Hazen in Prairie County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)

Hazen Rock Island Railroad Depot

Photographed by Ashley Sides, February 18, 2026

1. Hazen Rock Island Railroad Depot Marker

Inscription. Hazen began in the early 1870s as a small refueling station at William Hazen’s place on Arkansas’s oldest railroad line, the Memphis & Little Rock. The settlement grew as the station became a regional transportation hub for agricultural goods, like prairie hay, cotton, and dairy products. In 1902 the Rock Island Railroad took over the route. The rapid economic and population growth that came with large-scale commercial rice production after 1904 prompted the Rock Island to build this depot in 1915 to replace an earlier, smaller one. The depot served both the Rock Island and the Cotton Belt Railroads.

The Hazen depot was the arrival point for many settlers to the region, including German immigrants and others attracted by publicity campaigns of the Rock Island Railroad. In its heyday, the station was a center for regional transit and helped link Hazen to the rest of the state and nation. Passenger service ended in 1967, and the depot closed in 1976. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. The architecture of the depot—its brick and stucco surfaces, tile roof, prominent gables, and elements of

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the Craftsman and Tudor Revival styles—are common in Rock Island Railroad depots of the early twentieth century.

Erected 2025 by Hazen Historical Society and Arkansas Heritage. (Marker Number 48.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the Arkansas Heritage series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1915.

Location. 34° 46.84′ N, 91° 34.772′ W. Marker is in Hazen, Arkansas, in Prairie County. It is at the intersection of East Front Street and North Livermore Street, on the right when traveling east on East Front Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 157 E North Front St, Hazen AR 72064, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Mississippi Delta.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

Hazen Rock Island Railroad Depot Marker Reverse image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Ashley Sides, February 18, 2026

2. Hazen Rock Island Railroad Depot Marker Reverse

the Louisiana Purchase,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Dr. William Cogswell Hazen (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Kocourek and Son Hardware Store (about 300 feet away); Central Arkansas & Eastern RR and the Cotton Belt Route (approx. 0.2 miles away); DeValls Bluff: A Key Union Base (approx. 6.9 miles away); Common Ground for Many Soldiers (approx. 6.9 miles away); War on the White River (approx. 6.9 miles away); Why DeValls Bluff (approx. 6.9 miles away); DeValls Bluff in the Civil War (approx. 6.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hazen.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.

Photographed by Ashley Sides, February 18, 2026

3. Hazen Rock Island Railroad Depot Marker Reverse

Credits. This page was last revised on March 13, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 10, 2026, by Ashley Sides of Little Rock, Arkansas. This page has been viewed 21 times since then. Photos: 1. submitted on March 10, 2026, by Ashley Sides of Little Rock, Arkansas. 2. submitted on March 10, 2026. 3. submitted on March 10, 2026, by Ashley Sides of Little Rock, Arkansas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.