Plummerville in Conway County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)
Conway County in the Civil War / Murder of John Clayton
Photographed By Mark Hilton, August 3, 2016
1. Conway County in the Civil War Marker
Side 1
Conway County men served in both the Union and Confederate armies in the Civil War. Co. I, 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles, Co. B, Carroll’s Cavalry, Co. I, 36th Arkansas Infantry, and several companies of the 10th Arkansas Infantry fought for the Confederacy. Two companies of local men served in the 3rd Arkansas Cavalry (U.S.) and were based in Lewisburg (modern-day Morrilton). While no major battles were fought in Conway County, several skirmishes occurred there and the 3rd Arkansas spent much of its time fighting with guerrillas and Witt’s Cavalry.
Side 2
John Clayton, the brother of Arkansas’s Reconstruction Governor Powell Clayton, came to Arkansas in 1867 and became active in Republican politics. He served as both representative and senator in the state legislature and was a five-term sheriff of Jefferson County. In 1888, Clayton ran for U.S. Congress, losing by 746 votes out of 34,000 cast. In January 1889, he came to Plumerville to investigate the theft of a ballot box from an African American precinct that supported him. On Jan. 29, he was fatally shot. His murderer was never identified.
Erected 2015
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Government & Politics • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission series list. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1889.
Location. 35° 9.217′ N, 92° 39.802′ W. Marker is in Plummerville, Arkansas, in Conway County. Marker is at the intersection of Sardis Road (County Road 61) and Puddin Drive, on the right when traveling west on Sardis Road. Located within the Plumerville Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Sardis Road, Plumerville AR 72127, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Old Lewisburg (approx. 4.2 miles away); Historic Moose House (approx. 4.2 miles away); Lewisburg in the Civil War (approx. 4.2 miles away); Conway County World War II Memorial (approx. 4.6 miles away); Conway County Veterans Memorial (approx. 4.6 miles away); Conway County World War I Memorial (approx. 4.6 miles away); Conway County (approx. 4.6 miles away); Conway County Korean War Memorial (approx. 4.6 miles away).
Photographed By Mark Hilton, August 3, 2016
2. Murder of John Clayton Marker (Side 2)
Also see . . .
1. Wikipedia article on 10th Arkansas Cavalry Regiment. (Submitted on August 3, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
2. Wikipedia article on John M. Clayton. (Submitted on August 3, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
Photographed By Mark Hilton, August 3, 2016
3. Wide view in Plumerville Cemetery of Marker.
Public Domain (PD-US)
4. John Middleton Clayton (October 13, 1840 – January 29, 1889)
Credits. This page was last revised on August 3, 2016. It was originally submitted on August 3, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 976 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 3, 2016, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
