Legend tells that Samuel McCormick had been a resident of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and named the town for his former home. Other reports said Mr. McCormick named the town Carlisle for a friend who was a senator in another state.
Carlisle became an incorporated town August 28, 1878. The mayor-council form of government was chosen. An election was held; John Marshall was elected mayor, and B. D. Muzzy, recorder. The Town Council passed such by-laws and ordinances as were needed at the time.
The earliest official population recorded after the incorporation showed 150 but by 1914 the town had a population of 1,200. A special census in December 1977 set the current population at 2,280.
Some of the earlier settlers of Carlisle in addition to the above mentioned were J. W. Cook, Charles W. Turrentine, O. T. Muzzy, A. Emonson, W. J. D. Alexander, Alfred Osborn and Opie Read.
Opie Read published the first newspaper, The Prairie Flower. He also owned one of the first business buildings on Front Street, a two-story structure housing several stores and a doctor's office. Mr. Read boarded at the Turrentine Hotel, built where Jay's Supermarket is now located. Unable to pay his board, Mr. Read moved into an old empty railroad car sitting on the side track. Legend further states that one night a train hooked to the car and pulled it to DeValls Bluff with Mr. Read in it, thus ending The Prairie Flower in Carlisle.
The New Departure, published by A. Emonson, was founded a short time later, and in September 1889, a second newspaper, The Carlisle Enterprise, was established by the Carlisle Publishing Company. The establishment of The Carlisle Citizen, published by W. B. Williams, followed in 1892.
The weekly Carlisle Independent was established in 1905; T. P. Young and the Broadwell brothers were early editors and publishers. Ernest Ellis edited and published the Independent for about seven years; he was succeeded by Jewell Matthews and then Clifford R. Griffin. In November 1916, the Carlisle paper was bought by E. M. Williams, who was editor and publisher for more than 26 years until his death in 1943.
The newspaper was willed to three employees: Al Sadler, Mrs. Blanche Lambert, and her son Charles Lambert. The three continued to operate the paper until April 1963, when it was sold to Come and Betty Magie and Joe Harris, who currently edit and publish the Independent.
The railroad has played an important part in Carlisle since the early 1800s. Some very important people visited Carlisle by rail. In 1905, President Teddy Roosevelt spoke from the platform of the train to a large crowd after and address at Little Rock. In 1912, President Taft stopped to address a crowd that had gathered near the depot.
The Hagenback Animal Show, the largest in the world at the time, spent a day and night in Carlisle. This was after the World's Fair of 1904-05 in St. Louis. The show was between engagements and had to have a place to feed and water the animals. Carlisle was chosen and many came from miles around to see.
Historians generally agree W. H. Fuller introduced rice to the Grand Prairie. In 1896, while on a hunting trip, Mr. Fuller observed rice being grown and harvested in Louisiana. He decided to experiment in Arkansas.
He went to Louisiana, bought a well rig, seed rice and well materials, loaded a car and came back to Lonoke County in the fall of 1903. During the winter of 1903-04, he put down a well and installed machinery. He received $1,000 in financial help from the people of Hazen, Carlisle and vicinity for his crop which yielded 5,225 bushels from 70 acres of land. The cost of raising this crop was $3,147.50 which included the cost of putting down the well, machinery and raising the crop. The first crop started the rice business in the area and proved to the people there was profit in raising it. The John Morris farm, in Carlisle, was also used that year for rice experimentation. It was on this farm that irrigation was first tried in Arkansas.
