Okay, Arkansas
Okay, Arkansas | |
|---|---|
  Okay, Arkansas Location within Arkansas  Okay, Arkansas Location within the United States | |
| Coordinates: 33°46′03″N 93°55′27″W / 33.76750°N 93.92417°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Arkansas |
| County | Howard |
| Elevation | 318 ft (97 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 58299[1] |
Okay is an unincorporated community in Howard County, Arkansas, United States.[1]
The community was so named for the "OK" brand cement manufactured at a local cement plant.[2]
History
[edit]The initiating factor of the town was rich deposits of limestone and chalk, prompting a cement company to build the Arkansas Portland O.K. Cement plant which started production on October 2, 1929.[3] The workers needed housing, and a company village of forty small homes was created, becoming officially the town of Okay when the post office opened on February 11, 1930.[3] The facilities included shopping, church services in a meeting hall, a golf course, a baseball diamond, and other sports venues.[3] The town even had a semi-professional baseball team, the Okay Cementers, for a time beginning in May of 1936.[3] The team was highly regarded, and when Nashville, Arkansas opened a new lighted baseball park in July of 1950, Okay’s team beat Nashville’s.[4]
At its height, the town had about 150 citizens.[3] However, in the early 1960’s, the company began encouraging employees to live elsewhere, and town services began to be shut down including the local schools which had been operating since the time of the plant’s construction.[3] By 1977, the town had only two citizens.[3] After changes in ownership, the plant shut down in 1993, and within 5 years, the area was largely deserted.[3]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Okay, Arkansas
- ↑ Moyer, Armond; Moyer, Winifred (1958). The origins of unusual place-names. Keystone Pub. Associates. p. 93.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Okay (Howard County)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Opening day for iconic park was big event in big year" (PDF). The Nashville News-Leader, March 28, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
Municipalities and communities of Howard County, Arkansas, United States | ||
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| Other unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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