Ferndale
Ferndale is a small community in western Pulaski County, Arkansas. Ferndale is becoming suburbanized as Little Rock encroaches from the east. The town is centered on the intersection of Kanis Road and Ferndale Congo/Ferndale Cutoff.
Ferndale was settled by homesteader William Isaac "W.I." Grimmett in the mid-nineteenth century. His grandson William Grimmett continues to live in the area and is a local leader. Four other families also helped settle the area, including the White's, McHughes', Koons', and another branch of the Grimmett's.
Electricity reached the community in 1936. The area remained chiefly rural and agricultural until the road to Walnut Grove was paved in 1946. The only road into Ferndale in those days was what became known as Kanis Road. Students were bussed from the old Mountain View Service Station into Joe T. Robinson School for their education. The earliest fire station in the area was the Pilgrim Volunteer Fire Department. The old local Doe Branch Post Office is still in existence, as is the Spring Valley Cemetery.
Today there are two convenience stores with gas pumps at the main intersection in town: Ferndale Grocery and the Bear Creek Store. Students now attend schools in the Pulaski County School District: Chenal Elementary School, Baker Elementary School, Robinson Elementary School, Robinson Middle School, and Robinson High School. The town also supports two churches: Pleasant Grove Baptist Church and Cross Point Church. There are three camps/centers in the area: the C. A. Vines Arkansas 4-H Center, the Ferncliff Presbyterian Camp and Conference Center, and the Joseph Pfeifer Camp.
