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The history of the city of
McGehee and the history of the railroad through McGehee
are intricately interwoven. The history of the railroad
dates back to 1870 when a railroad was constructed from
Pine Bluff southeast through Varner, to Chicot.
Important in the history of the town of McGehee is the
McGehee family which came to the area from Alabama in
1857. Benjamin McGehee, his wife, Sarah, a son, Abner
and daughters Laura and Mary settled on land that is now
a part of McGehee. Abner McGehee, son of Benjamin and
Sarah McGehee purchased 240 acres of land on July 1,
1876, on which the town of McGehee was later to be
located. When the railroad came into McGehee in 1878 and
continued south and southwest, people began to move into
the area. Abner McGehee constructed a large commissary
building and entered the mercantile business to
accommodate the new arrivals.
One of the first buildings in the area was a saw mill.
The lumber cut in this mill was used to build shotgun
type rent houses. A post office was established in the
McGehee commissary, and in 1879 Abner McGehee became the
first postmaster. The post office was named McGehee and
served between 400 and 500 people. An order of
incorporation was signed March 5, 1906. The first
meeting of the town council was held July 21, 1906.
Today the economy of the area is largely dependent upon
agriculture. The railroad has been largely replaced by
the trucking industry which hauls farm products from the
gins and grain bins of the area to their destination.
From a population of 400 in 1879, McGehee has grown into
a community of about 5,000 citizens. The citizens are
proud of their hospital, their schools, their
recreational facilities, their churches and their city
government. As port facilities on the Mississippi River
are developed and as the present highway system is
rebuilt to accommodate increased traffic, McGehee will
continue to grow. |
