Bidville, Arkansas

Bidville is an unincorporated community in northeast Crawford County, in the U.S. state of Arkansas.[1] The United States Census Bureau lists Bidville as a township, with a land area of 29 square miles. In 2020 Bidville had a population of 41.[2]

History

The community was first called Shepherd Mountain. It was later named for "Bid" Renfro, who worked to get a post office for the community.[3] The post office was in operation at Bidville from 1880 until 1943.[4][5] John Rucks was the first postmaster.[3]

Bidville Cemetery

In the 1840s the Bidville Cemetery began with the burial of William Shepherd, an early pioneer who had moved to the area in the late 1830s. His wife Sallie and daughter Matilda buried him during an ice-storm. A few days later his daughter died of pneumonia, and she was buried beside her father.[6]

In about 1900 the tradition started of local families bringing their dinners to the cemetery, spending the day cleaning and decorating the graves, and then they would finish the day by singing hymns and listening to a local preacher give a talk. Over time this Decoration Day event became known as the Folk Festival of the Family.[6]

References

  1. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Bidville, Arkansas
  2. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau
  3. 1 2 Eno, Clara B., History of Crawford County, Arkansas, page 361, Press-Argus, 1950
  4. ↑ History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford, Franklin, and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas. Higginson Book Company. 1889. p. 599.
  5. ↑ "Post Offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  6. 1 2 Vaught, Elso, History of the Decoration at Bidville, The Arkansas Historical Quarterly, Spring, 1954, page. 98-101

35°44′23″N 93°58′55″W / 35.739803°N 93.981865°W / 35.739803; -93.981865

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