Town file
Malvern, Arkansas
Malvern, Arkansas (Hot Spring County, Arkansas) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 238, "The Devil, The Darkness & The Cheerleader" (26 August 2021). Julie Diane Heath was eighteen years old in the autumn of 1993 and living in Malvern, Arkansas, a town of about ten thousand people in Hot Spring County, some forty-five minutes from Little Rock.
- Town
- Malvern
- County
- Hot Spring County
- State
- Arkansas
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 238
- Approximate location
- 34.374, -92.821
Episode 238 / 26 August 2021 / 158 min / full
The Devil, The Darkness & The Cheerleader
""Melvern, Arkansas", central Arkansas, about forty-five minutes from Little Rock; "this is in Hot Spring County"" about 0:07:09
The case: Murder of Julie Heath (October 1993). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2021
- Population
- 10,788
- Median age
- 38
- Median household income
- $31,516
- Median home value
- $68,100
- Two-bedroom rent
- $561
- Cost of living
- 68
- Religious
- 48%
- Property crime
- just about average
- Violent crime
- about average, maybe a hair low
History, in brief
- The town's motto is "the brick capital of the world"; bricks used to be made there. about 0:09:02
- Malvern was founded in 1870 by railroad companies, as a stop between other railroad towns. about 0:10:02
- It became the county seat of Hot Spring County in 1878. about 0:10:18
- The first inhabitants were Native Amans, followed by trappers, hunters, hill folk and farmers. about 0:10:26
- The Diamond Joe railroad line was established by a Chicago businessman who was tired of bumpy stagecoach roads. about 0:10:45
- Malvern was the closest railroad station to Hot Springs and the only railroad into Hot Springs for fifteen years. about 0:11:36
- During the Second World War many residents left for war jobs in California and Los Angeles, writing home about wages of 88 cents an hour. about 0:11:58
- In 1954 the black residents of nearby Sheridan were moved to Malvern so Sheridan could be an all-white town; sawmill owner Jack Williams offered them homes in Malvern or threatened to fire, evict and burn their homes. about 0:13:43
The reviews read out
5 stars
"A great place to live with friendly people; wishes for growth, occupied downtown buildings and more businesses than pizza, Mexican food and dollar stores, but praises the river park."about 0:14:30
4 stars
"Grew up there, everyone knows everyone, a small town with some storefronts left on Main Street and a close community like one big family."about 0:14:55
2 stars
"Lots of drug and violence problems; the city plans to tear down much of historical Main Street to build a new police department, which breaks the writer's heart."about 0:15:25
2 stars
"Wants more jobs; local businesses closing make it look like a ghost town run by police who think they are above the law, with lawns and rubbish unchecked."about 0:15:53
2 stars
"Getting bad, with drugs and violence making it dangerous for children; sees young and old skipping school and going to jail and would rather live elsewhere."about 0:16:29
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Bryant, Arkansas25 miles
- Mount Ida, Arkansas48 miles
- Cabot, Arkansas61 miles
- Austin, Arkansas64 miles
- Magnolia, Arkansas79 miles
- Kensett, Arkansas88 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.