Phillips County is a county located in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Arkansas, in what is known as the Arkansas Delta along the Mississippi River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,568. The county seat is Helena–West Helena. Phillips County is Arkansas's seventh (7th) county, formed on May 1, 1820. It was named for Sylvanus Phillips, the area's first-known white or European-American settler; he was elected as representative to the first Territorial Legislature of the Arkansas Territory. This fertile lowland area was developed for cotton plantations in the antebellum area and is still largely rural and agricultural. The Helena-West Helena, AR Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Phillips County.
History
From September 30 – October 1, 1919, during the Elaine race riot in Phillips County, at least 237 African Americans were killed, attacked at large by armed whites trying to suppress the Progressive Farmers and Household Union of America which was organizing in the county. Because the white mob actions were racial terrorism against African Americans, the deaths were classified as lynchings by the Equal Justice Initiative in its 2015 report on lynchings in the South. Based on this, Phillips County ranks as the county with the highest number of lynchings in U.S. history.
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Crime
For the years from 2016 to 2020, Phillips County had the highest rate of gun homicides of any county in the United States. Adjusting county data for the age of the population, Phillips County had a rate of 55.45 gun deaths per 100,000 population.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (4.4%) is water.
Major highways
- 20px U.S. Highway 49
- 20px Highway 1
- 20px Highway 39
- 20px Highway 85
Adjacent counties
- Lee County (north)
- Tunica County, Mississippi (northeast)
- Coahoma County, Mississippi (east)
- Bolivar County, Mississippi (southeast)
- Desha County (south)
- Arkansas County (southwest)
- Monroe County (northwest)
National protected areas
- St. Francis National Forest (part)
- White River National Wildlife Refuge (part)