The Immanuel Industrial Institute, a rural boarding school, was established in 1910 by the White River District Association of Missionary Baptist Churches to educate the African American children of the White River District. The first building was . . . — — Map (db m225240) HM
Named for educator Leroy Davis Holman, North Carolina-born educator who began teaching Stuttgart’s African American children in 1907. The school, first located at Porter and Lincoln Streets, was rebuilt in 1924 with Rosenwald Foundation funding. . . . — — Map (db m201392) HM
Green Grove Cemetery got its official beginning when Martin and Minnie Buerkle sold two acres of property to the Trustees of Green Grove Cemetery Association in September of 1903. This cemetery was likely the first burial ground dedicated to serving . . . — — Map (db m234960) HM
On this part of Spring Street you can easily see how Eureka Springs follows the natural lines of the landscape. Houses are built right into the bluff on the west side and buildings climb down the steep hillside on the other side. “The houses rise . . . — — Map (db m225187) HM
When Arkansas went to war in 1861, Lycurgus and Lydia Johnson and their family stayed with their home at Lakeport. By 1862, U.S. gunboats were common on the Mississippi River, and on Sept. 6, 1862, Confederate troops burned 158 bales of cotton at . . . — — Map (db m89797) HM
Jim Kelley, a slave, organized this church in 1860. His owner allowed the use of this plot of this plot of ground on which to build a church. On May 15, 1873, Mr. and Mrs. William B. Street deeded the property to the trustees of the church. New Hope . . . — — Map (db m89777) HM
Here, during Reconstruction years, were the offices of the Freedmen's Bureau. The building was, at different times, used as a harness shop, grocery store, barber shop and saloon, and for many years was a residence. — — Map (db m234853) HM
PHS
Dedicated
This landmark is erected on the original site of Peake School built on land donated by Mr. Ed Peake in 1928, and is dedicated to the faculties and staffs who encouraged and prepared us to compete on an equal level with the best . . . — — Map (db m234859) HM
Near this site was the original public school building for black students in the Arkadelphia public school system. Noted principals: Ms. P.A. Holmes 1872-1873, John Ed Peake 1877-1881, 1897-1898, 1904-1906 & Sam Hildreth 1907-1914, 1916-1939. The . . . — — Map (db m234864) HM
Side 1
Conway County in the Civil War
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, . . . — — Map (db m96451) HM
Camp Jesse Turner, located on Pickett Hill on the east side
of Van Buren (Crawford County), was a small, specialized
railroad training camp for soldiers to learn to operate
railroads captured in enemy territory, worldwide, during
World War II. . . . — — Map (db m244063) HM
There is no doubt that other structures,
demolished at some point in the family's history,
stood on the Drennen-Scott property.
Like many wealthy 19th-century households, this one had privies, a well, smokehouse, carriage house, . . . — — Map (db m120515) HM
The Health Department, dedicated May 4, 1938, was built with funds by the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA). When additional space was needed, the Crittenden County Negro Business Men's League, led by George Walker, Jr. and John Gammon, . . . — — Map (db m116780) HM
Step into the school gently. It's filled with history
and memories … maybe some from your school days.
As you enter the school you will see the
classroom as it was on any given school day
between 1936 and 1948. The school was . . . — — Map (db m221320) HM
Much of what is known about the Northern
Ohio School came from first-hand accounts
known as oral histories. People interviewed
were former students, teachers, children of
the sawmill owners and workers, persons who
lived in Sawdust Hill, or . . . — — Map (db m221319) HM
Rural education in the Delta was no easy task
for students or teachers. There were many
obstacles to overcome, such as weather,
walking distances, and family responsibilities.
Plus, being an African-American school,
students and teachers were . . . — — Map (db m221316) HM
Daily lessons revolved around the "three R's:"
reading, writing and arithmetic. The Child's
World Reader, a basic math book, and a
speller were the textbooks used.
Class was in session from 8AM through 3PM
except in September and . . . — — Map (db m221317) HM
Around 1900, there were about 16 one-room
schoolhouses in and around Parkin. Most
were on plantations for the education of the
sharecroppers' and farm workers' children.
