On October 23, 1835 the General Assembly of the Territory of Arkansas passed an act which took in 1,027 miles of lands from Independence, Pulaski, and Jackson Counties and created White County. White County is comprised of 16 communities today.
Originally called Sulphur Springs, Searcy began its history on November 23, 1837. It was on this date that the State Legislature of Arkansas upon designating the seat of White County officially named it Searcy in honor of Richard Searcy, a transplanted attorney who helped the territory attain statehood.
In 1849 the first steamboat pulled in where Gin and Deener Creeks empty into the Little Red River. The spot was quickly named Searcy Landing. Searcy soon became a main trading center and has continued its steady growth.
Readers are urged to find more information in two books that have been written about Searcy's history; Raymond Muncy's "Searcy, Arkansas A Frontier Town Grows Up with America" and Claude Johnson's "The Humorous History of White County". You can find these books at the local library. You can also find historical information through the White County Historical Society.
Web links
White County Historical Society www.rootsweb.com/~arwhite
White County Government
White County Library