All Around Arkansas: The Old State House

            One of the most beautiful, historic buildings in Arkansas is located on West Markham Street in downtown Little Rock — the Old State House. If you’ve never been to the Old State House, you owe it to yourself to see this grand structure where so much of the history of our state was made.

            The first capitol of Arkansas was located at Arkansas Post when the Territory of Arkansas was created in 1819. But it moved to Little Rock in 1823. For a while, several buildings were used as the capitol, including the Hinderliter Tavern.

            In 1833, Arkansas’ territorial governor, John Pope, hired Gideon Shryock, the architect of the Kentucky State Capitol, to design a capitol building in hopes that the territory would soon become a state. At Pope’s request, Shyrock agreed to draw up plans for a large stone structure with a copper roof to be built in the Greek Revival architectural style.

            Once Shyrock finished his plans for Arkansas’ new capitol, he sent his employee, George Weigart, to Little Rock to oversee construction. The capitol complex would be three separate buildings to house each branch of government. But due to budgetary constraints, Weigart was forced to reduce the square footage, replace the stone with stucco-covered brick, and use faux graining on interior doors and columns and faux marbling on mantles. By the time Arkansas became the 25th state on June 15, 1836, construction of the capitol was well underway.

            The legislative branch was located in the center building, the executive branch in the west wing and the judicial branch in the east wing. The first session of the General Assembly met in the House chamber in 1836 with construction still in progress while legislators debated and voted. Gov. Archibald Yell officially declared the building complete in 1842, and covered walkways were added to connect the three structures.

            In 1837, Arkansas’ Speaker of the House, John Wilson, stabbed Rep. Joseph Anthony to death after a heated debate on taxes. In May 1861, the second session of the Secession Convention met in the original House chamber to vote on whether Arkansas would leave the Union and join the Confederacy after the attack on Fort Sumter. Every delegate except for Isaac Murphy voted for secession. 

            The Old State House was the home to the Confederate government until Union forces led by Gen. Frederick Steele captured Little Rock in September 1863, forcing the state’s Confederate government to temporarily move to Hot Springs and eventually to Washington (Hempstead County). After the Civil War’s end, Murphy was appointed governor of Arkansas for his loyalty to the Union.

            By 1911, the state government had outgrown the building, which was in need of repair. But many legislators disagreed with spending money to fix a building that was too small. Following the completion of the new capitol, all Arkansas government offices moved to the new structure. In 1912, the University of Arkansas Medical Department (now the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences) moved into the old capitol. 

            In 1921, the building was given to the American Legion and renamed the War Memorial Building, and in 1947, legislators designated the former capitol as a museum dedicated to Arkansas history. 

            Today, the Old State House Museum is operated by the Division of Arkansas Heritage. The building remains the oldest standing state capitol building west of the Mississippi River.

            In Oct. 1991, then-Gov. Bill Clinton announced his candidacy for president on the Old State House grounds. He celebrated his presidential victories there in 1992 and 1996. 

            So if you find yourself walking through downtown Little Rock, do yourself a favor and pay a visit. Admission is free and the information you’ll learn about Arkansas’ history is priceless.

All Around Arkansas: Paris, Arkansas

               

                 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.

All Around Arkansas: The Gann Building

                Located just a few blocks from the Saline Courier in the historic district of Benton is the Gann Building — the only known building in the world to be constructed out of bauxite. Throughout its 130-year history, the structure has served as a doctor’s office, a library, and now, a museum.

                In 1890, physician Dr. Dewell Gann moved to Benton from Atlanta, where he had graduated from Southern Medical College in 1886. Shortly after his arrival, he married Martha Whithorne, the daughter of Col. Samuel Whithorne, who owned the Saline Courier newspaper. 

                Gann worked as a doctor for several Arkansas companies, eight of which were industrial plants and four were railroads. Eventually Gann would start his own medical practice on South Market Street in Benton.

                The structure known as the Gann Building was built in 1893, made of locally sourced bauxite. Why bauxite? The story goes that the office was built for Gann by patients who worked in the local bauxite mines near the town that bears the name of our state mineral. The patients were unable to pay for Gann's medical treatment. Because bauxite is a soft ore, it can be sawed into blocks, hardened for a few weeks and then used for construction. The three-room office had two waiting rooms for patients (one for men and one for women) and an exam room.

                After Gann’s practice became successful, he founded the Saline County Medical Society in 1903. Gann's son, Dewell Jr., eventually joined his father’s medical practice. Like his father, Gann Jr., was a successful doctor and was named a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1925. 

