Prairie Grove, Arkansas


Prairie Grove is a city in Washington County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 4,380 at the 2010 Census. It is part of the Northwest Arkansas region, and home to Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park. The park spans a large amount of land and contains a visitor center, museum, several monuments, a driving tour and a collection of period buildings and homes.

History

Prairie Grove was the site of the Battle of Prairie Grove during the American Civil War. Confederate forces under General Thomas C. Hindman attempted to prevent the juncture of two Federal forces under Generals James G. Blunt and Francis J. Herron. The result of the battle was a tactical stalemate which assured permanent Union control of northwest Arkansas. The battlefield is now a State Military Park.
A post office has been in operation at Prairie Grove since 1867. Prairie Grove was platted in 1877.
A 100-foot wind turbine near Prairie Grove, installed in the early 2000s.

Testicular cancer

The Natural Resources Defense Council released an issue paper stating between that 1997 and 2001, Prairie Grove was the center of a cluster of testicular cancer cases. No clear cause has been identified but the NRDC notes the town is near a closed nuclear reactor and a low-level radioactive landfill. Arsenic from industrialized chicken manure is another possible source. In 2004, residents sued one of the poultry farms and the poultry feed manufacturer for spreading contaminated manure throughout Prairie Grove. The lawsuit did not assign blame and the cause of the cancer cluster has never been definitively determined.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, all land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 4,380 people, 1,658 households, and 1,197 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 91.08% White, 0.80% Black or African American, 2.90% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 1.50% from other races, and 2.10% from two or more races. 4.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 1,658 households out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% were married couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 40.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 24.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.11.

Culture, contemporary life, and points of interest

Prairie Grove is "wet", allowing sales of beer but not liquor in restaurants, except for an approximately area around downtown, which voted to go dry in the early 1950s. The city will vote in March 2020 whether to allow sales of liquor in the wet areas as well.
The two most well known attractions in Prairie Grove are the Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park and the Telephone Booth, a working 1960 phonebooth across the street from the park.

Schools

is separated into three different schools; Prairie Grove Elementary, Middle, and High School facilities. The school mascot is The Tigers. The school colors are Black, Gold, and White.

Notable people