"Together We Can Do Awesome Things" is the motto of the city of Decatur, once named "All-America City" by Look Magazine and the National Municipal League in 1954. Decatur is still a great place to work or play, start a business, and raise a family. Decatur is a community that cares.
In the 1850s two settlers, William Burrow and Henry Hastings, purchased several parcels of land in what would eventually be called Corner Springs. In 1880, Corner Springs applied for its first post office. The Postal Service rejected the community request, citing the fact that there were too many cities in the area with springs as part of their title. Eventually, the postal service allowed the community to use the name Decatur, after legendary naval commodore Stephen Decatur whose exploits during the War of 1812 earned him worldwide acclaim and helped define the modern Navy in the United States. In 1882 John Cotton became the first postmaster of Decatur.
At first glance, Decatur may seem to be a small community along the railroad and built around the Simmons plant there -- its population is only about 1,700 residents -- but a closer look reveals churches, schools, city parks and lots of activity. Decatur's residential streets are places where children laugh and play. And with an area of only about five square miles, everyone is counted a neighbor.
The town is made up of several historic buildings, many still in use. Junction 59, a recreation center for area youth and adults alike, opened for business in the old Decatur State Bank/House of Chicken building in 2017. The town also has a convenience store, a truck stop, a library, a bank, a medical clinic, restaurants, a hardware and feed store, and a host of churches ready to serve the needs of Decatur area residents.
In 2015, Walmart built a new Neighborhood Market Express on the corner of Main Street and Roller Avenue in downtown Decatur. When Walmart closed a number of its smaller stores a year later, the Dollar General Corporation stepped up to take over the facility. In January 2017, it took possession of the building and plans to open in late May as the Dollar General Plus Plus, a store with a larger grocery line and with gas pumps outside.
Beautiful Crystal Lake, one mile north of Decatur, offers anglers the chance to fish from the shore, by boat or on a fishing dock. During the winter months, the lake is a nature enthusiast's paradise, hosting a wide variety of birds, including ducks, geese and bald eagles. The lake is a photographer's dream.
Next to the lake is the Crystal Lake Airport, built by Lloyd Peterson in the 1950s to transport baby chickens to markets all over the world. Its 3,300-foot runway can accommodate smaller single-engine planes and helicopters up to light twin-engine corporate turbo-prop aircraft.
Decatur offers a wide variety of recreational and sports activities for individuals and families alike. Swimming is available at the municipal pool in historic City Park, the former site of the Decatur Barbecue at which more than 10,000 people once gathered to hear country music legends Keith Whitley and Lorrie Morgan perform. Families can enjoy picnicking or gather for reunions. In addition to baseball, softball and youth sports at Edmiston Ball Field, the city added a new soccer field and disc golf course to the many activities at Veterans Park on the west side of town.
A tradition since 1954 is the Decatur Barbecue, sponsored by the Decatur Chamber of Commerce. This summer-time event is held on the first weekend in August at Veterans Park. The annual festival causes the town's population to triple with its famous barbecued chicken and other foods, car show, parade, Tiny-Tots and Miss Decatur Barbecue pageants, and first-class entertainment -- which this year will showcase local talent.
For those interested in railroad history, the Kansas City Southern E-7 locomotive -- a landmark in the area -- attracts attention from across the country as one of the last of its kind. Further down the platform stands the Decatur Depot, a passenger-freight building constructed in 1910. And nearby stands a mid-1800s log cabin which was moved from just outside of town and reassembled in its present location one log at a time. The cabin preserves some of the history of the area during Civil War days. In 2016, the city acquired these iconic landmarks and the depot building is expected to soon become the future home for the Decatur Depot Museum, which will showcase the town's rich history.
City Hall, located a block east of Highway 59 at 310 Maple Avenue, is a good place to stop for information on the city, its laws and city utilities. The building, itself a historic landmark, was completed in 1939 as Decatur's first permanent school building, replacing the original 1910 structure which was destroyed by a tornado in 1937. When a new high school opened in 1970, the old high school was sold to the city and later renovated to house the city offices, water department, committee room and council chambers. When it opened, the first city council meeting was held there on May 9, 1982. On the east side of the building is the original basketball court where the Decatur Bulldog championship boys' and girls' basketball teams of 1923, 1945 and 1946 once played.
The city is served by a full-time police department and a volunteer fire department. It has its own water and wastewater treatment facilities, which are in the process of upgrades expected to be completed in 2018. In 2016, the Decatur Police Department moved from the old third-grade classroom at Decatur City Hall to a new police station on Main Street.
The city of Decatur has added several new committees to better serve the needs of its residents and preserve the rich history that defines the community. The Decatur Historical Committee is dedicated to preserving the past of a town that nearly disappeared in the early 1950s. The Veterans Committee is dedicated to the recognition of those who served in our nation's military. The committee established the first Veterans Day parade and ceremony in 2016, an annual event which takes place on the Saturday before the Nov. 11 holiday observance.
Bob Tharp is the mayor and he would be happy to provide other information on Decatur and its government. More information can also be found at Decatur's new website, decaturarkansas.com. City Hall can be contacted at 479-752-3912.
Decatur Schools
With more than 600 students in kindergarten through grade 12, Decatur schools offer a low student-teacher ratio and dedicated teachers who know each child by name. There are four facilities dedicated to the education of the town's youth. Decatur High School houses grades 9-12; Decatur Middle School, grades 6-8; Northside Elementary School, complete with a new safe room, covers grades K-5; and Decatur Pre-K, which was opened in 2016, houses the pre-kindergarten classes.
The Decatur Youth Sports and Decatur High School sports programs offer area residents first-class football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, track and trapshooting teams year round. New to the high school sports' program is volleyball, which just completed its second season. In its opening season, the team won six straight matches after only three months of initial preparation and finished the season, 8 and 6.
The chief industrial employers in Decatur are Simmons Foods, FNA Group and Crystal Lake Farms.
Simmons Foods, which purchased much of the business established by the late Lloyd Peterson, operates a processing plant, hatcheries and a modern pet food plant in the Decatur area.
Decatur's past, present and future has always been and will continue to be about community, God and country. As the unofficial city song states so well, "Decatur is the place I want to be."
Community on 03/22/2017