                Gann Jr. began teaching at the University of Arkansas Medical School (now the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences) in 1914 as a professor of surgery and remained as a professor there until he retired from teaching in 1936. He also served as chief of staff at St. Vincent’s Infirmary in Little Rock from 1922 to 1927. Gann Jr. is best known for being the inventor of the lung resuscitator, which was purchased by the U.S. government in 1940 and is credited with saving thousands of lives during World War II. 

                Gann Sr. died in September 1945, and a year later, his son donated the Gann Building to the city of Benton for use as a public library. In 1967, the library moved to a larger facility, so the city designated the Gann Building as a museum to interpret and preserve the history of the Gann family and Saline County. Gann Jr. died in January 1960, at his home in Benton at age 70.

                The building was placed on the Department of the Interior’s National Register of Historic Places in October 1975.

                Now known as the Gann Museum, the building features an impressive collection of Niloak pottery (made in Benton), native American artifacts, and memorabilia related to the early history of Saline County. Items once owned by the Gann family are on display as well. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and admission is free. For more information, you can visit the museum’s website at gannmuseum.com.

            On Nov. 28, the Benton City Council passed Resolution 132 of 2022, by which the city of Benton entered into an agreement to allow the Saline County library system to lease and operate the Gann Museum.

            So if you’re looking to learn more about the early history of Saline County or simply intrigued at the thought of the only building in the world made of bauxite, now you know the perfect place to visit.

 

All Around Arkansas: Mozart, Arkansas

                        

                        Every time there is severe weather in Arkansas, I always learn of towns and communities I've never heard of. One might think that a lifelong Arkansan who worked for years in the state Department of Parks, Heritage & Tourism would know every part of the Natural State. But I'm constantly learning about new places.

                        A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I were watching the severe weather coverage on one of the local TV stations and a peculiar name stood out on the radar map — Mozart. While I know who Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is, I was curious as to why there would be a community in Arkansas bearing the name of the famous Austrian composer.

                        Mozart is located on Highway 263 near Lick Fork Creek in Stone County, between the towns of Timbo and Fox. The community that eventually became Mozart was an extension of those towns.

                        In 1926, Mozart got a post office. Previously, Mozart residents picked up their mail at the Timbo post office. One of Mozart’s founding families, the Harpers, owned a general store and put the post office there before a separate facility was built.

                        Nancy Harper was appointed as the first postmaster of the Mozart post office. But the post office permanently closed in 1959 and postal services were transferred to Fox. According to a local legend, the Harpers’ daughter, Lucille, picked the name for the post office because she was a devoted fan of the composer. But there’s another tale about the origin of the community’s name. 

                        Native Austrians Dominikus Kocher and his brother, Achatz, came to the United States and eventually made their way to Rushing, in Stone County, in 1904. Their cousin, Matthew Schiefer, arrived in 1923. A long-standing legend says that the immigrants submitted the last name of their fellow Austrian as the name of the new post office. In 1966, descendants of the Kocher family established the county's first Catholic Church, in Mozart.

                        By 1925, the Stone County towns of Fox, Meadowcreek, Mozart, Parma, Rushing, Sunnyland and Turkey Creek all had their own schools. The school in Mozart was called the Skyland School. Starting in 1946, the small towns decided to combine their schools into one, the Rural Special School, which was located about 2 miles from Fox along Highway 263. The schools operated independently until 2004, when the state Legislature consolidated small school districts across the state. Rural Special joined the Mountain View school district but was allowed to keep its own campus because of its isolation.

                        A Baptist group briefly used Mozart’s old Skyland School as a church; it later became a Pentecostal church. The building is still standing but is in terrible condition. 

                        The first Catholic church in Stone County, Our Lady of Victory Church, was built in 1966 in Mozart. The local Southern Baptist organization purchased the Our Lady of Victory church building and began having regular worship services in August 1994. 

                        Several towers stand atop the mountains that surround Mozart. One such tower belongs to Arkansas' public television station, Arkansas PBS. Bear Pen Falls, located near Mozart, is a popular fishing spot for fly fishing and bait casting.

                    Sadly, not much is left of Mozart. There are no stores, no schools and no post office. The few Arkansans who still make their home there travel to Fox or Mountain View for shopping, health care and restaurants. 

                    While I never hope for threatening weather to strike, I'll be watching the next round of severe storm coverage to see if there's a Bach or a Beethoven, Arkansas.

                    A proud sixth-generation Arkansan, Darrell W. Brown is a lover of all things Arkansas. He lives in Saline County with his wife, Amy, and their beloved Boston Terrier, Dixie. Find him on Facebook and Instagram at AllAroundArkansas.

All Around Arkansas: America's First National River

 

                Arkansas is home to many firsts — the first Walmart, in Rogers, and the first national park, in Hot Springs. (Technically the "Spa City" was the first federal reservation, but it predates Yellowstone National Park by 40 years.) 

