The first court house in Jefferson County created in 1829 and named for President Thomas Jefferson was erected on this site at (Pine Bluff) in 1833. Meanwhile, sessions of the county court had been held first at the house of Joseph Bonne and second . . . — — Map (db m30580) HM
In 1818 a French trapper, Joseph Bonne landed on the south bank of the Arkansas River with his dog and gun near the location of the original Jefferson County Courthouse. Driven to this high bluff after flood waters had threatened his homesite at . . . — — Map (db m30576) HM
In 1912, Secretary of State Earle Hodges (1911-1917) and the Pine Bluff chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution sponsored a competition to produce a design for Arkansas’s first state flag. Since 1819, Arkansans had lived, fought, played . . . — — Map (db m168987) HM
A founder of Lafayette County
First governor of Arkansas
In 1823 James Sevier Conway began a successful plantation in the rich soils near the Red River. In 1826 he married Mary Jane Bradley, a beautiful young women who had moved to the . . . — — Map (db m181517) HM
The cabin before you is a good example of the kind of home built in early Powhatan.
A structure like this cabin, made of hand-hewn cypress logs, could be built
quickly with a few simple tools. Though its exact construction date is not
known, . . . — — Map (db m242579) HM
In early Powhatan, the kitchen was the center of life.
Just as we do today, the people who lived in Powhatan need a central place to store and prepare food.
While most people prepared their meals in the fireplace, wealthier families . . . — — Map (db m242583) HM
In 1815 Lawrence County was formed from the Territory of Missouri. It became part of the Arkansas Territory in 1819 when Missouri became a state. Thirty-one other counties were formed from Lawrence County, giving it the name, "Mother of Counties." . . . — — Map (db m155965) HM
Much of what we currently know and enjoy
as Walnut Ridge is built upon the work of an
enterprising, 19th Century businessman by the
name of John Rhea. His life, and even his death,
are the stuff of local legend.
John A. Rhea was born in . . . — — Map (db m170301) HM
The site of Marianna was acquired through a deed from Mary Ann Harland and the heirs of her first husband, Daniel Martin. The town was named in her memory. She was born in Kentucky May 6, 1802: died October 25, 1857. The first court house in Lee . . . — — Map (db m116135) HM
Marianna named in honor of
Maryann Martin Harland
Town established 1858 A.D.
Incorporated Oct. 24, 1870 A.D.
1870 Agriculture, Timber
Population 165
1970 Agriculture, Industry
Population 6215 — — Map (db m117262) HM
Moro in the Civil War
The town of Moro was established in 1850 and about 700 people lived here and nearby when the Civil War began in 1861. Union troops from the 1st Indiana, 1st Missouri, 9th Illinois, 5th Kansas, 2nd Wisconsin, and 3rd . . . — — Map (db m116247) HM
(side 1)
The first tracts of South Bend Plantation, originally known as the Jordan Place, were purchased in 1840 by Dr. John Augustus Jordan. In 1852, Jordan and Irene Johnson married and built a stately southern Georgian mansion on the . . . — — Map (db m210445) HM
Judge George H. Joslyn was born near Ithaca, New York on August 19, 1840. He came to Arkansas in 1868 and secured land in this area where he became a planter. His plantation was comprised of 5,000 acres. As a member of the Arkansas state . . . — — Map (db m238161) HM
Star City was laid off in 1871 as the County Seat of the newly created Lincoln County which was named in honor of President Abraham Lincoln. It was the center of many Indian trails and early roads which ran from Mississippi River landings back into . . . — — Map (db m229496) HM
Rocky Comfort, made the County Seat of Little River County in 1868, continued as such until 1880, when it was moved to Richmond and from there the Seat of Justice was moved to Ashdown. — — Map (db m121243) HM
In 1828 the town of Oakland Grove was founded. By 1861 the name had been changed to Austin, according to a false local legend the once thriving town of over 30 residences was almost selected as the state capitol beginning in 1858 the town was a . . . — — Map (db m116644) HM
In 1807, citizens of Crystal Hill built a road to connect Cadron and Arkansas Post. From Cadron the road was built almost due east and continued until they reached the Wattensaw. At the Wattensaw swamps they found an Indian path that led south to . . . — — Map (db m116694) HM
Hicks' Station, located on the Memphis & Little Rock Railroad between DeValls Bluff and Huntersville (N Little Rock), guarded the eastern approaches to the capital city. During the Little Rock Campaign, Confederate cavalry used it as a staging area . . . — — Map (db m72142) HM WM
Joseph Taylor Robinson Home - 204 NE Front St. Practiced law in Lonoke - 1893-1912 U.S. Congressman - 1902-1913. Governor of Arkansas - January - March 1913. U.S. Senator - 1913-1937. Lonoke was named for lone oak tree, surveyor's landmark for . . . — — Map (db m65710) HM
This site was the year-round home to tribal leaders and their families, and it was the capital city of a large population living throughout the surrounding area. Daily routines here were interrupted when the site was transformed into a busy capital . . . — — Map (db m213788) HM
The Ghost Town of Rush stands as mute testimony to the activities of a bygone era. Zinc carbonate ore was discovered in this valley in the late 1880's and the "rush" was on. Soon the hillsides were dotted with-mines sprouting colorful names such . . . — — Map (db m161923) HM
Rush—and other Buffalo River valleys—
is a story of the progression human
occupation. In the hills and hollows around
you is buried evidence of centuries of use.
