Fleming (Hot Spring County)

Fleming is an unincorporated community located in Hot Spring County about five miles south of Malvern (Hot Spring County) and six miles northwest of Lono (Hot Spring County).

One of the earliest landowners in the area was Isiah Salyers, who obtained a federal land patent for 120 acres in 1857. More extensive settlement took place after the Civil War, with Oliver Norwood obtaining a patent for eighty acres in 1885. In the 1880 federal census, Norwood appeared as a farmer living with his wife, Margaret, and their five sons and two daughters in Hot Spring County. In 1903, Norwood (or his oldest son who shared the same name) obtained an additional eighty acres to the north.

Nathan Stiles received a patent for 160 acres in 1889, and George Carroll received a patent for 160 acres in 1890. Frederick Behrens obtained 160 acres of land in 1892. John Sesser obtained 120 acres of land just west of the community in 1893.

A post office opened in Fleming in 1909 under the direction of postmaster Will Fleming, for whom the community was named. It operated until 1919, when service for the area became part of a rural route based in Rolla (Hot Spring County), located about six miles to the southeast. The Rolla Post Office operated until 1973, when service transferred to the Malvern office. Will Fleming appears in the 1910 census and is listed as a farmer. He resided with his wife, Lena, and their four daughters and son.

Little is known about the community. The residents of the area operated small-scale farms, and the community likely only supported the post office. Residents of the area attended school, worshipped, and shopped in nearby communities. Some former residents of the area are buried in the L’Eau Fraiz United Methodist Church, located about three miles south of Fleming.

Today, the area is served by the Malvern Post Office and the Malvern School District. Much of the surrounding land is used for raising cattle or timber production. Residents typically work in those industries or commute to other nearby communities for employment.

For additional information:
Hendrix, Rupert. “Ops P.O./Fleming P.O.” The Heritage 10 (1983): 64–65.

David Sesser
Southeastern Louisiana University