Amity, AR

Amity sits in northwestern Clark County, two miles south of the Caddo River and about seven miles southeast of Glenwood along Arkansas 8. The 2020 census counted 681 residents. The river valley drew early families with bottomland and fresh water, and William F. Browning gave the community its name after settlers arrived in 1847. After the Civil War, the town shifted south of the river; in 1871, Philander Curtis, Riley Thompson, and Jacob H. Lightsey laid out a public square. That square remains the best starting point for understanding Amity.

Rail access after 1900 made Amity a shipping and trade point, while timber, sawmills, newspapers, schools, and churches shaped the working years. The Bean Lumber era left another mark on the town. Centerpoint School District serves local students, and the Old Time Chronicle keeps a folk-history tradition in circulation. The former Trade Days market also drew thousands to the old lumber site when it operated. Today the river, square, highway, and small businesses still give Amity a clear local shape, even as the town's population is much smaller than it was during its timber and market years.