The Sultana Disaster

The worst maritime disaster in American history occurred on the Mississippi River near Helena (Phillips County) on April 27, 1865, when a commercial side-wheel steamboat named the Sultana exploded, claiming the lives of its 1,167 passengers.

The wooden vessel was built in 1863 by the John Litherbury Boatyard in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was officially launched into service on January 3 of that year. The boat was intended for the cotton trade on the lower Mississippi River. It weighed 1,719 tons and could carry a crew of 85, along with approximately 375 passengers.

For its first two years in operation, the Sultana ran a regular route on the Mississippi River between the two major port cities of St. Louis and New Orleans. It was also used to carry troops during the Civil War.

Even though the Sultana was designed with a capacity of only 375 passengers, it was carrying 2,128 when three of the boat's four boilers exploded and caused it to sink near Memphis. The tragedy was largely overshadowed in the newspapers of the day due to the events surrounding the end of the Civil War, as well as the murder of President Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth, which took place the day before the Sultana disaster.

The Sultana explosion was officially attributed to boiler water level mismanagement, which was made worse by the ship's extreme overloading and top-heavy design. The steamer listed badly from side to side as it traveled north, following the river's many curves. The Sultana’s four boilers were positioned side by side and connected so that water would tend to drain out of the topmost boiler if the boat toppled sideways. Hot areas were generated by the fires still burning against the empty boiler. A quick increase in pressure would result from water pouring back into the empty boiler and hitting the hot areas, instantly flashing to steam when the boat tipped the other way. Maintaining high water levels in the boilers may have minimized this careening effect. The official inquiry found that the boilers exploded because of the combined impact of careening, low water levels, and the faulty repair made a few days earlier.

Through the years, several monuments and historical markers commemorating the Sultana disaster and its 1,167 victims have been placed in Memphis; Muncie, Indiana; Vicksburg, Mississippi; Cincinnati; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Marion (Crittenden County).

An archaeological expedition, led by Memphis lawyer Jerry Potter in 1982, uncovered what was believed to be the remains of the Sultana. Blackened wooden deck planks were found about 32 feet under a soybean field on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi River. The river has changed course many times since the Sultana disaster, leaving the wreckage under dry land and far from the river’s present course, as the Mississippi’s main channel now flows two miles east of its 1865 position.

In 2015, on the 150th anniversary of the disaster, an interim museum dedicated to the Sultana was opened in Marion. The museum was only meant to be temporary while funds were raised to build a permanent museum. Featured in the museum are artifacts from the Sultana, such as shaker plates from the boat's furnace, furnace bricks, and pieces of metal and wood from the ship. The museum also features a fourteen-foot model replica of the boat. One wall in the museum lists the names of every soldier, crewmember, and passenger who lost their lives in the disaster. The current museum is located at 104 Washington Street in Marion.

Recently, the non-profit Sultana Historic Preservation Society, Inc. acquired the 1939 Marion Public School auditorium and gymnasium for renovation as the future home of the permanent museum. A team of architects, exhibit designers, and planners is working on concepts for the 17,000-square-foot facility. With a more accessible location, the historic building with its 35-foot ceilings will offer ample capacity for a new, state-of-the-art museum that will educate visitors about the Sultana tragedy and honor the memory of its victims.

For more information about the Sultana museum and how you can contribute, visit its website at www.sultanadisastermuseum.com.

Have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend, Arkansas!

The Charming Town of Hardy

 

                Hardy is a city located in Fulton and Sharp Counties in the Ozark Mountain range of Arkansas. Situated on the banks of the Spring River created by nearby Mammoth Spring, Hardy is best known for being a mecca of water-related recreation. However, the town is also popular for its antique shops, craft stores, unique restaurants, and musical venues.

                In 1879, the town was founded as Township 17 but was later renamed Hardy in 1883 after local landowner, James Hardy. Hardy was one of Sharp County’s two county seats with Evening Shade being the other. Hardy was officially incorporated as a town on July 12, 1894. The St. Louis, Iron Mountain, and Southern Railroad arrived the same year and brought growth and development to the area.

                By the early 1900s, Hardy became a popular tourist destination, attracting visitors across Arkansas and neighboring states with its natural springs, scenic beauty, and recreational opportunities.

                Memphis doctor, George G. Buford, and his wife were temporarily stranded in Hardy in 1908 when the train they were traveling on experienced mechanical failure. They climbed Wahpeton Hill on the south bank of the Spring River and fell in love with the untouched surroundings. The Bufords bought fifty acres on Wahpeton the next year and erected a summer cottage.

