Gosnell

History

From 1350CE to 1700CE, the area was inhabited by a Late Mississippian Culture. Eaker Site, due east of modern Gosnell, contained a palisade, defensive trench, and a temple mound. While not confirmed, it is possible that the area was visited by members of Desoto's Expedition in 1540. Following the Treaty of Fort Clark in 1808, a number of Creek, Shawnee, and Delaware families moved to the north end of Mississippi County, settling in and around future Gosnell and the Big Lake area. Most notable of these was Chickasawba, a Shawnee man who lived at Big Lake and sold honey to riverboat passengers at Barfield Landing in the early 1800s. According to local lore, he died in 1831 and was buried at the foot of the Late Mississippian mound south of modern Gosnell. Much of the land between Blytheville and Big Lake was purchased in the late 1800s by Lemuel W. Gosnell, a merchant and farmer from Tennessee. In time, the community came to be named for him. L.W. Gosnell originally came to Mississippi County in 1876, working as a store clerk at Barfield Landing and Blytheville before becoming a partner in a general store in Blytheville. The small community received its first railroad service sometime prior to 1903, after the Paragould and Southeastern Railroad extended its line from Hornersville, Missouri to Chickasawba, Arkansas (now eastern Blytheville). Following the railroad's construction past the western edge of the neighboring North Sawba community, a post office, named Gosnell, was established, with Mervyn Gosnell, the eldest son of L.W. Gosnell, serving as the first post master. By the mid-1920's, Gosnell opened its own one room schoolhouse. For over a decade, the school was overseen by Superintendent C.F. Cooper, who oversaw the growth of the school and the addition of a…

Geography

Gosnell is located in the Arkansas Delta in northern Mississippi County. It is bordered to the east by the city of Blytheville, the county seat. The Missouri state line is less than to the north. According to the United States Census Bureau, Gosnell has a total area of , all land. The Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge, which preserves some of the bottomland hardwood forest typical of this ecoregion prior to development for row agriculture, lies west of Gosnell. Leaving Blytheville on Chickasawba Street, one reaches Gosnell Road. Upon traveling one comes to the place of the famous Chickasawba Indian Mound 25 feet high and base circumference approximately 130 feet. This mound most likely served as either a Signal or a Temple Mound as no pottery or skeleton bones have been found here.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  490
• Killdeer

  Charadrius vociferus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  390
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  348
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  312
• Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

  Ardea herodias Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  302
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  272
• Hen Harrier

  Circus cyaneus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  247
• Bald Eagle

  Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  243

Largest nearby schools

• GOSNELL HIGH SCHOOL
  High · GOSNELL · 612 students · 10.9:1 ratio
• GOSNELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · GOSNELL · 561 students · 14:1 ratio
• BLYTHEVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
  High · BLYTHEVILLE · 460 students · 10.2:1 ratio
• BLYTHEVILLE PRIMARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · BLYTHEVILLE · 431 students · 18.7:1 ratio
• BLYTHEVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · BLYTHEVILLE · 366 students · 19.3:1 ratio
• BLYTHEVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · BLYTHEVILLE · 324 students · 12:1 ratio
• KIPP BLYTHEVILLE COLLEGE PREPARATORY SCHOOL
  Elementary · BLYTHEVILLE · 258 students · 17.2:1 ratio
• KIPP BLYTHEVILLE COLLEGIATE HIGH SCHOOL
  High · BLYTHEVILLE · 134 students · 13.4:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.63 — 2026-08-04
  6 km ENE of Steele, Missouri
• M 2.64 — 2026-05-15
  8 km NW of Tiptonville, Tennessee
• M 4 — 2026-04-23
  1 km WNW of Cooter, Missouri
• M 2.84 — 2026-03-02
  3 km NW of Marston, Missouri
• M 2.52 — 2025-12-30
  12 km WNW of Newbern, Tennessee
• M 2.59 — 2025-12-03
  1 km NNW of Cooter, Missouri