Antoine, Arkansas

Antoine, Arkansas
Town
Location in Pike County and the state of Arkansas
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
County	Pike
Area
• Total	0.5 sq mi (1.3 km2)
• Land	0.5 sq mi (1.3 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	299 ft (91 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	156
• Density	312/sq mi (120/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	71922
Area code	870
FIPS code	05-01540
GNIS feature ID	0076183

Antoine is a town in Pike County, Arkansas, United States, along the Antoine River. The population was 156 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Antoine is located at 34°2′10″N 93°25′18″W (34.036183, -93.421787)Template:GR. It is located on hills immediately west of the Antoine River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²), all land.

History

The town of Antoine began as a stopping point on the old Southwest Trail to Texas in the early 1800's. It was named for a French trapper who was found dead at his camp beside the road (on the site of the present town cemetery). The only identification found on the man was his first name, "Antoine". He was buried on the hill by the river, and the gravesite became a landmark for travellers. Eventually, the name was given to the river and to the town that grew up beside it. Antoine's grave is located somewhere within the bounds of the town cemetery, although the marker has disappeared over time. There are also two Bois-D'Arc marker-trees of the Southwest Trail that remain alive within the town, both located on what is now Main Street/Arkansas Highway 29.

The town suffered little damage during the Civil War, remaining in Confederate hands until 1865. In the late 1860's and early 1870's, a major new railroad line was established through Southwest Arkansas. This event was of major importance to Antoine, since the new route was established about 20 miles southeast of the former main artery of commerce (the Southwest Trail), and thereby bypassed Antoine. Because of this, businesses and settlers began to abandon towns along the old route, and the town began a slow decline from which it ultimately never recovered.

In the 1890's and early 1900's, there was a logging and railroad boom in the area that lasted up through the Depression years. During this time, railroad connections were established with Gurdon to the south and Amity to the north, and with Delight to the west. The historic railroad trestle over the Antoine River was built in 1908 and remains in use today.

During the Depression and afterwards, Antoine experienced a slow but steady decline in population.

Today, the main activities include logging, ranching, truck farming, and tourism. Most residents work in the nearby cities of Arkadelphia, Hope, or Nashville.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 156 people, 64 households, and 44 families residing in the town. The population density was 118.1/km² (305.3/mi²). There were 74 housing units at an average density of 56.0/km² (144.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.59% White, 5.77% Black or African American, and 0.64% from two or more races. 0.00% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 64 households out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 83.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $23,750, and the median income for a family was $24,583. Males had a median income of $14,583 versus $13,333 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,191. About 7.3% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.9% of those under the age of eighteen and 18.2% of those sixty five or over.