The Northern Ohio School, built around 1910,
was no different. The school . . . — — Map (db m221314) HM
The Parkin
archeological site was
preserved better than
most because it was
reoccupied during most of the 20th century. The residents who lived on the ancient
village site.
in the 1900s came to
call their neighborhood
Sawdust Hill or . . . — — Map (db m231817) HM
As the Northern Ohio Cooperage and Lumber
Company expanded, so did the need for housing and
services for its workers. Out of this came the Sawdust
Hill community. At its peak, over 60 structures,
including shotgun-style houses, a Baptist church, . . . — — Map (db m221309) HM
On July 27, 1954, the Charleston School Board unanimously voted to integrate all grade levels of its public school system, becoming the first in the South to do so. The Board's decision was in response to the May 17, 1954 United States Supreme . . . — — Map (db m198421) HM
At this field on October 1, 1952, 18-year
old Hank Aaron and the Indianapolis Clowns
played in one of 12 games of the Negro
League World Series against the Birmingham
Black Barons. During this series, Aaron
batted .402 and slugged five home . . . — — Map (db m200757) HM
One of the most important events in
Hot Springs history occurred where
you are standing. On October 22,
1953, the legendary Jackie Robinson
played an exhibition game here at
Jaycee Field with Gill Hodges, Luke
Easter and other fellow big . . . — — Map (db m200747) HM
Built in 1923 as the Woodmen of the Union Building, this hotel, bathhouse, and performance venue quickly became the center of African American culture in Hots Springs. It housed virtually every great Negro League player and entertainer who visited . . . — — Map (db m145649) HM
General Samuel Rice
Samuel A. Rice, then Iowa’s attorney general, organized the 33rd Iowa Infantry Regiment in the summer of 1862 and was named its colonel. Stationed in Helena, Rice played a prominent role in the July 4, 1863 battle there . . . — — Map (db m121203) HM
Officers Killed
Gen. J.G. Walker’s Texas Division made the final Confederate attack in the April 30, 1864, battle of Jenkins’ Ferry. Its three brigades, led by Gen. William Read Scurry, Gen. Thomas N. Waul and Col. Horace Randal, charged . . . — — Map (db m121207) HM
Refugee Children
Many African Americans fleeing slavery were with Gen. Frederick Steele’s Union army as it retreated to Little Rock. As army wagons became stuck in the thick mud, so too did wagons with refugee children. Some were . . . — — Map (db m121183) HM
Gen. Frederick Steele led a Union army from Little Rock on March 23, 1864, to join an invasion of Texas. Confederate skirmishers harassed the army as it reached Rockport March 27. An inflatable pontoon bridge, in 34 wagons and served by men of the . . . — — Map (db m121148) HM
In 1875, Joseph Corbin the son of former slaves, became the founder and principal of Branch Normal College (now UAPB) where he served until 1902. A profound mathematician, outstanding musician, linguist, and holder of bachelor and masters degrees . . . — — Map (db m70701) HM
Three African American men represented Lafayette County in the state legislature after the Civil War. Monroe Hawkins, born a slave in North Carolina around 1832, was a minister and laborer. He was a delegate in the 1868 Constitutional Convention and . . . — — Map (db m121211) HM
From the farm fields of Walnut Ridge to sold-out
halls in Chicago, Washboard Sam became a major
player on the blues scene in the 1930s and '40s.
Born Robert Brown on July 15, 1910, Washboard
Sam was a native son of Walnut Ridge, where
he was . . . — — Map (db m170300) HM
During segregation in the twentieth century, Ash Street was the social and commercial heart of the Black community of Blytheville. On Saturdays, when sharecropper families would dress up and come to town, Ash could be so crowded that people would . . . — — Map (db m213826) HM
Louis Jordan, born July 8, 1908, in Brinkley, Arkansas, was one of the
state's brightest musical stars, ruling the rhythm and blues charts of the
World War II era with hits like "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie," "Let the
Good Times Roll," "Is You Is or . . . — — Map (db m117265) HM
Willie Cobbs was born July 15, 1932 in Smale, a small farming town near Brinkley in Monroe County, Arkansas. Known as an American blues singer, harmonica player, songwriter, and nightclub owner, his recording career has spanned six decades. His . . . — — Map (db m172846) HM
The 1st Kansas Colored Infantry, a regiment that included many former Arkansas slaves, was formed in August 1862, the first black unit recruited during the war. 1st Kansas troops were the first black men to see combat, losing 10 killed and 12 . . . — — Map (db m56624) HM
"A Liberating Army"
In September 1861, Frederick Douglass, a former slave and
passionate and influential advocate for black rights, wrote,
"Let it be known that the American flag is the flag of freedom
to all who will . . . — — Map (db m108009) HM
Battery C sat directly above Helena and was the key to the city's defenses. The small earthen battery manned by the 33rd Missouri held two artillery pieces. A series of infantry trenches in front of the battery defended the approach. Union engineers . . . — — Map (db m107956) HM
Thousands of refugee slaves came with the Union army into Helena and they continued to come. Helena became an island of freedom in a slave state.
