Caney Valley (Pike County)

Caney Valley of Pike County is a community located about five miles west of Amity (Clark County) and six miles northeast of Kirby (Pike County). The area was formerly known as Pine Land.

The first landowner in the area was Micajah McCawley, who obtained eighty acres in 1860. Caney Valley remained sparsely settled until after the Civil War, and other several land patents were issued in 1882. The families in the area grew numerous crops, including corn, cotton, wheat, oats, sweet potatoes, and melons. Some of the timber in the area began to be harvested in the late 1800s and shipped to nearby mills in Amity.

A post office operated in the community from 1883 to 1890, when service was consolidated with Amity. The name Caney Valley comes from Caney Creek that runs to the north of the community. No evidence suggests that any stores operated in the area.

Caney Valley Missionary Baptist Church was organized in 1885 through the efforts of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Glenwood. Caney Valley Missionary Baptist Church continues to operate in the twenty-first century, though no longer in the original building.

A school operated in Caney Valley in the early twentieth century, although the exact opening date is unknown. It consolidated with the Kirby School District in 1947. Students from the community later began attending schools in the Centerpoint District.

The community is sparsely populated, and residents work in nearby towns. J. and J. Lumber Company operates in the area.

For additional information:
Pike County Heritage Club. Early History of Pike County, Arkansas: The First One Hundred Years. Murfreesboro: Pike County Heritage Club, 1978.

David Sesser
Henderson State University