                Buford added to his land holdings over the next few years by purchasing land near Jordan and East Wahpeton Hills. Buford built ten cottages for summer guests on his new land which he named Wahpeton Inn in 1912.  L. L. Ward of Blytheville (Mississippi County) opened a second resort he named Rio Vista in 1932. In addition to the resorts, several Memphis youth organizations established summer camps on land located near Hardy. The Kia Kima summer camp, operated by the Boy Scouts, opened in 1916. Camp Kiwani was established as a Girl Scout camp in 1920.  By 1930, the town had 508 residents in 1930, but visitor numbers ballooned to around a thousand per day between July and September.

                During the Great Depression, Hardy’s economy struggled, but the construction of U.S. Highway 63, which runs through the town, helped revitalize the area. In its course through the Natural State, Highway 63 runs from the Missouri state line at Mammoth Spring to connect with Interstate 55 near Gilmore. The creation of the Ozark National Forest also helped bring much-needed economic revitalization to Hardy and surrounding communities.

                In the 1960s and 1970s, Hardy experienced significant growth, with new businesses, schools, and infrastructure development. However, despite all of the progress made in the city, in 1963, both Hardy and Evening Shade lost their county seat designations, as Ash Flat was named the permanent county seat of Sharp County. In 1968, the Arkansaw Traveller Folk Theater opened in Hardy to preserve the culture of the Ozarks including the story and music behind one of our state’s most historic songs, The Arkansas Traveler, written by Col. Sanford “Sandy” Faulkner.

                Hardy’s most notable residents were the country music duo, The Wilburns. Comprised of brothers Doyle (b. 1930) and Teddy (b. 1931), the Wilburns were successful on the country charts in the 1950s through the 1970s. The brothers performed regularly on the Louisiana Hayride radio show in Shreveport and eventually became members of the prestigious Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. The duo was also popular due to their hit syndicated television program, The Wilburn Brothers Show, which ran from 1963 to 1974.

                While Hardy is the state’s smallest town to boast a historic district, it has 41 commercial buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The entire downtown area is a treasure trove of Arkansas history and features many stores and gift shops located in pre-World War II buildings along the beautiful Spring River.

                In 2014, the Discovery Channel aired a short-lived reality show, Clash of the Ozarks, whose storyline involved a legendary century-old family feud in Hardy. The show ran for one six-episode season but was not renewed.

                Today, Hardy is a thriving city with a strong focus on tourism, outdoor recreation, and small-town charm. As of the 2020 census, the city has 765 residents.

                From those who come for the water sports and fishing opportunities provided by nearby Mammoth Spring and the Spring River to those just passing through, Hardy offers a variety of worthwhile attractions for tourists visiting this small town in the Ozarks.

Lassis Inn

                Founded in 1905, Lassis Inn was a historic restaurant in Little Rock that served delicious soul food for over a hundred years in central Arkansas.

                The restaurant was started by Joe and Molassis (the restaurant’s namesake) Watson when the couple began selling sandwiches out of their Little Rock home around 1905. As their business became increasingly popular, the Watsons began selling fried catfish. When the business outgrew their house, the Watsons opened a small stand-alone building to handle the influx of orders. In 1931, the couple moved the building and business to East 27th Street and later moved it a few blocks to its current location at 518 East 27th Street in the early 1960s to accommodate the construction of Interstate 30. The baby blue-colored wooden building still stands just below the I-30 abutment south of downtown Little Rock.

                Lassis Inn played an important role in the civil rights movement in Arkansas during the 1950s and 1960s, as the restaurant served as a friendly meeting place for civil rights activists, including Daisy Gatson Bates. It was inside the walls of the small restaurant where the group discussed and planned civil rights efforts for the state, such as the desegregation of Little Rock’s Central High School in September 1957.

                Members of the Watson family operated Lassis Inn for decades until 1989, when Elihue Washington, Jr. and his wife, Maria, purchased the restaurant.

                In 2017, Lassis Inn was one of three inductees into the inaugural class of the Department of Arkansas Heritage’s Arkansas Food Hall of Fame alongside Jones Bar-B-Q in Marianna (Lee County) and Rhoda’s Hot Tamales in Lake Village (Chicot County). The restaurant received the prestigious American Classics Award from the James Beard Foundation in 2020. Lassis Inn received another accolade in 2022 when Southern Living magazine named the restaurant to their list of best soul food restaurants in the southern United States. 