                Arkansas is also home to the first public diamond mine, in Murfreesboro, and the first river to be designated a national river, the Buffalo. And floating the Buffalo River is something of a rite of passage for true Arkansans.

                Located in northern Arkansas, the Buffalo River is one of only four rivers designated as a national river by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Park Service. It was established by an act of Congress and signed in law by President Richard Nixon in March 1972, ending plans by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build one or more dams on the river for flood control and recreational purposes. 

                According to the National Park Service website, the designation of the Buffalo as a national river “protects the waterway from any and all industrial uses, impoundments and other obstructions that could change the natural character of the river or disrupt the natural habitat for the flora and fauna that live in or near the river.”

                The meandering river is about 153 miles long. The lower 135 miles of the Buffalo flows within the boundaries of an area managed by the park service. The river flows from west to east through Newton, Searcy, Marion and Baxter counties. It originates in the highest part of the Boston Mountains of the Ozark Mountain range and eventually joins the White River at Buffalo Valley (Searcy County). The area along the Buffalo near Boxley (Newton County) is home to the state's only elk herd. The upper section of the river in the Ozark National Forest is managed by the U.S. Forest Service and is designated as a national scenic river, as well as a national wild river by the federal government.

            The Buffalo National River is a popular camping, hiking, canoeing and fishing destination for Arkansans and out-of-state tourists. According to park service statistics, the river averages about 900,000 visitors a year. Those looking to float the Buffalo can bring their own canoes and kayaks or rent from several independent outfitters located along the waterway. Camping is generally allowed throughout the park and is permitted on the gravel and sand bars along the river, and the park service maintains several campgrounds along the river. There are a few places where camping is not permitted. More information on camping can be found on the Buffalo National River’s website at www.nps.gov/buff.

            A visitors center operated by the National Park Service at the Tyler Bend recreational area located along the Buffalo near St. Joe (Searcy County) interprets the story of the Buffalo National River and includes exhibits on recreation, the establishment of the park, prehistoric and pioneer history, flora and fauna, and a gift shop.

            Interestingly, one of Arkansas’ first state parks was built on the Buffalo. Established by the Arkansas Parks and Recreation Commission in 1938, Buffalo River State Park, like the other original state parks, was developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1939. The state park was eventually absorbed into Buffalo National River and became a federal park in 1972. The area is now known as Buffalo Point and features several CCC-era structures, the Indian Rock House trail, a former zinc mine and the Indian Rock House cave. Another interesting fact about the Buffalo is that it was designated as the first International Dark Sky Park in the state in June 2019.

            With its scenic views, historic sites and free-flowing waters, native Arkansas singer and songwriter Jimmy Driftwood said it best when referring to the Buffalo as "Arkansas’ gift to the nation and America’s gift to the world."

            A proud sixth-generation Arkansan, Darrell W. Brown is a lover of all things Arkansas. He lives in Saline County with his wife, Amy, and their beloved Boston Terrier, Dixie. Find him on Facebook and Instagram at AllAroundArkansas

All Around Arkansas: Christmas at the Capitol

 

            In last week’s column I wrote about one of the holiday traditions now popular in the Natural State—visiting the amazing light display at Garvan Woodland Gardens near Hot Springs. This week, I wanted to write about another Arkansas holiday tradition that’s been in my family since I was a child — visiting the state Capitol in Little Rock to see the spectacular outdoor light display and beautiful decorations.

According to the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office, the Capitol was first lit in 1939 by then-Secretary of State Crip Hall. A patient at nearby Childrens’ Hospital wrote to Hall asking him to illuminate the Capitol so he could see the lights from his room. Hall honored the boy’s request and had a staff electrician rig strips of lights on metal that were then hung from the building’s cupola. About 1,000 red and blue bulbs lit up the capitol dome. In 1940, the Capitol’s Christmas lights were changed to all blue bulbs and loudspeakers were set up in the rotunda to play Christmas music.

The following year, a life size nativity scene was set up at the front entrance of the Capitol. The lights were illuminated on Dec. 10. Just a few days earlier, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, marking the United States’ entry into World War II. When asked by local reporters whether it was appropriate to decorate the Capitol in the wake of such an event, Hall said that in “such unusual times, the people of Arkansas needed to have a little reassuring normalness.”

In 1942, as the war was in full swing, the lighting became a little more subdued with only colored flood lights on the dome. The nativity scene also took on a new look, featuring non-traditional figures such as a soldier, a sailor, a Marine and a Red Cross nurse standing guard over Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.