The Union Army Recruits Freedmen
In the . . . — — Map (db m107912) HM
The 2nd Arkansas of African Descent manned the earthwork located here during the Battle of Helena on July 4, 1863. The 2nd was a new regiment, organized in Helena just three months earlier. They had never experienced combat. . . . — — Map (db m107891) HM
As soon as the Civil War began, black men volunteered to serve in the United States Army. They were denied. In the spring of 1863, the Federal government finally began enlisting Freedmen. Within months, thousands in Helena had . . . — — Map (db m107884) HM
Shortly after the capture of Helena in July 1862, the Union army took
measures to protect the city. Engineers designed a large earthen fort,
which African American laborers completed in October 1862. General
Benjamin Prentiss named the heavily . . . — — Map (db m108033) HM
Freedmen Fill Two Regiments
Within days of Lorenzo Thomas' speech in
Helena on April 6, 1863, enough Freedmen
enlisted to fill a regiment—1,000 men. Many
were already in Helena. Others came in . . . — — Map (db m108014) HM
The Emancipation Proclamation
"...all persons held as slaves within any State or designated
part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion
against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, . . . — — Map (db m107885) HM
Thousands of freedom seekers came with the Union army when it occupied Helena in July 1862. They had no place to live, no food and no way to support themselves.
Under the Army's Care
It was up to . . . — — Map (db m107877) HM
Fortifying Helena
Soon after the Union army occupied Helena in July 1862, preparations
began for a Confederate attack. The army built four earthworks on
Crowley's Ridge. Fort Curtis sat below the ridge, in town. . . . — — Map (db m107887) HM
Jacob Trieber served as United States District Judge for the Eastern
District of Arkansas from 1901 to 1927. He was the first Jewish judge
ever to serve on the federal bench. Trieber was born in Prussia in
1853, immigrated with his parents to St. . . . — — Map (db m107824) HM
Lorenzo Thomas at Fort Curtis
Adjutant General Lorenzo Thomas spoke in Helena on
April 6, 1863. About 4,000 soldiers stood in formation in
Fort Curtis. They heard Thomas, their commanding
officer, the district . . . — — Map (db m108013) HM
Imagine watching a four-mile-long parade of soldiers, horses, wagons and artillery pieces pass your house. The soldiers in blue were supposed to be the enemy, but they offered the chance for something you thought you'd never have—freedom. . . . — — Map (db m107828) HM
Helena has played a vital role in blues history for artists from both sides of the Mississippi River. Once known as a “wide open” hot spot for music, gambling, and nightlife, Helena was also the birthplace of “King Biscuit . . . — — Map (db m51907) HM
African Americans Exercise Their Rights
In the decades following the Civil War, former slaves in
Arkansas saw African Americans elected to local, state and
national offices. Henderson B. Robinson was elected . . . — — Map (db m107892) HM
The State of Arkansas is Dissolved
In 1867, the state of Arkansas ceased to exist. It was dissolved, as were all states still in rebellion when the Confederate government surrendered in 1865. Readmission to the Union required that the states . . . — — Map (db m51927) HM
On April 6, 1863, Adjutant General Lorenzo Thomas made a speech at Ft. Curtis seeking to enlist former slaves into the U.S. army. The next day, hundreds of black men joined the 1st Arkansas Infantry (African Descent). Later designated U.S. Colored . . . — — Map (db m107825) HM
Guard, Garrison and Fatigue Duty
The United States Colored Troops (USCT) in Helena were part
of the Union garrison holding the city. Their duties were much
the same as those of white troops. Like all Union . . . — — Map (db m108015) HM
With the possible exception of Helena, it is unlikely that any place in Arkansas had as many Union troops pass through it as did DeValls Bluff. Some saw the town when it was first occupied in September 1863, others stood garrison duty there, while . . . — — Map (db m96671) HM
DeValls Bluff was strategically important to both the Union and Confederate armies as a major White River port and as head of the Memphis and Little Rock Railroad. It became a key Union supply depot after its fall 1863 occupation, as well as a . . . — — Map (db m96455) HM
Frank Moore, a WWI veteran buried at Little Rock National Cemetery in 1932, moved to Phillips County, Arkansas, after being honorably discharged in December of 1918 from service as a private in the 162nd Depot Brigade, There he worked on a farm and . . . — — Map (db m210364) HM
Bro. Samuel Proctor Massic Sr. was born in Xenia Ohio in 1889. He completed his undergraduate studies at Wilberforce University. Bro. S.P. Massie attended Howard University from 1914-1915 where he did his post graduate studies in the area of . . . — — Map (db m211264) HM
Lynching in America
Racial terror lynching between 1877 and 1950 claimed the lives of
thousands of African Americans and created a legacy of injustice
that can still be felt today. Following the Civil War and the premature
