Halley, Arkansas

Halley is an unincorporated community in Desha County, Arkansas, United States.[1]

Halley, Arkansas
Unincorporated community
Veteran's Memorial in Halley
Halley, Arkansas
Halley's location in Arkansas
Coordinates: 33°32′08″N 91°19′29″W
Country United States
State Arkansas
CountyDesha
Elevation
43 m (141 ft)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
GNIS feature ID57868[1]

History
This farm south of Halley was damaged when an EF2 tornado struck Chicot and Desha counties on December 20–21, 2013.[2]

John J. Bowie (eldest brother of James Bowie) purchased land in the area in 1857.[3]

Construction of the Mississippi, Ouachita and Red River Railroad—the first chartered railway in Alabama—began in 1852, and 7 mi (11 km) of track had been laid west from Eunice by the start of the Civil War. The line passed through Bowie's land, and a stop there was called "Bowie Station". The railroad was completed after the war, but abandoned in 1875 after flooding on the Mississippi River damaged the railbed and bridges. Highway 208 between Eunice and Halley was built on the abandoned railbed.[3][4][5][6]

Bowie Station was later renamed "Halley" after early settlers, the Halley family.[3]

In 1901, a line of the Missouri Pacific Railroad was built through Halley.[7]

Infrastructure

The Halley Volunteer Fire Department is located in the settlement.[8]

Notable person
  • Dewey Corley - musician in Memphis jug band ensembles.[9]

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Halley
  2. "Tornado Damage and Flooding on December 20-21, 2013". National Weather Service. December 25, 2013.
  3. Kelley, George P. "John J. Bowie, 1787-1859". Rootsweb. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  4. Stroud, Hilliard; Merritt, Jim (1981). "McGehee: The Town and the Man". Rootsweb.
  5. Schexnayder, Charlotte Tillar (January 31, 2014). "Desha County". Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
  6. Zbinden, Van (November 18, 2011). "Mississippi, Ouachita and Red River Railroad". Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
  7. "Missouri Pacific Railroad" (PDF). La Belle Woodworking. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  8. "Halley". Arkansas Rural & Volunteer Firefighters Association. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  9. "Dewey Corley". Discogs. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
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