Rockport, Arkansas Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Rockport, Arkansas
City
City of Rockport
Location in Hot Spring County and Arkansas
Rockport, Arkansas Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Arkansas
County	Hot Spring
Townships	Butterfield, Fenter
Founded	August 31, 1837 (1837-08-31)
Incorporated	January 2, 1851 (1851-01-02)
Government
• Type	Mayor–Council
Area
• Total	3.15 sq mi (8.17 km²)
• Land	3.15 sq mi (8.17 km²)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)
Elevation	348 ft (106 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	676
• Density	214.26/sq mi (82.73/km²)
Time zone	UTC−06:00 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−05:00 (CDT)
ZIP code	72104
Area code	501
FIPS code	05-60020
GNIS feature ID	2404640
Highways	Interstate 30 U.S. Highway 270 Highway 51
Major airport	LIT

Rockport is a city in Hot Spring County, Arkansas, in the United States. In 2010, about 755 people lived there. By 2020, the population was 676.

Rockport's History
Rockport's Geography
Population in Rockport
Education in Rockport
Images for kids
See also

Rockport's History

Rockport is one of the oldest places in Arkansas with a name. Even though the nearby city of Malvern is bigger now, Rockport was once the main town, or county seat, for Hot Spring County from 1846 to 1879. It was an important community for many years.

Early Explorers and Settlers

Large rocks in the Ouachita River made Rockport a great place to cross the river. It was also a good spot for travelers to rest. These rocks gave the community its name. Some people believe the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto visited this spot in 1541. French hunters and trappers definitely crossed the river here.

In the 1830s, a road called the Military Road (also known as the Southwest Trail) used these rocks as a place to cross the river. Around 1847, a bridge was built over the Ouachita River at Rockport. This was said to be the first toll bridge in Arkansas. It was often washed away by floods and then rebuilt.

By this time, people already lived in Rockport. A famous person from Rockport was Lorenzo Gibson. He built a house overlooking the river. In 1837, he became Rockport's first postmaster, which means he ran the local post office. Other early settlers included Colonel A. R. Givens, Henry Miller, and Samuel Emerson. Samuel Emerson is known for planning the city and opening its first hotel.

When Arkansas was still a territory, three doctors and a lawyer also lived in Rockport. Hot Spring County was formed in 1829. Its first county seat was in Hot Springs. But in 1846, the county government moved to Rockport. At that time, Rockport had a gristmill (which grinds grain), a shop that built wagons, stores, and homes. A Methodist church met in a private home as early as 1815. Their first church building was made of logs and built in 1836. The Rockport Baptist Church started holding services in 1849. This church also housed Rockport's first school.

Rockport During the Civil War and Later

A new county courthouse was opened in 1860, just before the American Civil War began. The Hot Spring County Hornets were one of the first military groups to form in Rockport. A small battle was fought in Rockport on March 25, 1864. Soldiers from the Union army, led by General Frederick Steele, camped near the almost empty city. The next day, they built a temporary bridge to cross the river.

After the war, a railroad company offered to build tracks through Rockport. They wanted to put a train station there. But the city leaders said no. So, the tracks were built further south, and the city of Malvern was started instead. In 1873, a big fire destroyed many buildings in Rockport, including the county courthouse. Also that year, Garland County was created. This made Hot Spring County much smaller. Because of these events, county leaders decided to build a new courthouse in Malvern. The county government moved there in 1879.

The number of people living in Rockport started to go down. The Ouachita Falls Lumber Company was a big employer in Rockport. But lumber companies and brick factories in Malvern offered more jobs. This drew people to the newer city.

Modern Rockport and the Iron Bridge

After some money problems, a plan to build an iron bridge across the Ouachita River finally worked. This new bridge would replace the old wooden one that had washed away. Building the iron bridge started on August 10, 1900. It was finished on November 6 of the same year. There was a special ceremony and a community meal on November 8.

The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. But it was later removed from the list. This happened after storms and floods damaged it in 1987 and 1990. The last pieces of the bridge were taken from the Ouachita River in 2004.

In June 1936, during the Arkansas Centennial Celebration, President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited Arkansas. After events in Hot Springs, the president and his group went to a service at the Methodist church in Rockport. A parade followed the service. After the parade, they traveled to Little Rock for more celebrations.

Rockport's Geography

Rockport is in the northeast part of Hot Spring County. The city of Malvern, which is the county seat, is just south of Rockport. Interstate 30 goes through Rockport. You can get to Rockport from Exit 98, which connects to U.S. Route 270 east. The United States Census Bureau says that Rockport covers about 8.8 square kilometers (3.4 square miles) of land. There is no water area.

Population in Rockport

The number of people living in Rockport has changed over the years:

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1960	162	—
1970	158	−2.5%
1980	231	46.2%
1990	388	68.0%
2000	792	104.1%
2010	755	−4.7%
2020	676	−10.5%
U.S. Decennial Census