                Lassis Inn specialized in fried catfish and buffalo ribs, which are considered a delicacy in the South. Sides such as hushpuppies and fries were also on the menu. The restaurant was notable for having a jukebox flanked with “No Dancing!” signs. The story goes that after the jukebox was installed, customers danced down the small establishment’s narrow aisles. After owner Washington had to make numerous repairs every week after active rounds of dancing, he decided to place the infamous signs reminding customers not to continue the practice.

                In May 2024, it was reported by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that the iconic restaurant had permanently closed, much to the chagrin of loyal customers and foodies from across the state. However, in July 2024, it was announced that Lassis Inn would be opening under new owners, Chris Jones and Kristian Nelson, with Washington assisting in the kitchen. While fried fish would still be the staple of the restaurant’s menu, the new owners revealed new items would be added including smoked brisket, baby-back ribs, hamburgers, and loaded baked potatoes.

                The Arkansas Times reported that on July 16, 2024, Elihue Washington filed a lawsuit to get out of the contract to sell the restaurant, citing Nelson’s previous convictions on interstate wire fraud, felony hot-check, and false police report charges, as well as the fact that a check Nelson gave Washington as part of the payment bounced. As such, the fate of Lassis Inn is up in the air.

                As of this writing, several reports in the local media state that Lassis Inn is scheduled to reopen on Tuesday, August 13, and that its hours of operation will be from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Friday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

                Hopes remain high that Lassis Inn will indeed reopen and again be a must-visit destination for soul food lovers. If you never got the opportunity to visit the famed restaurant (thankfully I did) and it does reopen, do your tastebuds a favor and visit this historic eatery for a unique Southern dining experience.

Conway Cemetery State Park

 

               One of Arkansas’ least visited state parks contains the remains of one of the most important figures in Arkansas political history-- Conway Cemetery State Park. Conway Cemetery State Park is near Walnut Hill (Lafayette County) in southwest Arkansas. The park preserves the half-acre Conway family cemetery, which contains the grave of Arkansas’ first governor, James Sevier Conway. It is the second-smallest Arkansas state park. Herman Davis State Park near Manila is the smallest.

                Conway came to Arkansas from Tennessee in 1820 and formed a surveying company in Little Rock (Pulaski County.) In 1832, Conway was appointed surveyor general of the Arkansas Territory by President Andrew Jackson. When Arkansas became the 25th state on June 15, 1836, Conway was elected as the state’s chief executive and served from 1836 to 1840. Conway was a member of “The Family,” a powerful dynasty that dominated the early politics of Arkansas. His younger brother, Elias, was Arkansas’ fifth governor who served from 1852-1860. The Conways’ cousin, Ambrose H. Sevier, was one of Arkansas’ first U.S. senators. Another one of the Conways’ cousins, Benjamin Johnson, was one of the state’s first supreme court justices. Benjamin’s brother, Richard Johnson, served as Vice President under President Martin Van Buren. Several other relatives of the Conway family served in various other state and local offices.

                During his time in office, Gov. James Conway was responsible for a budget surplus and many of the state’s first institutions-- including roads, a prison system, and a state bank. A firm believer in the importance of a quality education, he unsuccessfully requested that the Arkansas General Assembly use the state’s budget surplus to create a public school system and a state university. Suffering from poor health, Conway resigned as governor in 1840 due to poor health. He passed away on March 3, 1855.

                Conway Cemetery State Park is located on grounds once part of Conway’s cotton plantation. While none of the plantation’s structures remain, several tombstones and gravesites of Conway family members stand. The earliest graves on the site date back to 1845. 

                Area residents initially maintained the cemetery, which also contains the graves of Conway’s wife, Mary Jane Bradley Conway, and more than forty other members of the Conway and Bradley families.

                A grassroots campaign led by the McCalman family of Walnut Hill helped persuade members of the Arkansas General Assembly to secure funds to preserve the historic cemetery. Legislation was passed in 1975 to authorize the state to acquire and develop the site. 

                The Conway Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 23, 1977. On March 27, 1984, the cemetery was placed under the supervision of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism in March 1984. The park was officially dedicated on March 29, 1986, as part of Arkansas’ sesquicentennial celebration. Since then, several improvements have been made to the site, including the installation of a paved parking lot, wooden fencing, and picnic tables. The park offers no amenities (such as camping and restrooms). Several interpretive signs have been erected which detail the life and accomplishments of James Conway.

                Beginning in 1985, the town of Bradley (Lafayette County) celebrated James Conway with an annual Gov. Conway Days festival held during the last weekend in March.

                While it may not have the popularity of a Petit Jean or Pinnacle Mountain or the scenery of a Mount Magazine or Queen Wilhemena, Conway Cemetery State Park is a must-visit for those interested in learning more about the Conway family.