The following year would mark the first time the exterior of the state Capitol was not lit since 1939. But some holiday decor remained; a 16-foot fir Christmas tree, sent by Arizona Gov. Sidney Osborne, was placed in the ground floor rotunda.

All holiday décor returned to the Capitol after the war’s end in 1945. The dome was lit up, a live tree was set up in the rotunda and the nativity scene returned with the original figures. This would set the foundation for holiday celebrations at the state Capitol for decades to come. Unfortunately, in 1973, due to the worldwide energy crisis, the Capitol was not decorated. Thankfully, the lights returned to the building the following year.

From 1995 to 2002, the state Capitol grounds were decorated by local businessman Jennings Osborne, who was well known in central Arkansas for the massive light display at his home on Cantrell Road in Little Rock. Osborne, a close friend of then-Gov. Mike Huckabee, provided millions of twinkling white lights to the state free of charge. The lights on the Capitol dome were in constant motion, which gave the structure the nickname, “the Disco Dome.” In 2006, the tree from the rotunda was moved after an extra-large tree knocked out parts of the Capitol’s second floor marble railing. An artificial tree was substituted because of the fire hazards of a live tree, but a live tree returned in 2012.

The state Capitol lights and decorations are unveiled at a public lighting ceremony, which are accompanied by fireworks and a visit from Santa Claus, on the first Saturday in December. Throughout the holiday season, the state Capitol is open from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. weeknights and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. These times are in effect until Jan. 2, when normal operating hours resume. The state Capitol is closed Christmas Day.

            I wish all of you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!

            A proud sixth-generation Arkansan, Darrell W. Brown is a lover of all things Arkansas. He lives in Saline County with his wife, Amy, and their beloved Boston Terrier, Dixie. Find him on Facebook and Instagram at AllAroundArkansas.

All Around Arkansas: Garvan Woodland Gardens

 

  

                Throughout the past several years, one of the great Arkansas holiday traditions has been to make the annual pilgrimage to see the thousands of Christmas lights on display at Garvan Woodland Gardens near Hot Springs.        

            Though the line is often extremely long just to get to the parking lot — and almost just as long to get inside the venue — thousands of Arkansans brave the traffic to see spectacular decorations that would put even the most crotchety Scrooge into the Christmas spirit.

            Located along Lake Hamilton, the land now known as Garvan Woodland Gardens was bought by Malvern businessman Arthur Cook in the mid-1920s to harvest timber to manufacture wood flooring at his mill, Wisconsin-Arkansas Lumber Co. Not long after his purchase, Cook’s land became a large peninsula, when Arkansas Power & Light (now Entergy Arkansas) built Carpenter Dam on the Ouachita River, creating Lake Hamilton.

            Cook died in a vehicle accident in 1934. After his death, Cook’s wife and daughters acquired the land and Cook’s two companies: Wisconsin-Arkansas Lumber and Malvern Brick & Tile. The youngest daughter, Verna, took control of the Cook family’s businesses. She and her husband Patrick Garvan managed Malvern Brick & Tile for 40 years until they sold the business to Acme Brick in the 1970s.

            After the sale of the business, Verna Garvan became a self-taught gardener and conservationist. For more than 30 years, she designed and developed her own large-scale garden. Verna and her husband had dreams of building a grand home on the property, but that dream ended when Patrick became ill and died in 1975.

            But Verna continued to develop the beautiful grounds, deciding that she should share the garden with her fellow Arkansans. She contacted an old family friend, longtime Malvern Brick & Tile employee Warren Bankson, to help her create a plan to share the gardens with the public. 

            Eventually, Verna realized that she and Bankson did not have the necessary expertise to develop the large-scale botanical garden she had dreamed of. And so, in November 1985, she signed a trust agreement with the University of Arkansas that would allow the university’s architecture school and landscape architecture program to operate the gardens in perpetuity for the citizens of Arkansas, with the understanding she would maintain control until her death. As stated in the agreement, her motivation for bequeathing the property to the university was to “serve as a tribute to natural preservation in the twentieth century.” Verna was stricken with cancer and died on Oct. 1, 1993.

            In 1996, the University of Arkansas asked Behnke & Associates of Cleveland to develop a 25-year master plan for the gardens. In 2000, the university officially named the property Garvan Woodland Gardens. The gardens officially opened to the public on April 7, 2002.

            Starting in November 2002, Garvan Woodland Gardens began its massive holiday light display, which now consists of more than 5 million Christmas lights. A crew of about 30 begins working in mid-August to have the display ready for its mid-November opening. The display is open through Dec. 31 but closed on Christmas Day. For more information on hours of operation and admission prices, you can visit garvangardens.org.

            The sight of millions of twinkling lights is amazing, but remember it will take quite a bit of time to get there, park and stand in line to begin your journey through the gardens. While it’s all part of the celebration of the birth of Christ, you'll need the patience of Job to see it.