Ancient Indians once walked these banks
and hills, leaving . . . — — Map (db m161940) HM
Marion County, created in 1835, was first named Searcy County.
In 1836 its name changed to Marion by the first state legislature.
That same year Yellville was laid out as a town and made the permanent seat of county government.
The county . . . — — Map (db m93803) HM
1888 - A group of railroad and timber investors, led by George W. Fouke, built the Texarkana, Shreveport, & Natchez (T.S. & N) Railroad. It extended south from Texarkana to Boggy Creek.
1889 - Led by James Franklin Shaw, the Seventh . . . — — Map (db m173676) HM
First known as Savage Crossing,
this area was a densely wooded
village in the late 1800s. In 1912,
Keiser, named for John Keiser,
became the hub of a timber railway
leading to a large Osceola lumber
mill. The town's first general . . . — — Map (db m221258) HM
Known as "Mouth of Cache" 1799-1837, Clarendon by 1828 had a post office and ferry and was the crossing for the Memphis to Little Rock Military Road. The town became Monroe County seat in 1857 and was incorporated two years later. Destroyed by Union . . . — — Map (db m155262) HM
Development In 1682, one hundred and forty years after Hernando de Soto and his conquistadors searched for treasure in the vast regions west of the Mississippi River, the French explorer, LaSalle, claimed all the land, resources and peoples of . . . — — Map (db m155192) HM
This point was established by survey on November 10, 1815 by U.S. Government survey teams led by Prospect Robbins and Joseph Brown. Recognizing the national significance of this Initial Point, the L'Anguille Chapter of the DAR sought placement of a . . . — — Map (db m155200) HM
President Thomas Jefferson learned Spain had ceded the Louisiana Territory back to France in early 1801. Fearing Napoleon would close the Mississippi to American trade, the President sent Ambassador Robert Livingston to Paris (September, 1801) to . . . — — Map (db m155195) HM
The official Survey of the Louisiana Territory was ordered in 1815 by President Madison to establish a system for distributing this land as payment to veterans of the War of 1812. Commissioned by the United States Government, Prospect K. Robbins . . . — — Map (db m155197) HM
Louisiana Purchase Historic State Park is situated in an unusual habitat — a "headwater" swamp. This swamp differs greatly from the more common "backwater" swamps. Found within the floodplain zones of large streams and rivers, backwater swamps . . . — — Map (db m155188) HM
The stone marker behind you marks the 'Initial Point' for the survey of the Louisiana Purchase Territory. The east-west Baseline and the north-south line, the Fifth Principal Meridian, are fundamental in land transactions throughout the western . . . — — Map (db m155199) HM
This region was once the home of the Caddo Indians, whose settlement and town were scattered over what is now southwestern Arkansas, northeastern Texas and northwestern Louisiana. The Caddo River, which flows near this point, and Caddo Gap itself . . . — — Map (db m201016) HM
Settled before 1850, the first village was located near the natural gap or narrows of the Caddo River. The coming of the Gurdon and Fort Smith Railroad in 1907 led to the construction of the present town on what was formerly the Jim Vaught . . . — — Map (db m201387) HM
• Caddo Indian burials were exposed accidentally during construction at this site in October, 1988. Subsequent archeological excavations by Ann Early identified 2 burials, a small cluster of residential features, and artifacts dating from the . . . — — Map (db m202077) HM
Jasper, the county seat of Newton County, was designated as such soon after the creation of the county, December 14, 1842. It was named in honor of Thomas W. Newton. — — Map (db m155497) HM
Settling Along the Buffalo Abraham Villines and his children were among the earliest pioneer families in the Buffalo River valley. Abraham’s grandson William built this log house in 1850 for his new bride, Rebecca. Four years later their son . . . — — Map (db m61752) HM
John Nunn, a pioneer settler, donated a square at Fabre’s Landing in 1842, on which was created the first court-house in Ouachita County. The name of the settlement was soon afterwards changed from Fabre’s Landing to Camden. The county was given . . . — — Map (db m107081) HM
Among early settlers were Price, Houston, Greathouse, Rison, Blackwell, Buckingham and Bland. Perryville was named after Commodore Oliver H. Perry, established as a county seat 1840 and incorporated as a town in 1878. First church organized in Rison . . . — — Map (db m156771) HM
1541-1931
June 18, 1541
Hernando De Soto
Crossed the Mississippi River
near Friar's Point to Aquixo
an Indian Village
south of
Helena, Arkansas — — Map (db m51917) HM
Patrick Cleburne found a home, friends and a profession in Helena.
