Phillips County, Arkansas

more. It was, by far, the deadliest racial con- frontation in the state’s history and possibly the bloodiest racial conflict in the history of the United States. Major floods in 1927 and 1937 devastated the farms and the cities of Phillips County. In those years, levees that had been rebuilt and im- proved after earlier floods were unable to han- dle the water. For example, during the Flood of 1927, the Laconia Circle levee at Snow Lake broke in six places, leaving the unprotected farms under sixteen feet of water. The flood was also a setback to the lumber industry from which it never recovered. Between the floods, the area languished through drought and through the Great Depression. Years of poverty continued into the late 20th century. In fact, the 1990 U.S. Census ranked Phillips County as one of the sixteen poorest counties in the United States. “We’ve had our ups, and we’ve had our downs,” admits County Judge, Clark Hall, whose family has lived in Phillips County since the early 1800s. “We’re a struggling, rural community, but we have some plans and goals to accomplish revitalization of our area.” PHILLIPS COUNTY, ARKANSAS