GREERS FERRY

Greers Ferry, established and incorporated in 1968, quickly grew to become the second-largest city in Cleburne County. Named for the dam and lake that were constructed between 1959 and 1964, the community was created by some of the displaced citizens of older towns and settlements of the area. It exists in the twenty-first century primarily as a center of tourist activity.

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Thomas C. Stark was the first settler to arrive in the area, establishing his homestead in the 1850s. Jess Pillam operated a store for settlers in the area, and, eventually, four tiny farming communities arose in the wooded area along the Little Red River in Cleburne County. Evening Shade, Post Oak, and Lone Pine each had one-room schoolhouses, and Stark had a post office that was opened on January 31, 1899, but closed on June 30, 1917. Post Oak also had a store, and Evening Shade had a Baptist church. Residents of the area received their mail at the Shiloh (Cleburne County) post office. In 1946, the scattered school districts of the area were consolidated into the West Side School District.  West Side School District is still in operation and is one of Cleburne County's best K-12 Schools.