When the Civil War began, he supported his adopted state, writing
to his brother, Richard, "I am with Arkansas in weal and woe."
— — Map (db m109144) HM
Patrick Ronayne Cleburne, the son of Dr. Joseph and
Mary Anne Ronayne Cleburne, was born March 17,
1828. At the age of twenty-one he immigrated to the
United States. He settled in Helena in 1850.
The Son of . . . — — Map (db m109138) HM
The Delta represents a “melting pot” of diverse cultures. And most of them got here by canoe.
Canoeing is the oldest form of water transportation on the Mississippi River-at least 2,000 years old! In the Quapaw tribal history, they arrived from . . . — — Map (db m229322) HM
Found in the floodplains of rivers and streams, these wetland communities depend on water. Unlike a swamp (where water is always present), bottomland hardwood forests experience seasonal flooding.
Disappearing forest
Before the arrival . . . — — Map (db m231810) HM
Scotia was selected as the county seat in 1830, the year after the county was created. When Johnson County was formed in 1833, the county seat in Pope was moved to Dwight Mission, whence it was moved the next year to Morristown, on the north side of . . . — — Map (db m170741) HM
Potts Inn John Kirkbride Potts (1803-1879) was born in Pennsylvania and moved to Arkansas in the 1820s. In 1828 he settled by Galla Creek, eventually acquiring 650 acres of land. Potts went to California in the Gold Rush of 1849: he failed to . . . — — Map (db m225451) HM
This stone is a marker from the old Military Road which extended from Little Rock to Ft. Smith. The marker was found west of Dardanelle in 1940 by Mr. Henry Sellers, District Highway Engineer, while supervising the construction of Arkansas Highway . . . — — Map (db m142032) HM
Native Americans lived in great numbers along the White River (Eau Blanche) when the first French traders ascended the river to the area later noted on early maps as McNulty's Bluff, Pigeon Roost Township, Pulaski County. Disease, insects, and dense . . . — — Map (db m172148) HM
Coming of the railroad led to the naming of Jacksonville in 1870 for Nicholas W. "Nick" Jackson (1832 - 1916), a land owner and mule owner who donated the depot site to the Old Cairo & Fulton Railroad with the provision that the new station be named . . . — — Map (db m183518) HM
Revolutionary War soldiers and brothers, Shared fought for North Carolina and Jacob fought for both North and South Carolina. In the winter of 1820-1821 they brought their families here from Williamson County, Tennessee and settled near this site. — — Map (db m116507) HM
Tom Cory came to Jacksonville in 1968 and along with Paul Ramm and Brad Blakeway, formed Arkansas precast corporation.
His hard work and leadership helped enable their company to prosper and to employ over 100 people, precast concrete from . . . — — Map (db m183543) HM
In the early days of Little Rock, the Arkansas River
was the lifeblood of the community. The Little Rock
extended out into the river, pulling the current around
it to form a natural landing basin for boats. The earliest
ferry across the . . . — — Map (db m116539) HM
During the nineteenth century, waves of German-speaking immigrants settled in Pulaski County. Establishing themselves here as early as 1833, these families had a significant impact on the development of the area through their work as farmers, . . . — — Map (db m220389) HM
The first definite account of the site we call the "little rock" is from Benard de la Harpe, a French officer sent in 1722 to explore the Arkansas River. He identified "some rocky country" and a league further upriver to the right, a rock which he . . . — — Map (db m117089) HM
While the Quapaw Indians could be said to "own" the land which
is the Riverfront Park, their villages were actually along the
Arkansas River between the "point of rocks" and the Mississippi
River. However, the Imbeau, Bartholomew, and Coussatt . . . — — Map (db m117431) HM
A section of the "Little Rock" located at the foot of Rock Street forming the south pier of the railroad bridge over the Arkansas River, being the first rock seen by the French explorer, Bernard De La Harpe, on his voyage from the mouth of the . . . — — Map (db m102141) 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
Legal Heart of the County
While trials of criminal cases might have
been the most exciting events that went on
at the courthouse, the day-to-day business
of municipal life was what made the county
seat important. It was here that land . . . — — Map (db m170919) HM
Beneath the Ground
Remnants of this short-lived, but ambitious, town lie buried beneath the
soil surrounding you. Excavations and archival research by the Arkansas
Archeological Survey are beginning to reveal the layout of the town, . . . — — Map (db m170947) HM
Myths
Within the short span of 15 years,
Davidsonville rose in size and
importance, and just as quickly
returned to oblivion. The quick demise
of Davidsonville led to local myths
about its fall—a yellow fever epidemic,
a mass . . . — — Map (db m170939) HM
Routes Established
The U.S. Congress established post
roads in the late 1700s, which were the
routes that carried mail throughout the
country and into the distant territories.
