead County and Jonesboro were officially born on February 19, 1859. Farmer Fergus Snowden donated 15 acres of land to an urban area now in downtown Jonesboro. Twenty-four years later, as the railway came to Jonesboro, the voters finally approved the official establishment of the town in 1883.[J2] In 1900, following a malaria epidemic, a group of sisters from the Olivetan Benedictine order established a six-room hospital in Jonesboro called "St. Bernard's" in honor of St. Bernard Tolomei, founder of the Olivetan Benedictines of the Catholic Church. In 1901, it expanded to accommodate its ever-increasing number of patients. Expansion of the hospital and associated health-related services has been almost continuous ever since, establishing Jonesboro and Craighead County as a regional medical hub.[J3] In 1904, Woodland College was founded. In 1924, the Jonesboro Baptist College was established; due to budgetary reasons, both were forced to close within a few years.[J4]
In 1909, the Arkansas Legislature passed a law that established state public schools in four regions of the state. Jonesboro competed with Greene County and Mountain Home (Baxter County) and chose Jonesboro after committing $40,000 and 200 acres. On October 3, 1910, it was named the First District Agricultural School. Now known as Arkansas State University, it is the first sister regional college to receive university status.[J5]
October 3, 1910, at Elks Lodge in Jonesboro, faculty and staff welcomed 189 students. The new school, affectionately known as Aggie, emphasized practical training in agriculture and home economics, and in 1913, its first graduates received a high school diploma. [J6] In 1910, a group of farmers decided to try to grow rice in fields outside the city. Their success led to the creation of the world’s largest rice mill in 1930, by Riceland Foods, Inc. Operation. The rice industry remains one of Jonesboro’s main businesses, as well as the cotton and soybean industries.[J7]
The nation’s entry into World War I prompted a significant transition in the school’s history. Trustees Love Banks and Robert E. Lee Wilson obtained a Student Army Training Corps (SATC) detachment, but the program ended in 1918 shortly after the armistice. Nevertheless, the endeavor had long-lasting significance. Only junior colleges could participate in SATC, so the school hired additional faculty, expanded the curriculum, and launched an ambitious construction program greatly facilitated by contributions of materials, equipment, and labor from Wilson, who was a landowner and plantation manager in the region. The legislature confirmed this transformation in 1925 by changing the school’s name to First District Agricultural and Mechanical College. [J8] In 1920, Jonesboro citizen Thaddeus Caraway was elected as a member of the US Senate. After the sudden passing of Thaddeus on November 6, 1931, Arkansas Governor Harvey Parnell appointed his wife Hattie to serve in his seat until the next election. On December 9, 1931 she was sworn into office. On January 12, 1932 a special election was held, and Hattie Caraway became the first woman ever elected to the United States Senate and continued to serve until her defeat in 1945. During her time in office, Hattie also became the first woman to chair a committee in the U.S. Senate and preside over a meeting of the U.S. Senate.[J9] Jonesboro continued to grow through the 1920s, though its prosperity was muted due to its agricultural economy and the demise of its timber industry when the forests were logged out. As a town with an agriculturally based economy, Jonesboro was forced to weather the Great Depression as best it could. While it was physically safe on the high ground of Crowley’s Ridge from the Flood of 1927, Jonesboro’s economy suffered from the devastating impact on its low-lying neighbors who traditionally came to Jonesboro to shop as well as to process and sell their produce. As the impact from the 1927 flood was beginning to improve, Arkansas was struck by drought in 1930 and 1931, which also had a ripple effect on the town’s economy.[J10]
Acknowledging its maturation, the General Assembly in 1933 renamed the First District A&M Collage to that of Arkansas State College (ASC).[J11]
The Craighead Forest Park was opened in 1937 after the local Young Men’s Civic Club began work on a fifty-five acre lake. It is now a city-owned park located on scenic Crowley's Ridge. This 692-acre park offers many recreational activities for the public.[J12]
When World War II began, Caraway helped convince the U.S. government to establish a training detachment for the military at Arkansas State College. The College Training Detachment brought GIs from all over the nation to Jonesboro; many settled in town after the war.[J13] In 1950, Jonesboro resident Francis Cherry became governor of Arkansas. The town saw a dynamic period of growth in the 1950s and 1960s with the establishment of businesses such as Arkansas Glass, Colson Caster, Frolic Footwear (a division of Wolverine, makers of Hush Puppies), General Electric, Pepsi-Cola, and Hytrol Conveyor Co., one of the largest manufacturers of conveyors and conveying equipment in the world.[J14]
In 1955 the ASC began offering graduate-level courses and launched a campaign to obtain university status.[J15]
Arkansas State’s advocates prevailed, and on January 17, 1967, Governor Winthrop Rockefeller signed the act that changed the institution’s name to Arkansas State University.[J16] Throughout the history of Craighead County, there was a sizable African-American community generally centered in Jonesboro, with enclaves engaged in agriculture throughout the surrounding county. The most significant development for the black community was the belief in education by black parents, evidenced by the emergence of educational institutions such as a rickety structure for black elementary students on Jonesboro’s Cherry Street. Under the leadership of the black community, the Cherry Street School made way in the early 1900s for the segregated Craighead County–Jonesboro Training School, and in 1924 for Industrial High School (IHS), called Booker T. Washington High School (BTW) starting in 1935. It was the first high school for black students in northeast Arkansas and housed grades one through twelve. IHS/BTW attracted black students from all around the county. Students from outside Jonesboro either lived with relatives or boarded with the school’s principal, D. W. Hughes. By 1967, after many years of positive and cooperative working relations between the races, a peaceful integration of the county and Jonesboro public schools led to the demolition of Booker T. Washington High School. Pride in the institution still thrived, and even today, regular BTW reunions take place.[J17]
Indian Mall opened in 1968 as a shopping destination for Jonesboro and northeastern Arkansas. Indian Mall derived its name from the name of nearby Arkansas State University's mascot.[J18] The town made national news because of deadly tornadoes in 1968 and 1973.[J19]
Jonesboro again made national news due to the tragic school shooting at its Westside Middle School on March 24, 1998.[J20]
The Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce has been extremely active in recruiting large businesses such as Nestle and Frito-Lay. Local amenities in Jonesboro include the Craighead County–Jonesboro Regional Library, the Jonesboro Municipal Airport, and the Fowler Center for performing arts.[J21]
The Mall at Turtle Creek was a $100 million project that is now the largest mall in northeast Arkansas. Nearby towns such as Bono (Craighead County), Brookland (Craighead County), and Paragould have become virtual bedroom communities, as many people come to Jonesboro daily to work. A significant Hispanic population has also been attracted to the town by employment opportunities in construction, agriculture, and food processing.[J22]
Arkansas State University is the only four-year public university in northeastern Arkansas. While based on a heritage of service to the region, the influence and impact of Arkansas State University’s teaching and research extend throughout the state and nation.[J23]
In 2017, According to the latest US Census, the population of Jonesboro, Arkansas is estimated at 75,866. Jonesboro is 5th largest city in Arkansas based on official estimates from the US Census Bureau. The city's rapid population development has fueled economic demand and development.[J24]
