Canehill in Washington County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)

Dr. William and Laura Welch House - 1855

Photographed by Jason Armstrong, February 19, 2023

1. Dr. William and Laura Welch House - 1855 Marker

Inscription. William Blackwell Welch was born in 1828 in Scottsville, Kentucky and graduated from the University of Tennessee Medical School in 1849. In 1851, he married Alabama native, Laura F. McClellan, and the couple moved to Cane Hill in 1855. Here they constructed a small vernacular Greek Revival-style house.

The Welch House which stood on this site, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It fell into a state of severe disrepair and was destroyed by fire before the property was acquired by Historic Cane Hill, Inc.

From 1862 through 1865, Dr. Welch served as the regimental surgeon for the 34th Arkansas Infantry Company B, along with fellow Cane Hill soldiers, Major Fontaine Richard Earle and Zebulon Edmiston. Following the war, he too returned to Cane Hill and practiced medicine as a country doctor. He dedicated his life to the professionalization of medicine in the state of Arkansas.

Dr. Welch also trained many other doctors in the area. Among those are his nephews, Dr. Thomas Welch Blackburn, and Dr. John Lacy Bean. Both of their houses still stand in Cane Hill today.

Erected by Arkansas Humanities Council.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Science & Medicine • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1855.

Location.

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35° 54.447′ N, 94° 23.789′ W. Marker is in Canehill, Arkansas, in Washington County. It can be reached from State Highway 45 south of Patterson Road, on the right when traveling north. The marker is located along the Welch Walking Trail. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Canehill AR 72717, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northwest Arkansas,

on the Ozark Plateau,

in the Cherokee Heritage Region,

and in Osage Territory.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Ozarks.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Fruit Cellar (within shouting distance of this marker); Zebulon and Eunice Edmiston House – 1872 (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Battle of Cane Hill (about 500 feet away); Washington County Cane Hill College (approx. ¼ mile away); Bethlehem Cemetery (approx. 4.4 miles away); Bethlehem Methodist-Episcopal Church South (approx. 4.4 miles away); John Tilley House (approx. 5.9 miles away); Cumberland Presbyterian Church (approx. 6.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Canehill.

Other markers no longer nearby. Confederates Fall Back Before Union Assault (was approx. ¼ mile away but has been permanently removed); The Troops Who Fought at Cane Hill (was approx. ¼ mile away but has been permanently removed).

Dr. William and Laura Welch House Site image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jason Armstrong, February 19, 2023

2. Dr. William and Laura Welch House Site

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 31, 2024, by Jason Armstrong of Talihina, Oklahoma. This page has been viewed 409 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 31, 2024, by Jason Armstrong of Talihina, Oklahoma. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.