All Around Arkansas: Arkansas Post National Memorial

 

                    Not long after we started dating, I took my girlfriend — now wife — to the Arkansas Post National Memorial near Gillett (Arkansas County). Some 17 years later, I still haven’t lived it down. 

                    As someone who doesn’t appreciate historical sites like I do, she didn’t — and doesn’t — understand why we made the four-hour round trip to see Arkansas Post. But ’m an Arkansas history buff, and it was well worth it to visit one of the most historically significant places in my home state, even if there wasn’t a lot to see.

                Arkansas Post National Memorial is located on land that was part of the original settlement of Arkansas Post, at the confluence of the Arkansas and Mississippi rivers. In 1686, Henri de Tonti established a trading post known as Poste de Arkansea near the Quapaw village of Osotouy. Because of that, de Tonti is known as the “Father of Arkansas.” The post was the first European settlement in the lower Mississippi River area. Over the years, Arkansas Post relocated four times due to flooding.

                One of the final actions of the Revolutionary War — "Colbert’s Raid" — took place at Arkansas Post. On April 17, 1873, British sympathizers and native Americans attacked the Spanish fort at the settlement. During the raid, James Colbert, a former captain in the British army, led a group of British soldiers and Chickasaw Indians in a failed attempt to force the Spanish out of Arkansas Post.

                Arkansas Post became part of the United States through the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. By 1819, it was a bustling river port and the largest city in the region. As such, Arkansas Post was chosen as the first capital of the newly-formed Arkansas Territory. 

                That same year, a young printer from New York named William Woodruff arrived at Arkansas Post and set up a printing shop. In November 1819, he published the first edition of the Arkansas Gazette, which became the oldest continuously published paper west of the Mississippi River. But within a couple of years, settlers moved into the northern and western portions of the territory, and the population center shifted away from Arkansas Post. In 1821, Arkansas’ territorial capital was moved to Little Rock.

                During the Civil War, Confederate forces tried to maintain control of the confluence of the Arkansas and White rivers. In 1862, they built the large earthen fortification known as Fort Hindman at Arkansas Post. On Jan. 11, 1863, Union troops destroyed the fort along with all other remaining structures. The 5,000 Confederate troops stationed at Fort Hindman were greatly outnumbered by the Union’s 32,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry. The Confederates who survived the battle surrendered and were held as prisoners of war.

                In 1929, the fourth location of Arkansas Post became a state park. Thanks to a bill presented in Congress by Rep. William Frank Norrell and signed by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1960, the National Park System established the Arkansas Post National Memorial about 15 miles north of Dumas (Desha County). There, the park service operates a visitors center and museum, which interprets Arkansas Post’s history and significance to the region. 

                Sadly, due to flooding, war and time, little remains of the original settlement of Arkansas Post, except for a few foundations of buildings constructed during its days as the territorial capital of Arkansas. 

                And a word of advice to my readers: If you’re a lover of Arkansas history, you definitely must visit Arkansas Post. But if your spouse is not, make sure you leave him or her at home. Trust me.

        A proud sixth-generation Arkansan, Darrell W. Brown is a lover of all things Arkansas. He lives in Saline County with his wife, Amy, and their beloved Boston Terrier, Dixie. Find him on Facebook and Instagram at AllAroundArkansas.

                    

All Around Arkansas: Arkansas Municipal Auditorium

 

            My wife and I spent this past Thanksgiving with her family in their hometown of Texarkana. 

            During our stay, my mother-in-law took us to the downtown historic district to an old venue where she and her musical family performed in the 1960s — the Arkansas Municipal Auditorium. Emory Dale and Mary Sorsby and their three daughters often played on the auditorium’s stage at concerts and variety shows.

            But my mother-in-law wasn’t the only entertainment legend who played there. After our conversation and some quick research, I learned all about the colorful building and the amazing talents that graced its stage through the decades.

            Built in the late 1920s, the auditorium was part of the Texarkana, Arkansas Municipal Building, which also housed city hall, a fire station and a jail. The city, which straddles the Texas-Arkansas line and was home to a major railroad junction, began to experience a significant population boom, prompting the need for a multi-use municipal facility. 

            City officials hired the local architectural firm of Witt Seibert & Holley to design the building and the McGehee Construction Co. to build it. Construction began in 1927. The 950-seat auditorium opened in June 1928, and the other portions of the building completed in 1930. The municipal building was built in a prime location at 3rd and Walnut Streets near the heart of Texarkana, Arkansas. 

