Arp, TX

Arp lies on State Highway 135 and the Union Pacific Railroad in Smith County, about 18 miles southeast of Tyler, with Kickapoo Creek running south of town. The community began as Jarvis Switch after the International-Great Northern Railroad reached the area in 1872. Its post office opened as Strawberry in 1898 and was renamed Arp the following year for newspaper editor William Arp. Early commercial life centered on shipping fruit and vegetables, and local nurseries became known for the Arp Beauty peach.

The area’s deeper history includes Caddoan communities and the Treaty of Bowles Village in 1836, followed by the Cherokee War of 1839, which forced Native Americans out of the region. Today Arp Independent School District serves the town through elementary, junior high, and high school campuses. The school system, highway, and rail line give Arp a clear daily relationship with Tyler while preserving the outline of an older agricultural and railroad community. The result is a small Smith County town whose name, schools, and commercial history all grew from transportation and East Texas farming.