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The site now occupied by the town of Camden was originally known as Ecore Fabre, or Fabre's Bluff. It was named after the first recorded European who settled at the location, a Frenchman named Fabre.

The establishment of a more permanent settlement by 1820 resulted in the community becoming the county seat in 1843.

The town was renamed Camden in 1844 by General Thomas Woodward who named it in remembrance of his boyhood home in Alabama.

The geographical location of Camden has always played an important role in its development. The Ouachita River was a major transportation route into southeastern Arkansas, and Camden's position on the waterway was advantageous to the community's economic growth.

Camden's most important early industry was cotton. The land surrounding the town was well suited to growing cotton crops, and its position on the Ouachita River contributed to a booming cotton trade as well.

At the beginning of the Civil War, Camden was a bustling town boasting of he second highest population in the State. With the fall of Little Rock, Camden was heavily fortified in anticipation of an invasion. On April 15, 1864, federal General Frederick Steele and the Union Army took Camden. Even with the time spent fortifying the city, the rebels withdrew to the west to help protect the new Confederate State Capitol at Washington, and Steele's army met little resistance in overtaking and then occupying the town. Union troops occupied Camden for 13 days and after suffering defeats at Poison Spring and Marks Mills, withdrew back to Little Rock.

After the war, Camden became a regional transportation hub after 1873 when the Iron Mountain Railway constructed a branch from its Missouri-Texas line through Gurdon to Camden. Later other railroad companies including the Chicago Rock Island, Missouri Pacific and St. Louis Southwestern ran lines into and through Camden.

For related article on Ecore Fabre/Camden see:

Vol. 4 No. 3, March, 1973, Ouachita County Historical Quarterly

Vol.5 No. 4, June, 1974, Ouachita County Historical Quarterly


The site now occupied by the town of Camden was originally known as Ecore Fabre, or Fabre's Bluff. It was named after the first recorded European who settled at the location, a Frenchman named Fabre. The establishment of a more permanent settlement by 1820 resulted in the community becoming the county seat in 1843. The town was renamed Camden in 1844 by General Thomas Woodward who named it in remembrance of his boyhood home in Alabama. The geographical location of Camden has always played an important role in its development. The Ouachita River was a major transportation route into southeastern Arkansas, and Camden's position on the waterway was advantageous to the community's economic growth. Camden's most important early industry was cotton. The land surrounding the town was well suited to growing cotton crops, and its position on the Ouachita River contributed to a booming cotton trade as well. At the beginning of the Civil War, Camden was a bustling town boasting of he second highest population in the State. With the fall of Little Rock, Camden was heavily fortified in anticipation of an invasion. On April 15, 1864, federal General Frederick Steele and the Union Army took Camden. Even with the time spent fortifying the city, the rebels withdrew to the west to help protect the new Confederate State Capitol at Washington, and Steele's army met little resistance in overtaking and then occupying the town. Union troops occupied Camden for 13 days and after suffering defeats at Poison Spring and Marks Mills, withdrew back to Little Rock. After the war, Camden became a regional transportation hub after 1873 when the Iron Mountain Railway constructed a branch from its Missouri-Texas line through Gurdon to Camden. Later other railroad companies including the Chicago Rock Island, Missouri Pacific and St. Louis Southwestern ran lines into and through Camden. For related article on Ecore Fabre/Camden see: Vol. 4 No. 3, March, 1973, Ouachita County Historical Quarterly Vol.5 No. 4, June, 1974, Ouachita County Historical Quarterly