Misplaced Pages

#697302

29-467: The Joseph Starr Dunham House is a historic house at 418 Broadway in Van Buren, Arkansas . Built c. 1870, this 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 -story wood-frame house is a fine local example of Gothic Revival architecture, with a steeply-pitched side-gable roof that has front-facing gable dormers decorated with sawn woodwork, and a full-width front porch with spiral posts and delicate brackets. Joseph Starr Dunham,

58-466: A post office was constructed for the community, at the time known as Phillips Landing. This post office was named after newly appointed Secretary of State and future President Martin Van Buren . John Drennen, along with his partner David Thompson, purchased the area for US$ 11,000. They moved their business of supplying firewood for steamboats to this new location on higher ground. The courthouse

87-560: A defeat for the Confederates, led by Major General T. C. Hindman , driving them south across the river with minimal casualties. Federal forces captured 100 prisoners, as stated in an official report by Major General Samuel R. Curtis . In late May to early June 2019 , the Arkansas River flooded near Van Buren, cresting at nearly 41 feet (12 m), which is 21 feet (6.4 m) above the flood stage. Significant rainfall in

116-410: A household in the city was $ 33,608, and the median income for a family was $ 37,198. Males had a median income of $ 28,798 versus $ 21,201 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 14,948. About 13.5% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line , including 24.4% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over. Van Buren is home to many large corporations within

145-461: A year, with 0.2 nights per year dropping below 0 °F (−17.8 °C). The city's highest temperature was 113 °F (45.0 °C), recorded in 1936. The lowest temperature recorded was −15 °F (−26.1 °C), in 1899. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 23,218 people, 8,990 households, and 6,011 families residing in the city. As of the census of 2000, there were 18,986 people, 6,947 households, and 5,182 families residing in

174-525: Is about 41 total inches, with only six inches being snow. July and August are the hottest months of the year, with an average high of 93 °F (34 °C) and an average low of 71.5 °F (21.9 °C). Temperatures above 100 °F (37.8 °C) are not uncommon, occurring on average eleven times a year. December and January are the coldest months with an average high of 50.5 °F (10.3 °C) and an average low of 30 °F (−1 °C). Highs below 32 °F (0.0 °C) occur on average five times

203-594: Is also located at the junction of several state and U.S. highways including Arkansas Highway 59 , US 64 , and US 71 . A private airport, Twin Cities Airport (code 39AR), was operational to the southeast of the city, but has been closed for many years. Modern railroads in the city include the Arkansas and Missouri Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad . Intercity bus service to the city

232-676: Is built in Van Buren, provide local news and weather. The city's major newspaper is the Van Buren Press Argus-Courier ; however many people also read Fort Smith's Southwest Times Record , as well as the Northwest Edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette . Van Buren's location at the junction of Interstate 40 , Interstate 540 , and the Arkansas / Oklahoma border yields surprisingly large tourism and hospitality industries. The city

261-606: Is land and 1.0 square mile (2.7 km ), or 6.34%, is water. Van Buren lies within a humid subtropical climate area. The city also lies on the eastern edge of the region known as Tornado Alley . Average temperatures range from 36 °F in January, to as high an average of 81 °F in July with temperatures reaching the high 90s and low 100s in August. The average annual temperature is approximately 60 °F. Average precipitation

290-493: Is provided by Jefferson Lines . The Van Buren School District is the largest school district in Crawford County, consisting of six elementary schools (grades K-5), two middle schools (grades 6–8), one ninth grade academy (grade 9) and one high school (grades 10–12). The Van Buren High School is in the 5A/6A-West Division of Arkansas high school sports. Tornado outbreak sequence of April 1996 The 19th

319-580: Is the second-largest city in the Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area and the county seat of Crawford County , Arkansas , United States. The city is located directly northeast of Fort Smith at the Interstate 40  –  Interstate 540 junction. The city was incorporated in 1845 and as of the 2020 census had a population of 23,218, ranking it as the state's 21st largest city. According to 2023 population estimates from

SECTION 10

#1732786906698

348-533: The South-central United States forced U.S. Army Corps of Engineers workers to release large amounts of water to ease flooding upstream. The river approached 41 feet (12 m) at the Van Buren gauge over the course of several days, and the flooding damaged 25 homes in the Crawford County area. While one Crawford County levee sustained damage, no levee breaches occurred in Van Buren. On April 21, 1996 , at 11:12 p.m., an F3 tornado hit

377-518: The jet stream from the Pacific Ocean combined with rich low-level moisture kept the storm system rolling, spinning off more tornadoes in the Southeast . One tornado hit Carroll County, Mississippi , killing teenager Dexter Forman when a tree fell on his mobile home. Another tornado did massive damage to Berea, Kentucky , but no one was killed. The outbreak across the south-central U.S. on

406-527: The 21st was produced by a different weather system. A final tornado was produced by the first system in southern Quebec , more tornadoes raked through eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas , killing a father and son in St. Paul and two other children in Fort Smith . Shortly after the outbreak, the local CBS affiliate in Fort Smith, Arkansas, KFSM -TV, produced Sunday's Fury , a video production outlining