            With its large capacity and central location, the auditorium became the hot spot for all kinds of performances, ranging from concerts and fashion shows to dance recitals. It was the primary stop for performers appearing on the Louisiana Hayride, a radio (and later television) country music show broadcast from the Municipal Memorial Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana. The program helped launch the careers of several famous musicians, including Hank Williams, Sr. and Elvis Presley. 

            Presley performed at the Arkansas Municipal Auditorium several times in the mid-1950s, as did other legends like Arkansans Johnny Cash and Harold Jenkins, who would become known by his stage name, Conway Twitty. Presley and Cash once performed together at the auditorium on Nov. 17, 1955. 

            Other musicians of note that graced the auditorium’s stage include Louis Armstrong, Fats Domino, George Jones (he apparently showed up that time), Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, who reportedly debuted his signature song, “Blue Suede Shoes,” on the auditorium's stage. Even the sultry star of the stage and screen, Mae West, performed there.

            But over time, entertainment at the auditorium became more locally focused, featuring high school plays, baby pageants and beauty pageants.

            In 2002, the city’s board of directors created the Texarkana, Arkansas, Municipal Auditorium Commission, which aims to “enhance community pride through the renovation of the Arkansas Municipal Auditorium.”

            The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. On Nov. 17, 2015, city leaders and members of the auditorium commission unveiled a plaque honoring Johnny Cash at the building he helped make famous.

            Throughout the years, with a combination of grants, city and state funds and private donations, the commission has made significant improvements to the building, including a new roof, asbestos removal, and a wall of fame park next to the building.

            Perhaps one day, another young girl will make her own special memories on that historic stage, just as mother-in-law did not so long ago.

            A proud sixth-generation Arkansan, Darrell W. Brown is a lover of all things Arkansas. He lives in Saline County with his wife, Amy, and their beloved Boston Terrier, Dixie. Brown teaches broadcasting and history at a private school in Bryant. Find him on Facebook and Instagram at AllAroundArkansas.

All Around Arkansas: The Hinderliter Grog Shop

                

                Driving through downtown Little Rock (Pulaski County), you may have noticed a white two-story building on the corner of Third and Cumberland streets that looks very out of place. That structure would be the Hinderliter Grog Shop, and it's considered by most local historians to be the oldest still-standing building in the capital city.

         The Hinderliter Grog Shop was built around 1826 by Jesse Hinderliter, who came to Arkansas with his wife, Sophia, from St. Louis. On Lots 7, 8 and 9 of the city’s Block 32, Hinderliter built the two-story, hand-hewn log building, which served as a tavern, a restaurant, an inn and the private residence for the Hinderliters. The grog shop reflects architecture common in the state throughout the 1820s and 1830s

         Unfortunately, Jesse Hinderliter didn’t live long in Little Rock. He died in 1834. The grog shop was then sold at auction to repay the debt Hinderliter owed to the original owner of the property, prominent Little Rock attorney Chester Ashley.

         According to local legend, the last meeting of the Arkansas Territorial Legislature took place in the old grog shop in October 1835. Arkansas historian William Pope, wrote in his book, “The Early Days of Arkansas,” that “the last Territorial Legislature met October 5, 1835 and held its sittings in the old Hinderliter house on the northwest corner of Cumberland and Mulberry Streets. There is a stone marker placed by the Daughters of the American Revolution (which has sunk into the ground and is barely visible now) on the corner of Third and Cumberland that attests to this story. But there is no concrete evidence that the old building ever housed the territorial legislature. 

         After Hinderliter’s death and the sale of the building, it continued to serve as a public building. By the 1880s, the grog shop shifted into tenements with a restaurant inside. Part of the building was also used as a laundry business. As seen in photos taken of the building in the early 1930s, it served as a grocery store and a barber shop. Eventually the building fell into disrepair and was almost demolished by the city.

         But thanks to the efforts of Little Rock socialite Louise Loughborough, the old Hinderliter Grog Shop and several other vintage structures on the block were purchased by the state and restored by the Works Progress Administration. On July 19, 1941, the Arkansas Territorial Capitol Restoration officially opened to the public. The old grog shop was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 31, 2019. 

            Today the restored buildings are part of the Historic Arkansas Museum, which is operated by the heritage division of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism. Tours are available of the grog shop, just don’t expect any adult beverages when you visit. For that dear readers, you’ll have to walk a couple of blocks over to the River Market.

            May you all have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving weekend.

       A proud sixth-generation Arkansan, Darrell W. Brown is a lover of all things Arkansas. He lives in Saline County with his wife, Amy, and their beloved Boston Terrier, Dixie. Find him on Facebook and Instagram at AllAroundArkansas.

