Arkansas Highway 15: Altheimer to England

Travel with us as we drive northbound for 19 quiet, rural miles along Arkansas Highway 15, starting near Altheimer and ending in the agricultural town of England. This peaceful stretch of eastern Arkansas highway offers a relaxing ride through Delta farmland and historic communities, blending modern-day farm operations with remnants of an older Arkansas way of life.

We begin our journey at the junction of U.S. Highway 79 Business and Arkansas Highway 15, just outside of Altheimer—a small town once home to one of the state’s earliest Jewish immigrant communities. From here, AR-15 angles northeast briefly before swinging southwest to reach the town of Sherrill. This sharp curve reflects the region’s historic settlement patterns, as the road hugs old field lines and drainage systems. Sherrill itself is a small community with fewer than 100 residents, but its history as a stop along the Cotton Belt railway still lingers in the layout and architecture.

Leaving Sherrill, AR-15 straightens out and heads due north across classic Arkansas Delta scenery—flat, fertile land crisscrossed by irrigation ditches, punctuated by grain silos and rows of cotton or soybeans depending on the season. Along this route we pass near Tucker, known historically for the Tucker Unit, one of the oldest operating prison facilities in the state. Though not a tourist attraction, its legacy is an important piece of Arkansas’s penal and agricultural history. The highway here is quiet and lightly traveled, but serves as a key connector between these small communities and the larger highways leading to Pine Bluff and Little Rock.

As we close in on the northern terminus of AR-15, the landscape begins to show signs of a more developed town. Entering England, the road transitions from rural farmland to the heart of a small but proud agricultural town. England is best known for its role in Arkansas’s rice and soybean economy and is home to the annual England Community Festival. Our drive concludes at the intersection with U.S. Highway 165, which connects travelers onward to North Little Rock or southward toward Stuttgart and the Grand Prairie.

Whether you’re a local retracing familiar roads or a traveler exploring the Delta, this stretch of Arkansas Highway 15 offers a reflective ride through farmland, history, and the subtle beauty of eastern Arkansas.