DEWITT, Ark. — In the middle of Arkansas County lies the beautiful town of DeWitt.
The debate has carried on about how to properly pronounce the name of this small town since it was founded in the 1850s. With a debate that's lasted as long as this, we wanted answers so we went straight to the source-- Mayor James Black Junior.
"I could see how it may be called [Dee]witt, but I was quickly corrected by the town folks who said no it’s [Duh]witt," Mayor Black said.
Flashback years ago to Dewitt's founding and slips of paper were drawn to determine who would get to pick the town's name.
That honor would go to Surveyor Adam McCool, who won the right and chose to honor DeWitt Clinton, a New York politician and sponsor of the Erie Canal.
"They wanted to name the town Clinton but there was already a town in north Arkansas named Clinton, so they settled with DeWitt," Mayor Black said.
The town's mayor is very proud of his home and so are his citizens. There's a pride in Dewitt that's unmistakable.
"It’s a really nice town. I didn’t grow up here, I moved here and I’ve been here for 32 years. I really like living here, my wife and I do," Mayor Black said.