All Around Arkansas: Dyess Colony, Arkansas

 

                One of my fondest memories of working for the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism was helping lead a group of international tour guides and travel bloggers on a tour of historic attractions in the Arkansas Delta in 2017. Our first stop: Dyess (Mississippi County), the boyhood home of music legend Johnny Cash. 

                Dyess, formerly known as Dyess Colony, was one of several "resettlement colonies" for impoverished farmers who suffered during the Great Depression. The area around Dyess was prime farmland, but by the end of the 1920s, several disasters had devastated the Delta's small independent farmers. The great flood of 1927 was followed by a severe drought. And in 1929, the stock market crashed and banks failed across the country. By 1930, nearly two-thirds of the state's independent farmers had lost their farms and fell into tenancy.

                When President Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1933, he created several federal agencies to create jobs and rebuild America's economy. Two of these agencies included the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), both of which aimed to help impoverished farmers and sharecroppers.

                Mississippi County native W. R. Dyess was appointed as Arkansas’s first WPA administrator. He proposed a plan to the president's advisers through which tenant farmers could buy their own farmland. FERA purchased about 16,000 acres of bottomland in the county, and with the assistance of $3 million in federal funds, that bottomland would become a "resettlement colony" to homesteading families, who would each receive 20 acres of land for a home and a farm. 

                Roosevelt and his advisers signed off on the proposal and in May 1934 "Colonization Project No. 1" was established near Arkansas Highway 297 in southwestern Mississippi County. It would later become known as Dyess Colony. In June 1936, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited Dyess Colony, where she made a speech at the WPA administration building and met with the community’s residents for several hours

                One of the families that applied for and was accepted to become part of the Dyess Colony experiment was the Cash family from Kingsland (Cleveland County). In 1936, Ray and Carrie Cash moved their family to Dyess Colony. One of their young sons, J.R., who was known by his friends as "John" and later as "Johnny," would go on to become one the biggest stars in American music history. 

                Cash graduated from Dyess High School in 1950 and wrote the song "Five Feet High and Rising" about growing up in the small community. His younger brother, Tommy, would also go on to have some success on the country charts.

                In 2011, Arkansas State University in Jonesboro purchased Cash’s boyhood home, which by that time had become dilapidated and was listed on the Historic Preservation of Arkansas’ most endangered places list. A-State restored the house to its original condition, and the home opened to the public on Aug. 16, 2014. Other historic buildings in Dyess have been restored, and the small town has become a popular tourist destination.

                When I led that tour of travel guides and bloggers in 2017, I was afraid the group wouldn't be familiar with Cash or his music and not too excited about visiting the house. So I brought my guitar, and after we toured the small home, I sat down on the front porch swing and began to play some of Cash’s hits. 

                Much to my amazement, the group knew every word to every song. It was a special moment that proved music is an international language that brings us all together.

                A proud sixth-generation Arkansan, Darrell W. Brown is a lover of all things Arkansas. He lives in Saline County with his wife, Amy, and their beloved Boston Terrier, Dixie. Brown teaches history and broadcasting at a private school in Bryant. Find him on Facebook and Instagram at AllAroundArkansas.

All Around Arkansas: The Arlington Hotel

 

                    With its iconic twin towers and Spanish-Colonial Revival style facade, the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa is the anchor of historic downtown Hot Springs. Generations of Spa City visitors — including gangsters, pro athletes and presidents — have made it their favorite place to stay, take a hot mineral bath, dance the night away, and have an adult beverage or two.

                    Hot Springs railroad executive Samuel W. Fordyce and two other partners, Samuel Stitt and William Gaines, put up the money to build the first Arlington Hotel, which opened in 1875. Fordyce is the namesake for both the Fordyce Bathhouse in Hot Springs and the county seat in Dallas County.

                    The original hotel was considered to be the first luxury hotel in the Spa City and at the time was the largest hotel in the state. The original Arlington was located across from the current hotel on the site now known as Arlington Park. 

                    In 1893, Fordyce and his partners decided the property had become dated compared to the newer hotels in the city, such as the Eastman and the Majestic. So they demolished the Arlington and rebuilt it on the same site. The second hotel, known as the New Arlington, had an elegant Spanish-renaissance design, a larger guest capacity (300 rooms) and more modern amenities. 

                    But a fire destroyed the second Arlington on April 5, 1923. The blaze killed one fireman and caused an estimated $1.6 million in damage (about $23.5 million in today's money). One notable guest staying at the Arlington at the time of the fire: William Pinkerton, founder of the security service that bears his name.

                    Hotel owners decided to rebuild again. But this time, they chose the site at the intersection of Fountain Street and Central Avenue across the street from the two previous structures. Designed by Arkansas State Capitol architect George Mann, the current Arlington Hotel was completed on Nov. 28, 1924.

