Watson Chapel, Pine Bluff, Arkansas


Watson Chapel is a neighborhood in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. It is located at the fork of Highway 79 and Highway 54, directly southwest of downtown Pine Bluff.

History

Watson Chapel was once a frontier town named after Methodist minister Benjamin Watson, who settled in nearby Sulphur Springs in the 1870s. Watson later converted to Presbyterianism and founded a church and school which were named Watson's Chapel. On April 5, 1880, the school district was formed, with the school still meeting in Rev. Watson's church until a separate school building was erected in 1898.

Education

Watson Chapel is served by the Watson Chapel School District, including Watson Chapel High School.
The Pine Bluff-Jefferson County Library System operates the Watson Chapel Dave Burdick Library, near the high school and along U.S. Highway 79. Its namesake is a man who served as a library director from 1991 until 2012.