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Like many beloved Arkansas towns, Cabot traces its roots to the railroad. Though the city is the largest in Lonoke County, it wasn’t the first settlement. In 1822, settlers established nearby Austin, which had various names, including Oakland. The first store opened in 1848, and Austin became the town’s preferred name in 1858. The town grew steadily and boasted several stores, a school, a mill, saloons, and at least two churches. It was briefly a stop for the Butterfield Overland stagecoach and mail service.
The Civil War greatly affected the small city. Confederate troops gathered at Camp Hope, four miles from present-day Cabot. Several highly contagious diseases ravaged the camp in 1862, including measles, typhoid and mumps. The camp suffered heavy losses, with as many as 1,500 deaths. These soldiers were buried outside the camp, and the dead included Confederate Brigadier General Allison Nelson, who was interred in Mount Holly Cemetery in Little Rock. Afterward Nelson’s death, the camp was renamed Camp Nelson in his honor.
Austin barely survived the Civil War. Union forces used lumber from the town to build temporary quarters. When the war ended, not much was left. At the same time, the Cairo & Fulton Railroad was building a line through the area. Ultimately, they laid tracks a mile away from Austin, creating Austin Station, which eventually became Austin. The former Austin became known as Old Austin. The railroad needed a water and fuel stop on the line, and the railroad chose Cabot’s location. The city was named after railroad executive George Cabot Ward.
While Cabot initially grew around the railroad, it wasn’t long before it established an identity of its own. The railroad initially transported crops grown in the area, especially cotton. Cabot also became known for its tomato crops and dairy farms. Where families once simply owned a dairy cow that provided milk for the entire family, now many people were moving away from farming, and nearby Little Rock needed milk delivered each day. Dairy farmers from Cabot were part of a group of farmers that formed the Central Arkansas Milk Producers Association. Strawberries also became an important crop in Cabot in the 1950s, and local farmers have continued to produce strawberries for farmers’ markets. The annual Strawberry Festival held in Cabot honors this tradition.
Although farming played an important part in Cabot’s history, the city increasingly became a bedroom community to Little Rock as the capital city grew. It is 30 minutes from Little Rock, which makes the city far enough away to have its own identity but close enough for many to commute to the capital. With a population of 27,000, Cabot is a nice small city to call home. In 1976, much of Cabot’s business district was destroyed by a tornado. Every fall, Cabot celebrates Cabotfest, a festival originally started in 1978 to commemorate the town’s recovery from the tornado. Little Rock Air Force Base was established in 1955, only 15 minutes away from Cabot, providing employees with an easy commute to the base.
Like many small towns, Cabot is in the midst of revitalizing its downtown district. Railyard Park and Pavilion recently opened and provides residents with an inclusive downtown park and a place to host events. The city seeks to draw more businesses to the area, including a brewpub, and has initiated an art walk project to showcase the new large-scale murals.
Cabot is also home to many recreational opportunities, including its newest park and The Grounds, which currently features Game Time, a 128,000-square-foot facility with indoor space that can transition from volleyball courts to pickleball to basketball. This unique facility serves as a local recreational site but also as a regional sports site. The Grounds is still in development and will eventually be home to mountain bike trails, an important connection to Arkansas’s growing identity as a mountain biking destination. Jogging trails, a skate park and a pump track will complete this 230-acre park.
Camp Nelson Confederate Cemetery still exists four miles from Cabot, where it honors those who died in the camp with 429 limestone tombstones. Cabot is also included in the plan to extend the Central Arkansas Regional Greenways to connect these communities for pedestrians and cyclists. Another place of interest is the Museum of American History, which has a collection of over 5,000 artifacts representing Cabot, Central Arkansas, and the United States.
Cabot is experiencing growth as more people recognize its excellent location and its dynamic small-town vibe. With an excellent school system, access to a 24-hour emergency hospital, and a growing business community, Cabot is one of Central Arkansas’s best places to live.
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