            

                    During the 1930s, the Arlington was the choice hotel for notorious gangster Al Capone, who had his own suite, Room 443. When Capone was in town for gambling and other adult activities, he would rent the entire fourth floor for his entourage.

                    Throughout the years, many famous people including U.S. presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton have been guests of the Arlington. Other notables include baseball legend Babe Ruth, humorist Will Rogers, and musicians Tony Bennett (who performed at the nearby Vapors Club) and Barbra Streisand. 

                    In 1928, Joseph T. Robinson, a former governor and U.S. senator from Arkansas, publicly accepted the Democratic nomination for vice president on the front steps of the hotel. The speech was broadcast nationally by KTHS, whose studio was once located inside the Arlington and was the first radio station in Hot Springs.

                    In recent decades, the hotel operated as a shell of a former self, prompting city officials in 2016 to issue the Arlington’s owners a notice of unsafe conditions and threaten to close the building unless repairs were made.

                    Thankfully, the hotel’s new owners, Sky Capital Group LP of Little Rock, have mounted a $30 million renovation of the historic hotel. Construction crews have just completed the restoration of the Arlington’s twin towers and are making other repairs to bring the hotel back to its former glory.

                    So while you may not see Al Capone at the bar or Babe Ruth headed to the spa, you’ll soon be able to see the Arlington how it once looked decades ago, when Hot Springs was the Las Vegas of the South.

All Around Arkansas: Subiaco Abbey and Academy

 

                If you take a drive between Fort Smith (Sebastian County) and Russellville (Pope County) on Highway 22, you may see a building that looks out of place. It appears to be an ancient structure you’d see somewhere in old Europe rather than rural Arkansas. That unusual building is the Subiaco Abbey and it has an interesting story.

                Subiaco Abbey is an American Benedictine monastery located in Logan County, Arkansas. It was established in March 1878 and was called St. Benedict’s Colony. St. Benedict’s Colony provided for the settlement of German-speaking immigrants in western Arkansas and laid the groundwork for what would become known as the Subiaco Abbey and Academy. The monastery is home to thirty-nine monks, as well as a preparatory school operates, Subiaco takes its name from Subiaco, Italy, the site of the first monastery founded by Saint Benedict. 

        In July 1891, Pope Leo XIII upgraded the status of St. Benedict’s Colony to the rank of abbey. With its new status as an independent monastery ruled by an abbot, the colony was renamed Subiaco Abbey. In 1892, Bishop Edward Fitzgerald sent seminarians from the Diocese of Little Rock to train at Subiaco and the training of seminarians continued there until around 1911.

                Sadly, the original monastery was destroyed by fire in December 1901. Thankfully, a new monastery was almost finished at the time of the disaster. The new monastery was located on a hilltop overlooking the small town of Subiaco and is the current site of the abbey and academy. Along with the move to its new location, the abbey opened a high school for boys in 1902.

                Tragedy struck the abbey once again in 1927, as the building was destroyed by flames. Unfortunately, this time Subiaco Abbey suffered a very slow recovery. The fire, along with the dire economic situation caused by the Great Depression, did not allow the abbey and academy to fully recover until a few years after the end of World War II. In 1963, Subiaco Abbey opened the Coury House Retreat Center as a retreat ministry for visitors from across the nation and world and in 1978, Subiaco Abbey and Academy celebrated its 100th anniversary.

                In 2007, Subiaco Academy announced its plans to allow eighth graders to attend the school. Subiaco had admitted eighth graders in the 1940s and 1950s, but had stopped. During the twenty-first century, Subiaco has had quite the diverse student body with students from fifteen states and other nations including China, Mexico and South Korea. Of the nearly thirty staff and faculty members at Subiaco Academy, almost a quarter are Benedictine monks.

                Today, the compound at Subiaco is home to around 40 monks. In addition to serving as instructors at the academy, several of the monks also serve as pastors for churches in the surrounding communities. On the farmland surrounding the abbey, other monks raise Black cattle, maintain a vineyard, operate a sawmill, and grow the produce necessary to make their own Monk Sauce, a habanero pepper sauce which can be purchased in person at the Subiaco store or online at countrymonks.com. In 2018, Subiaco opened a public brewery and tasting room.

                So if you’re ever in the Subiaco area, stop in at the old abbey. After all, where else can you get hot sauce, wine, and go to confession afterwards?

A proud sixth-generation Arkansan, Darrell W. Brown is a lover of all things Arkansas. He lives in Saline County with his wife, Amy, and their beloved Boston Terrier, Dixie. Brown teaches history and broadcasting at a private school in Bryant. Find him on Facebook and Instagram at AllAroundArkansas.