My father used to tell a story about why he took my mother to the lodge atop Mount Magazine on their honeymoon. The tale goes that he chose Mount Magazine so he could brag that he took his new bride to Paris — the small Logan County town, not the capital of France.
Paris, in northern Logan County, is one of the county’s two seats. The other, Booneville, is located in the southern part of the county.
When the state Legislature created Logan County in 1871, it was called Sarber and was named for Republican politician John Newton Sarber. A special election was held in 1874 to determine the site of the county seat. Voters chose a location along the old military road in the north-central part of the county.
The next step was to choose a name for the new county seat. As legend goes, a prominent local businessman had just gone on a trip to Paris, France, and suggested the town be called Paris. The name was approved, and soon afterward, a log courthouse was built.
Sarber County’s name was changed to Logan County in 1875, after Democrats regained control of state government and wanted all government entities named for “carpetbaggers” (Republicans who moved to the state after the Civil War to seize power of government and business) changed.
The town of Paris was incorporated in February 1879, and in 1880, a Georgian-style brick courthouse was built to replace the original, which burned in 1877.
In 1901, Logan County was divided into two judicial districts: a northern district and a southern district. Logan County was a difficult county to administer because it went from the Arkansas River in the north for a distance of 60 miles southwest and was intersected by Booneville Mountain. A trip to Paris from the southern part of Logan County took several days of travel by horseback or buggy over roads in terrible condition.
So to provide easier access to a county seat, Logan County was divided into two districts that would each have its own county seat. Paris was designated the county seat for the northern district and Booneville became the county seat for the southern district.
Throughout the decades to come, coal mining would become a major industry for Paris. From 1917 to 1957, 31 coal mines operated in the area and employed about 2,000 miners. Several factories opened in Paris, including a lingerie factory, a charcoal plant, a shoe factory and a men’s clothing factory. Eventually, tourism became the town’s main industry thanks to Arkansas’ highest peak, which is located 17 miles south of Paris.
In 2002, nearby Mount Magazine became part of the Arkansas state park system. A new lodge was built on top of the summit in May 2006 to replace the original lodge that had burned. The new facility featured a restaurant, an indoor swimming pool, conference rooms and hotel guest rooms. Guest cabins were built near the lodge. A campground with facilities for recreational vehicles was built, and hiking trails were established. All of these improvements helped bring thousands of tourists — and with their vacation dollars — to the area.
In November 2014, an 18 ft. replica of the Eiffel Tower was dedicated in Paris, and has become a famous landmark, especially for lovers who write their names on padlocks, attach them to the fence next to the structure, and then throw the key in the nearby fountain. That tradition started many years ago at the real Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.
Knowing my dad and his affinity for tall tales, he just might say that he was the one who started the tradition — not in France, but in the natural state on his honeymoon to Paris.
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