Our History

The Beginning · Pre-1873

The Quapaw People & Early Settlers

Several decades after Pike County was formed and almost seventy years after Arkansas became a state, Delight became an incorporated town. The earliest known inhabitants of the area were the Quapaw Indians, a tribe of the great Dakotas who at one time had a population of many thousands. By the end of the eighteenth century, white settlers had begun making their homes near the banks of Wolf Creek.

On January 18, 1832, a post office was granted and called "Wolf Creek." In the 1833 Territorial Papers of the United States, Wolf Creek was identified as a mail stop between Little Rock and Hempstead County Courthouse. The Wolf Creek post office was listed again in 1834, with postage collected that year totaling $13.73.

The Land · 1873–1895

From Wolf Creek to Delight

On August 21, 1873, Samuel Hasley purchased almost 43 acres of land from the United States for $1.25 an acre — the very ground on which Delight now stands. The land passed through several hands over the following decades: sold to S. B. Dixon and wife Nancy, then to Abner H. Hancock for $500, deeded to David Mobley for $700 in 1853, and finally conveyed to William H. Kirkham — Mobley's son-in-law — for $800 in 1860.

On December 13, 1895, the Southwestern Arkansas and Indian Territory Railroad Company paid William H. Kirkham $1.00 for a 100-foot right-of-way through his land. As word of the coming railroad spread, excitement grew throughout the community. A town site was laid out and a railroad station location selected. Since Kirkham had generously donated the town site, the honor of naming the town fell to him. He said simply: "This is such a delightful place to live, we shall call the town Delight."

The Pike County Court Record B, page 413, contains the proceedings for incorporation. On July 25, 1904, the petition was read before the court and properly filed, recorded on September 9, 1905, with John Brock serving as the town's first mayor.

Industry & Growth · 1895–1930

The Railroad Era

The arrival of the railroad brought new industry to Delight almost immediately. R. B. F. Key saw in the surrounding virgin timber forests a veritable gold mine. He secured a site, built a sawmill and planer, and by early 1897 the whistle sounded and the wheels began to turn. Lumber was shipped far and near, and also used to build new homes for Delight's growing population.

Near the town, large deposits of gravel offered additional industry — carloads shipped over the new railroad. Key built a large hotel to accommodate traveling salesmen who descended on the town to supply its rapidly expanding business district. Early merchants included A. E. Westbrook, C. E. Reid, Bose and Jim Bratton, and the Geiser brothers. O. L. McKinney owned and operated the first cold drink stand.

As the town grew, medical care followed. Dr. Rice became the town's first physician in 1903, followed by Dr. Rodgers from Mississippi, and later Drs. Walls, Newt Slaughter, Joe Thomasson, W. P. Hemby, and B. S. Stokes. Stokes' brother Hosea operated a drug store. Ed Brewer became the town's first postmaster.

Hardship & Revival · 1909–1937

Depression, Resilience & Renewal

Around 1909, Key sold his sawmill and planer to the Blakely brothers, who operated it for six to seven more years. But the forests had been mostly cut over and the sawmill business could no longer be sustained. Farming became the principal occupation, with cotton as the leading crop. By 1919 Delight had become a very good cotton market, and the 1920s brought prosperity — money was plentiful and credit was easy.

When the Great Depression struck in 1930, Delight — like towns and cities across the nation — was paralyzed with fear. But the people never gave up hope. That hope was rewarded in 1936 when the Ozan Lumber Company of Prescott began construction of a large sawmill and planer. By January 1937 the wheels of industry were turning again. New housing projects were completed and for the second time, Delight became a thriving mill town.