Laconia Circle: Before the Railroad

Laconia Circle: Before the Railroad. . Local Ingenuity , Most communities along today's Delta Heritage Trail were once railway town-settlements created near rail routes where none existed before. One exception is Laconia Circle, an area close to Snow Lake with an 18-mile levee surrounding 14,000 acres of land. This levee system was built to protect farmland from encroachment of the White and Mississippi rivers. With its construction starting in the 1830s, Laconia Circle pre-dated the federal government's involvement in Delta levee building. By 1896 Laconia Circle's system of levees was complete. This local, privately owned project offered flood protection long before other locations in the region. , River Highways , Early Arkansas communities relied on riverboats for transportation. Plantations often had their own landings, enabling shipping and receiving of goods and connecting people to the outside world of trade and commerce. The popular Laconia Landing even served as an overland transfer point for goods being shipped on the Mississippi and White rivers., Never Foolproof , Despite the ingenuity of landowners in Laconia Circle, no area is entirely safe from flooding in this region. The Circle's levees were breached multiple times over the years, and in 1927, high waters from the Great Mississippi Flood caused failure. Destructive floodwater filled the circle up to 20 feet deep in some parts. This disaster transformed the landscape, destroying landmarks and homes., Luxury Travel , Passenger steamboats once traveled the Mississippi regularly, conveying travelers. Many vessels, such as the Kate Adams, had such fine accommodations for wealthy wayfarers that they were dubbed floating palaces. Memphis was always a popular destination for business, shopping, and dining. Three ships carried the name Kate Adams for the Memphis and Arkansas City Packet Company between 1882 and 1927. The original was built for Major John D. Adams and named for his wife. For a ticket from Laconia Landing to Memphis aboard this floating place, you would pay $5.00. The Kate Adams had over 200 passenger rooms and offered entertainment by W. C. Handy, "Father of the Blues". Besides passengers, the steamboat was often filled with cotton bales and mail., Transport Yourself to a Different Time , As you hike or bike this trail today, imagine the era before railroads. Steamships pass you by, the smell of smoke tickles your nose, the sound of onboard music fills your ears, accented by occasional clinging of the ship's bell. Visualize the excitement of locals as a riverboat approaches-they anticipate delivered luxuries from the outside world-salt, postage, coffee, and more. Watch for the Laconia Circle Levee, which still exists with oversight by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Reflect upon the hard work, teamwork, and innovation needed to complete this early levee circle fur the protection of homes and livelihoods., Text under photo to the left: Flood waters flowing over the Laconia Circle Levee in 1927 inundating and wiping out the landscape. Photograph taken by Unknown. Laconia Mile 74-75. Flood photographs, Prints and photographs, Library of Congress Control Number 200270930, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, DC., Text by the packet on bottom: , Memphis and Arkansas City Packet Company flier advertising the Kate Adams showing a stop at Laconia. Illustrated Leaflet, Memphis and Arkansas City Packet Company, Memphis Tenn. ca. 1910, McWherter Library, Special Collections + Pamphlets, Call Number MVP 2781, University of Memphis Libraries. , Text under the steamboat picture: , Kate Adams passes near the Laconia Landing at Friars Point, Mississippi. Photograph taken by Unknown, Steamboat Kate Adams No 3, Friar's Point, Mississippi , 1912. Call number bc_pho_20_05250. Transportation photograph collection, Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at Central Arkansas Library System.