Biohazard Cleanup Near East Letona Letona, AR

Letona is a small incorporated town in White County in central Arkansas, on Highway 310 nearly ten miles north of Searcy, the county seat.

The Letona area is where White County's settlement began: John and Nancy Magness, the first white settlers in the county, arrived there in 1815.

The town rose as a stop on the Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad, where the Doniphan Lumber Company had a depot; the post office took the name Letona in 1908, apparently honoring a railroad man, though local tradition holds that the name belonged to a Native American maiden.

Letona grew rapidly around the railroad and was incorporated as a town on September 23, 1911.

Letona became a center of the timber industry and of agriculture - especially fruit growing - in northern White County.

Longtime residents recall a busier era when the little railroad town had at least eight stores, a cafe, and a doctor's office.

Three Letona structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: its early hotel, a corn crib, and the Wesley March House.

The 2020 census counted 240 people in Letona, just below its modern peak of 255 in 2010; in 2000 the town had 201 residents living in 80 households.

The town covers only about 0.39 square miles, all of it land, making it one of Arkansas's more compact incorporated towns.

Letona supports a volunteer fire department and a community center, and local events often double as fundraisers for the fire department.