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James W. Loewen (1942-2021)

We mourn the loss of our friend and colleague and remain committed to the work he began.

Magnet Cove

Arkansas

Basic Information

Type of Place
Independent City or Town
Metro Area
Politics c. 1860?
Unions, Organized Labor?

Sundown Town Status

Sundown Town in the Past?
Probable
Was there an ordinance?
Sign?
Year of Greatest Interest
Still Sundown?
Probably

Census Information

The available census data from 1860 to the present
Total White Black Asian Native Hispanic Other BHshld
1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020

Method of Exclusion

  • Threat of Violence
  • Reputation

Main Ethnic Group(s)

Group(s) Excluded

  • Black

Comments

7/2007

One source wrote: “I pretty much grew up in a Sundown Town. I went to school and lived in Magnet Cove, Arkansas. It’s a small community in between Malvern and Hot Springs, Arkansas. We were never taught this stuff because for one thing my school was all white. In fact, it was one of the few all white schools in Arkansas. Magnet Cove had a history of burning crosses in African American’s yards if they ever moved in to the community. Even in the early 80s, an African Amercian family moved in to the community and were out very quickly after someone burned crosses in their yard. I had a best friend who I worked with in Hot Springs who was black and invited her to my graduation in 1996. Her mother would not allow her to come because she knew the history of Magnet Cove and was afraid for her daughter’s life. In my school, if you were know to be friends with bl!ack people, you instantly looked down upon and called N— Lover and was considered to be white trash.

Things have slowly changed though in Magnet Cove, I graduated in 1996 and went to a football game in 2001, we had one black person in the band and a black person in the stands. That is a huge accomplishment for Magnet Cove. I’m not for sure how many blacks are living in Magnet now because I moved away. But hopefully things are getting better for the community.”