Buckville is located in northwest Garland County, Arkansas, about 40 miles from Hot Springs. This area was originally part of the territory of the Caddo Native American tribes (Richter, 10). The mountainous, heavily forested land retained its frontier-like character until long after Arkansas became a state in 1836. The 1840 census includes only 28 households in the area; the population did not experience much growth until after the Civil War, when many families migrated west from other parts of the South more affected by the conflict (Richter, 17 and 27). These migrants were mostly poor white farmers who were attracted by the rich bottomlands in the floodplain of the Ouachita River.
By 1890, Buckville and its environs had a few hundred residents, as well as several churches, schools, and general stores. It was a thriving, close-knit community. However, tentative plans were being formed at this time to dam the Ouachita River; supporters of the plan believed that Garland County, as well as Arkansas, would benefit from the flood control, power production, and recreation areas to be created by the dams (Richter, 1-2). Eventually, these plans became a reality. Between the 1920’s and 1950’s, three dams were constructed on the river, creating three lakes, and eventually flooding the sites of Buckville and its neighboring communities.
While the last damn was being built, groups of men worked to dismantle these communities. Farms were sold to the government and power company. Buildings were demolished, their wood often carted away to be used in a new structure elsewhere. Trees were cut down and fed to the sawmills of the local lumber companies. Whole cemeteries were exhumed and relocated. Whole living families were uprooted as well, many moving to Hot Springs, Little Rock, or even farther away to seek their fortunes in something besides agriculture (Abbott, 68-69).
The Buckville Baptist Church was the only building moved to higher ground, perhaps because its original site was close enough to the water line to make relocation feasible. It was rolled on logs to a spot just north of the Buckville Cemetery, which also was situated above the water line. The church house, cemetery, and a cluster of picnic tables and pavilions now constitute the Buckville Recreation Area in the Ouachita National Forest. But to those folks who attend Homecoming every June, this place is more than just a small clearing in the woods or a space to camp for the night; it is hallowed ground.