435-459: The 21st. The outbreak occurred when the warm front of a deep storm system moved north and east out of Missouri . April 19 started off cool and skies were overcast ahead of the warm front. Meteorologists were trying to figure out if the warm front would move into Illinois that afternoon. As the day wore on, temperatures warmed, dew points rose, and thunderstorms started to explode in Iowa during

464-492: The Arkansas River again into the Mount Vista area on the west side of Van Buren and damaged a highly residential area where no fatalities occurred, although this area was very populated at the time. The total distance it traveled on the ground was 7 miles (11 km). In total, there were around 1,800 homes damaged, the majority of which were in Van Buren. Van Buren is located in the southwest corner of Crawford County with

493-564: The Arkansas– Oklahoma state line just 2 miles (3 km) to the west. The Arkansas River forms the southern boundary of the city, separating it from Fort Smith of Sebastian County . Lee Creek flows through the western side of the city into the Arkansas River. According to the United States Census Bureau , Van Buren has a total area of 16.5 square miles (42.7 km ), of which 15.4 square miles (40.0 km )

522-678: The Fort Smith/Van Buren area causing extensive damage. The tornado, which spawned in Oklahoma and crossed into west Fort Smith near the confluence of the Arkansas and Poteau rivers, killed two, injured 89 and caused $ 300 million in damage. The fatalities were small children from Fort Smith. At its worst, the tornado was one half mile across. After leaving the downtown area of Fort Smith, it traveled northeast through industrial and residential sections of north Fort Smith, then crossed

551-469: The U.S. Census Bureau, Van Buren’s population is 24,138. With a 4% growth rate from 2020 to 2023, Van Buren is Arkansas’s eighth-fastest growing city. The area was settled by David Boyd and Thomas Martin in 1818. After Arkansas became a territory in 1819, Daniel and Thomas Phillips constructed a lumber yard in the community to serve as a fuel depot for traffic along the Arkansas River . In 1831,

580-435: The age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were classified as non-families by the United States Census Bureau . Of 6,947 households, 362 were unmarried partner households: 304 heterosexual, 12 same-sex male, and 46 same-sex female households. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who

609-497: The city. The population density was 1,260.7 inhabitants per square mile (486.8/km ). There were 7,427 housing units at an average density of 493.2 per square mile (190.4/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 87.37% White , 1.64% Black or African American , 1.96% Native American , 2.82% Asian , 3.17% from other races , and 3.03% from two or more races. 6.04% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 6,947 households, of which 40.4% had children under

SECTION 20

#1732786906698

638-637: The late 19th century, part of the old downtown historic area. At the south end of the historical downtown is the Crawford County courthouse, the oldest functioning courthouse west of the Mississippi River . To the north is the Old Frisco Station which was originally a station on the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway , pictured at the top of this page. As part of the primary Fort Smith metropolitan area, many Fort Smith based television stations including KHBS and KFSM , whose radio mast

667-597: The mid-afternoon hours. Although there were some doubts on specifics, the potential significance of the outbreak was rather foreseeable, with storm chasers traveling from the Great Plains and the Storm Prediction Center issuing a high risk early on. A total of 33 tornadoes hit Illinois before spreading west and south into Missouri , and Iowa and east and north into Wisconsin , Michigan , and Indiana on Friday, April 19. The town of Decatur

696-694: The owner, was a Connecticut native who settled in Van Buren in 1859 and began publishing the Van Buren Press ; the house was still in family hands when it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. This article about a property in Crawford County, Arkansas on the National Register of Historic Places is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Van Buren, Arkansas Van Buren ( / v æ n ˈ b jʊər ə n / van BURE -ən )

725-546: The state and employs a great deal of the city's population within its Port and Industrial Park district. Manufacturing, food processing, and medicine are sustaining industries in Van Buren. Major employers include poultry processor Simmons Foods , the Van Buren School District , USA Truck, and Baptist Health. Van Buren is home of the King Opera House , a Victorian -style performance hall from

754-452: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.12. In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.6% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males. The median income for

783-433: Was constructed on a lot of land donated by Drennen on the condition that Van Buren become the county seat. The Drennen Reserve is one of the town's existing historical sites from the 1830s. Van Buren was incorporated on January 4, 1845. Walker Institute was established near Van Buren in 1857. Peter A. Moses was principal. On December 28, 1862, Union and Confederate forces clashed in and around Van Buren, resulting in

812-620: Was hit by a large F3 tornado, as were the towns of Urbana and Ogden . Major damage and injuries occurred in all three locations, and one person was killed in Ogden. In Indiana, 21 tornadoes were produced as the cold front moved into the area during the evening hours. Temperatures had warmed well into the 70's and lower 80's (20 to 26 °C) before the storms hit. Five people were injured in Morgan County . One of Canada's most prolific tornado events struck Ontario . A vigorous branch of

841-580: Was the most prolific tornado outbreak in Illinois history with 33 tornadoes touching down across the state, breaking the old record of 25 set on August 10, 1974. This outbreak can also be compared to the May 2004 tornado outbreak sequence as it was a very large, deep, and vigorous system. The same system produced tornadoes in Ontario on the 20th and destructive tornadoes in Oklahoma , Arkansas , and Texas on

#697302