24/7 Trauma and Biohazard Cleanup in Knobel, AR

Knobel (pronounced 'NO-bul') is a small city in Clay County in the northeastern corner of Arkansas, about seven miles south of Corning.

Knobel began in the 1870s as a stop on the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway, and a post office named Knobel was operating there by 1874.

In 1884 the railroad built a large hotel, the Knobel House, a town was platted shortly afterward, and Knobel incorporated on November 14, 1896.

The lowland country around Knobel was frequently flooded by the Mississippi River and was shaken by the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812, so northeastern Arkansas remained sparsely settled until after the Civil War.

Knobel grew into a minor agricultural and lumber center — early accounts describe large lumber and veneer mills, a flour mill, a bank and a number of stores — and the city remains surrounded by rich farmland.

Knobel's population peaked at 503 in the 1980 census and then fell sharply; the 2020 census counted 147 residents, while the 2000 census had recorded 358 people in 144 households.

On January 21, 1999, a violent F4 tornado hit areas around Knobel.

Knobel is one of the incorporated cities of Clay County, a county named for statesman Henry Clay that is unusual for having two county seats, Corning and Piggott.