According to encyclopediaofarkansas.net, Havana is a second class city located on Hwy. 10 between the Ozark National Forrest to the north and the Ouachita National Forest to the south. Highway 309 winds north from Havana to Mount Magazine and Blue Mountain Lake on the Petit Jean River is a few miles west of Havana. Our small city is the birthplace and childhood home of three major league pitchers, the most renowned of whom is Johnny Sain.

Before Havana was incorporated in 1900, several names were given to the small settlement that was developing on the north side of the Petit Jean River. Marvinville was the earliest name given to the settlement which was a stopping-point on the Military Road which connected Dardanelle and Booneville. The community was home to three doctors, several stores, a cotton gin, a sawmill, a blacksmith shop, and a post office. After the Civil War, the same settlement was known as Gardener Station, named for Rickard H. Gardener, a doctor and Confederate veteran. When a railroad line was first constructed through Yell County in 1898, the line passed a mile east of the community, so residents decided to relocate the settlement. O.J. Ferguson provided the land for the city site, and G.W. Greene surveyed the lots. The city was first named Greenville, but the name was changed to Havana in 1903, presumably to avoid confusion with the other towns named Greenville. No record was kept reporting why the name Havana was selected.

The development of Mount Magazine by the U.S. Forest Service  was assisted by both the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Association (WPA). The Petit Jean River was dammed west of Havana in the 1940’s, creating Blue Mountain Lake, a popular location for freshwater recreation including fishing and boating.

Latitude and Longitude: 35º06’40″N 093º31’41″W
Elevation: 381 feet
Area: 0.60 square miles (2020 Census)
Population: 239 (2020 Census)
Incorporation Date: April 19, 1900