Clarendon AR: Where We've Been: 1927 Flood

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The barges took refugees to a couple of locations. Some of them went to an area of high ground, about two miles east of Clarendon, known as Tom's Hill. A tent city popped up, and as many as 1,000 people resided there. According to J.E. Pinkley, who stayed at Tom's Hill during the flood, no deaths or illnesses occurred in the tent city, and they had four good pumps to get good drinking water. Also, the train from Brinkley continued to run as close to Clarendon as it could to pick up refugees. The barges took the refugees to dry ground north of the town, and they had to walk about a mile to meet the Rock Island Railroad train. The train transported over 400 refugees to Brinkley.

The people of Brinkley housed, clothed, and fed hundreds of refugees. They converted every available building in Brinkley to house and care for the refugees. The Brinkley City Hall was used as headquarters to coordinate the operation, and Mrs. W.D. Fowler and Mrs. C.A. Witt and their committee also supplied clothing out of the building. Furthermore, the "old bakery" became a kitchen where Mrs. J.H. Stack, Mrs. Porter Shults, Mrs. Geo. O. Beuckman, and Mrs. J.L. Woodfin fed over 400 people. The women of Brinkley played a large role, working night and day, in caring for the people left homeless by the flood. The county nurse and several doctors set up an emergency hospital in the Freeman bungalow on North Plaza Street to care for the sick. The people of Brinkley were kind to help their sister city in their time of need and distress.

Some people refused to leave Clarendon. For instance, three families remained on the top of the Merchants and Planters Bank. A number of people also continued to reside in the upper levels of the courthouse. Two doctors stayed in the town to care for people, and two doctors, Dr. Stout and Dr. Grover, came from Brinkley. Three operators, Miss Mable Renick, Miss Rosa Gibson and Miss Erma Anderson, remained behind at the telephone office to operate the telephone lines since the phone lines between Clarendon and Brinkley remained open. These people needed food, fresh water and supplies to survive.

Makeshift stores popped up throughout the town. A grocer set up a store on the roof of a house on Madison Street and sold food to people who had remained. Mrs. J.W. Price sold meals on the second floor of the New South Inn while the town remained flooded. Another grocer moved his stock of goods to a boat and moved around the town selling supplies.

In addition, a baker moved a large oven to the second floor of his shop and resumed his operations. The oven had the capacity to bake eight loaves of bread at a time. The baker kept the oven in operation day and night during the flood. He also had a pump and supplied fresh water for the people in the town. Nonetheless, many other problems lay ahead for the town.

Some communities had to deal with the problem of disease outbreaks. The State Board of Health sent out warning bulletins advising that everyone get vaccinations for smallpox and typhoid.

Fortunately, Dr. F.T. Murphy of Brinkley arranged for Clarendon refugees to receive the vaccinations free of charge. Luckily, no outbreaks of disease occurred in Monroe County during the flood.

Clarendon also had to deal with the problem of looting. A state military company, called in to stop the looting, used a machine gun to aid in their work. On the same day the military company arrived, Guy Amsier, the Secretary of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, visited officials in Clarendon. He came by motorboat from DeValls Bluff. To enter the courthouse, he and his party transferred into a small skiff, and paddled through the main courthouse doorway. [The main doorway is about six feet above ground level.]

The town remained under water for weeks following the flood.

The receding water left a layer of mud and gravel, which the people of Clarendon struggled to clean up. Water damage ruined most homes, and a terrible odor remained for years.

According to R.F. Milwee of Brinkley, 60 convicts from the State Prison Farm at Tucker helped clean muddy debris from the streets. Considering all the damage and high water, Clarendon was lucky not to have had any fatalities. Early reports in the papers stated that people had died, but luckily those reports proved to be false. However, many people probably would have died from starvation had it not been for the Red Cross.

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