Having a postal stop in one's town was
very desirable, . . . — — Map (db m170935) HM
Houses
Davidsonville was laid out with 48 lots around
a public square, although only a few lots have
been examined by archeologists so far. Lots
held houses, businesses, and outbuildings,
and archeologists know of at least 10 . . . — — Map (db m170929) HM
The first post office in Arkansas
was established here on June 28, 1817,
with Adam Richie as postmaster. Old
Davidsonville was also the site of
the first court house in Arkansas,
built in 1815. The first United States
Land Office in Arkansas . . . — — Map (db m170802) HM
The steel beams you are standing under form a "ghost structure”
to provide an outline of the original home's dimensions.
Situated on the corner of the town square and next to the main road,
this house was prominent in the hustle and . . . — — Map (db m170932) HM
deMun, a French aristocrat (Chevalier or Knight),
emigrated to the U.S. in the 1790s. A trained
draftsman, he became the right hand man of
Benjamin Latrobe, architect of the U.S. Capitol.
deMun oversaw the construction of the west wing . . . — — Map (db m170292) HM
The railroad depot was donated to the City of Pocahontas by Michael Parker to honor the memory of his Grandfather,
Mr. Earney L. Dickson
He was a prominent businessman in Randolph County from 1920's until his death in 1974, During his . . . — — Map (db m174944) HM
"We have a large quantity of vacant land in this country … and have room for one thousand good and industrious families, and bread and meat to feed them."
A Pocahontas resident
Jan. 2. 1852
The contemporary riverbank you see here barely resembles the site that fishers, hunters, farmers, and traders visited for 10,000 years. Some native trees are visible, however. Look for black willow and silver maple.
Farmers still grow crops, . . . — — Map (db m170361) HM
Following the discovery of extensive bauxite ore deposits in 1887, an ore drying plant was located here by The Pittsburg Reduction Co. In 1903 a small village was laid out to house the workers. This village which included a bank, hospital, theater . . . — — Map (db m96634) HM
The Southwest Trail, which passed this point, was one of the first permanent roads across Arkansas. It ran from Missouri through northeastern Arkansas to Little Rock and on through Washington to Fulton on Red River. Thousands of settlers followed . . . — — Map (db m104050) HM
The Indian parties followed an ancient trail that became known as the Southwest Trail. The primitive trail took the tribal groups by where you are standing. William S. Lockhart was the first permanent settler in the area, arriving in 1815, at a . . . — — Map (db m96596) HM
The first settlers came to the Bryant area in 1828.
