Sanders (Hot Spring County)

Sanders is an unincorporated community in Hot Spring County located about one mile northeast of De Roche (Hot Spring County) and thirteen miles west of Malvern (Hot Spring County). The community is along Arkansas Highway 128 just north of its intersection with Arkansas Highway 84.

The community’s name came from early settler Elihu Sanders. Sanders received a Federal Land Patent for forty acres in the area in 1850. Born in North Carolina, Sanders operated a farm and lived with his wife, Margaret Sanders, and their eight children according to the 1850 federal census. A post office operated from 1886 to 1917. Sources show that Sanders served as the initial postmaster and that the post office was named in his honor, but the Sanders who served as postmaster was likely Elihu’s son. A nearby creek is also named Sanders Creek in honor of a member of the family.

Another early settler in the area was Jeremiah Williams, who received a patent for eighty acres of land in 1855. Born in Virginia, Williams appeared on the 1850 census with his wife, Mary Williams, and daughter Esther. He owned $100 of property and worked as a farmer.

A school operated in the Sanders community in the early twentieth century, although the dates are unknown. Never a large community, Sanders had only a few businesses. By the twenty-first century, a general store was operating at the intersection of Arkansas Highways 84 and 128, and other businesses were located in nearby De Roche. The Prince Cemetery is located in the community, with graves dating to 1874, and it continues to be used in the twenty-first century.

The community remains heavily forested with some pastureland. A major landowner in Sanders is the Ross Foundation, a philanthropic organization started by businesswoman Jane Ross of Arkadelphia (Clark County). Agriculture remains the major industry, with residents also commuting to employment in other nearby towns. Prairie Bayou Church of Christ is located south of the community and includes a cemetery. Postal service for the community is provided by the offices in Bismarck (Hot Spring County) and Malvern.

For additional information:
Foreman, Vera. “Bruce M. Foreman (1908–1973) and Early Ancestors.” The Heritage 12 (1985): 2–4.

White, Floyd. “John Henry White/Phenia Angeline Siratt Family.” The Heritage 22 (1995): 128–131.

David Sesser
Southeastern Lousiana University