Brookland

Brookland is a small community that abuts Jonesboro’s northeast corner in Craighead County. The town developed out of its earlier relationship with Greensboro, which was Craighead County’s largest settlement when the county was established in 1859. When the Cotton Belt and Iron Mountain railroads came through the area in 1882, they completely passed Greensboro, but both crossed the nearby farm of Albert Brooks. Brooks negotiated with both railroads to construct depots and plat a town on his land. Though there was already a post office in the area named Powell, it was changed to Brookland, and the town began to grow and thrive with numerous businesses, churches, a school, a hotel, a saloon, three doctors and a druggist.  Greensboro, however, became a ghost town. Some former residents moved to Paragould or Jonesboro, but most moved to Brookland.

Brookland was incorporated in 1911 and continued to thrive until the Great Depression, when stores began closing and people started moving away. Rather than fading into oblivion, as had happened with Greensboro, Brookland became a thriving bedroom community for Jonesboro, Craighead’s rapidly growing county seat. Although a bypass built early in the 21^st century has routed traffic around Brookland, it remains a bedroom community, with a population just over 1500, a school district, a number of churches, a few dozen businesses, and a live music venue.