end of . . . — — Map (db m211279) HM
Dr. Thornton lived at 1420 West 15th Street for more than fifty years. Using his income as a teacher, he put himself through Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. He was known as one of the “deans of Black physicians” in Little Rock. He . . . — — Map (db m211469) HM
Facing law and social custom that defined them as second tier citizens, the Little Rock Nine, taking their cue from the ever expanding struggle for civil rights, opted to define themselves quite differently. With the help of stalwart parents, other . . . — — Map (db m128501) HM
Charles Harrison Mason, founder of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), was born in the mid-1860s on a farm in Shelby County, Tennessee. His parents, Jeremiah and Eliza Mason, later moved the family to Plumerville, Arkansas where Mason was . . . — — Map (db m206947) HM
This property
First Missionary
Baptist Church
has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior — — Map (db m211329) HM
Named in honor of the outstanding “Poet Laureate” of the Negro race, was dedicated April 14, 1930 to replace Gibbs High School. Previously named The Negro School of Industrial Arts, Dunbar was a Junior-Senior high school offering general . . . — — Map (db m211485) HM
African Americans began settling in the Dark Hollow neighborhood of the Iron Mountain Addition in the early 1900s, near the railroad and jobs. Named for an ancient swamp, Dark Hollow developed further after the Arkansas Legislature authorized an . . . — — Map (db m224244) HM
Lynching in America
Following the Civil War, violent resistance to equal rights for Black people and an
ideology of white supremacy led to racial terrorism not only in the South, but across the United States. Lynching emerged as the most . . . — — Map (db m243303) HM
This plaque is dedicated in memorial to these ladies and gentlemen who, over 50 years ago, kept this community together through their concern, time, and hard work. We congratulate each of them for their effort in spite of trying circumstances.
. . . — — Map (db m224246) HM
Bass Reeves, a slave born in Arkansas and reared in Texas, rose to become one of the best known and effective deputy U.S. marshals to ride out of Fort Smith for Judge Isaac C. Parker. Recognized as one of the first African Americans commissioned as . . . — — Map (db m58046) HM
I never saw such fighting done as was done by the negro regiment…The question that negroes will fight is settled; besides they make better soldiers in every respect than any troops I have ever had under my command.—General Blunt after . . . — — Map (db m59021) HM
This statue was erected in 2012 as a result of growing awareness of the extraordinary service of Bass Reeves, an African-American former slave who became a highly respected Deputy U.S. Marshal. The deeds of African-American and Native American . . . — — Map (db m58047) HM
U.S. troops from Helena came through Madison many times during the Civil War. A 5th Kansas Cavalry patrol fought here twice during a March 5-12, 1863, expedition. Iowa and Indiana troops passed through in April 1863, and detachments of men from the . . . — — Map (db m119982) HM
The University of Arkansas became the first
major Southern public university to admit a
Black student without litigation when Silas
Hunt, of Texarkana, an African-American
veteran of World War II, was admitted to the
university's law school in . . . — — Map (db m224752) HM
Lynching in America
Before the Civil War, millions of African people were kidnapped, enslaved, and shipped across the Atlantic to the Americas under horrific conditions that frequently resulted in starvation and death. Over two centuries, the . . . — — Map (db m224104) HM
Silas Herbert Hunt pioneered the integration of higher education in Arkansas and the South, enrolling at the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1948 and becoming the first African-American student to successfully seek admission to a Southern . . . — — Map (db m224346) HM
Six African-American students from Arkansas pioneered the integration of the University of Arkansas through its School of Law between 1948-51. Silas Hunt was the first to enroll, but he died of illness in 1949. The first to graduate, in 1951, was . . . — — Map (db m224742) HM
Dr. Robert A. Leflar (1901-97) of the University of Arkansas School of Law was one of the nation's leading scholars in the field of conflict of laws. He taught at the School of Law for more than 60 years, and directed the appellate judges seminars . . . — — Map (db m224734) HM
The Colony. After the Civil War, African Americans from across the former Confederacy settled here, in a farming community called The Colony. Many owned their own farms and others were sharecroppers. The community established the Mount Olive . . . — — Map (db m229615) HM
Rosetta Tharpe, considered gospel music's first crossover artist and a reputation "the original soul sister" and "Godmother of rock and roll." Born March 20 1915, in Cotton Plant Arkansas she began performing at age four. A singing and . . . — — Map (db m238212) HM
