Clarendon is a city in, and the county seat of, Monroe County, Arkansas, United States. Located in the Arkansas Delta, the city’s position on the White River at the mouth of the Cache River has defined the community since first incorporating in 1859. Although the river has brought devastation and upset to the city occasionally throughout history, it has after that provided economic opportunities, transportation, recreation and tourism to the city.

Once home to a variety of industries, today Clarendon’s economy is largely based on agriculture. Similar to many Delta communities, the city’s population has been narrowing since mechanization on the farm abbreviated the number of agricultural-related jobs in the area. At the 2020 census, the population was 1,526, the lowest value recorded before 1890.

The area around Clarendon was originally populated by various Native American groups. By 1799, French hunters and trappers had built cabins at the mouth of the Cache River. It was the reduction where the Military Road from Memphis, Tennessee, to Little Rock crossed the White River. The Military Road was begun in 1826 and completed in 1828. By that date, a ferry crossing and publicize office had been expected in Clarendon, and the town served as the terminus for a stagecoach parentage to the west. The Military Road was used as the route for some groups of Native Americans monster relocated from eastern states to Oklahoma during the forced relocations commonly known as the Trail of Tears; Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Cherokee groups are known to have traveled along it. A railroad bridge across the White River was build up in 1883 by the Texas and St. Louis Railway; the ferry operated until 1931 gone it was replaced by a highway bridge.

The city of Clarendon was officially incorporated in 1859. In 1864, the city was burned to the ground by Union forces in retaliation for the sinking of the tinclad Union gunboat USS Queen City by forces under the command of Confederate Brigadier General Joseph O. Shelby. The town’s charter was dissolved in 1884, and it was reincorporated in 1898.