The railroad built a depot in 1873 and the Bryant
Township was created 1878. In October of 1892
a group of 20 citizens petitioned the county
judge to incorporate the City of Bryant. . . . — — Map (db m231576) HM
"American Indians inhabited these Ozark hills for thousands of years until the turmoil of European exploration and long periods of drought caused their movement out of the highlands at the same time that European trappers, hunters, and explorers . . . — — Map (db m143763) HM
If you had stood here in 1825, on your right would have been Arkansas Territory, and on your left, a vast domain traded to the Choctaw Nation for their ancestral lands in the east. Fort Smith’s location here at the edge of Indian country was a . . . — — Map (db m156900) HM
In 1817, the first Fort Smith was built at Belle Point at the junction of the Poteau and Arkansas Rivers by Major William Bradford, for the mutual protection of the pioneers and Indians. He was in command until 1822. It was named in honor of . . . — — Map (db m77874) HM
The building in front of you is very much as it appeared in the 1890s. First used as a military barracks, it was later converted for use as a courthouse and jail. Over time its appearance changed to accommodate the different needs of the people . . . — — Map (db m82354) HM WM
Standing at this spot during the second half of the Civil War you would have witnessed a very chaotic scene. The riverfront landing at the end of Garrison Avenue would have been filled with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of desperate people . . . — — Map (db m156902) HM
"Ascend the Arkansas River to the point where the Osage boundary line strikes that river… and therein erect as expeditiously as circumstances will permit a Stockade…" —Orders to Major William Bradford from Brigadier General Thomas Smith . . . — — Map (db m156993) HM
In 1838, John Rogers, considered the founder of the city of Fort
Smith, laid out 160 acres of his property into town lots. By 1860,
the commercial district of Fort Smith inhabited 12 square blocks
bounded by the river, North Third Street, . . . — — Map (db m236830) HM
The Seminole people originated in Florida from the mixing of many indigenous groups throughout the southeast. Encroachment by white settlers and slave-hunters onto tribal territory started the Seminole wars in 1817. Sporadic warfare continued until . . . — — Map (db m156903) HM
From 1836 to 1878, the log cabin of Jeremiah and Sophia Kannady stood on the present-day 500 block of Garrison Avenue. In that cabin Kannady's uncle John Rogers, founder of the city, died in 1860. In 1877, Kannady sold land around his cabin to make . . . — — Map (db m93253) HM
By 1833, a small community had developed next to the fort. Out of the six shops, five were taverns. As the fort's commanding officer, Captain Stuart's responsibilities included stopping the illegal sale of whiskey to Indians and soldiers. After two . . . — — Map (db m156901) HM
Belonged to a family of wealthy coffee merchants. He became interested in financing the completion of the Kansas City Southern Railway. A town on this railway was named for him and he personally selected De Queen.
1897 — — Map (db m121278) HM
Near this point Highway No. 1 intersects
the route of the Old Military Road which
connected Memphis and Little Rock. Begun
in 1826, this road was built under the supervision of Lieutenant Charles Thomas of the
United States Army. John Pope, . . . — — Map (db m243306) HM
In 1866 General Nathan Bedford Forrest, along with about 1,000 workmen, pitched camp in the vicinity of what is now Front Street on land belonging to the Izard and Prewett families. By 1868 they had succeeded in making a cut through Crowley’s Ridge . . . — — Map (db m92609) HM
Within a few short months El Dorado's population doubled, and, before the year
was out, it doubled again before peaking two years later at over 40,000. With the
population explosion came oilmen from Louisiana and Texas, but along with them
on . . . — — Map (db m121352) HM
Founded in 1843 by Scotch Presbyterians, it became an educational center with two academies ~ The Academy or Old Field School established in 1845, and Mount Holly Academy in 1848 under J.M. Hogg. More than 200 students attended these schools . . . — — Map (db m121268) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m240271) HM
Stone fruit cellars, like this one, were once popular in the Ozarks. They were designed to keep food cool in the summer months and above freezing in the winter months.
Most were constructed in the 1920s and early 1930s as home canning was . . . — — Map (db m240312) HM
Zebulon “Zeb” Edmiston was the patriarch of one of Cane Hill's most prosperous Victorian era families. Zeb and Eunice Jane Gray were married in 1852 and had four children: Nina, James, David and John The Edmistons farmed in what is now Clark County, . . . — — Map (db m225063) HM
Born near Salisbury, North Carolina, Aug. 1797
Volunteer in Battle of New Orleans, 1815
Member of Tennessee Legislature, 1827
Grand Master of Masons in Tennessee, 1831
District Judge of Arkansas Territory, 1832-1836
Charter Member of . . . — — Map (db m59891) HM
The earliest known inhabitants of the hardwood forest of the Ozarks migrated to Arkansas over 12 thousand years ago through the Great Bering Strait. For the next two thousand years Bluff Dwellers hunted the mountain plateaus before the Quapaws, . . . — — Map (db m59882) HM
The Fayetteville Square served as the location of the Washington County courthouse from 1837 to 1904, when a new courthouse was built facing Center Street on College Avenue. Title to the public square (Block 27) was conveyed to the United States of . . . — — Map (db m59879) HM
Fayetteville's earliest
Methodist Church
Stood on this site
1840 – 1899
The Methodist Episcopal Church in Fayetteville was organized in 1832. The modest frame building of 1840, destroyed by fire during the Civil War, was . . . — — Map (db m59875) HM
This community was first settled about 1830 when
Solomon Tuttle built his log house. A few years later
his son-in-law, W. D. Cunningham, built the 2-story brick
that is still standing. This home witnessed many historic
events, including the . . . — — Map (db m224757) HM
Significant dates in Fayetteville history include: Incorporated town in 1836; Old Wire road from Jefferson City, Mo. to Ft. Smith cut in 1835; Washington County Fair first held on the Square in 1856; first telegraph installed around 1860; . . . — — Map (db m59877) HM
