Calhoun County, Arkansas

This episode of the 1836 Podcast continues the Counties of Arkansas series, profiling Calhoun County — a quiet, deeply rooted corner of south-central Arkansas shaped by timber, tradition, and resilience. From Native American mound sites and frontier settlement to Civil War disruption, Reconstruction, the timber boom, and the tragic Hampton Race War of 1892, we trace the county’s layered past. We explore the founding of Hampton, the rise and fall of cotton, the impact of the Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot, and the story behind the “Hogskin County” nickname and annual Hogskin Holidays Festival. Featuring figures such as John C. Calhoun, John Roy Steelman, Raymond Henry Bass, and filmmaker Charles B. Pierce, this episode highlights how one of Arkansas’s smallest and least populous counties reflects the broader story of rural America — endurance, hardship, and identity tied to the land.

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