All Around Arkansas: Crater of Diamonds State Park

               

                 In my time as an employee of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage & Tourism, and now, as a middle school Arkansas history teacher, I’ve learned that next to Bill Clinton and Walmart, our state is most known for being the only state where the public can mine for diamonds. 

                That's right. If you work hard and have a little luck, you might be able to find precious gems at Crater of Diamonds State Park near Murfreesboro (Pike County).

                The 911-acre Crater of Diamonds State Park features a 37-acre plowed field that sits atop an ancient volcanic vent known as the Prairie Creek Pipe. The volcanic explosion that formed this pipe more than 100 million years ago brought diamonds from deep within the earth’s mantle to the surface. 

                John Wesley Huddleston found the first diamond on the site in August 1906. The next month, Huddleston sold an option on 243 acres of the land to a group of Little Rock businessmen, including Samuel Reyburn. 

                But Reyburn and company's several attempts at commercial diamond mining there failed, with the only significant yield coming from the original surface layer, where erosion over a long period of time had concentrated the diamonds.

                After Huddleston found the first diamond in 1906, the area around the mine was overrun with prospectors seeking to strike it rich. 

                According to local legend, hotels in and around Murfreesboro turned away 20,000 people that year. So the hopeful miners formed a tent city near the Crater of Diamonds, which they named "Kimberly" after the famed Kimberley diamond district in South Africa. 

                Another story says that Kimberly was created as a land-development venture in 1909 by Mallard M. Mauney and his son, Walter. That project went bust as the diamond boom faded almost as quickly as it began. Today, the Kimberly area is almost all cow pasture and farmland owned by descendants of the Mauneys.

                But people have found diamonds at Crater of Diamonds, some of them notable. They include the 40.23-carat Uncle Sam, the largest diamond ever unearthed in the United States; the 16.37-carat Amarillo Starlight; the 15.33-carat Star of Arkansas; and the 8.52-carat Esperanza. 

                The most famous diamond found there is the 3.03-carat Strawn-Wagner diamond, discovered in 1990 by Shirley Strawn of Murfreesboro in 1990. The gem was cut down to a 1.09-carat brilliant shape and was certified as a perfect D flawless diamond, which is the highest quality diamond ever graded by the American Gemological Society.

                The Crater of Diamonds became part of the Arkansas park system in 1972, when the Department of Parks & Tourism purchased the site from the Arkansas Diamond Co. and Ozark Diamond Mines Corp., which had previously operated the site together as a tourist attraction. The park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in June 1973. 

                Today, Crater of Diamonds State Park is open to the public and for a small fee — $13 for adults and $6 for children — visitors can dig for diamonds and other precious gems. Park visitors find an average of more than 600 diamonds each year. As of 2020, more than 80,000 diamonds have been found in the park. Regardless of the diamond’s value, visitors are permitted to keep what they find. 

                Crater of Diamonds State Park also features a visitor center with information about the geology of the park, a gift shop and a small restaurant. The park also contains the popular aquatic playground, Diamond Springs Water Park. For more, visit the park’s website at craterofdiamondsstatepark.com.

                So with spring break coming up, you might want to pack up and take the kids to Murfreesboro and dig for diamonds. Who knows? You might come back millions of dollars richer.

                A sixth-generation Arkansan, Darrell Brown is a lover of all things Arkansas. He lives in Saline County with his wife, Amy, and their beloved Boston Terrier, Dixie. His previous columns can be found at AllAroundArkansas.blogspot.com.

All Around Arkansas: The Man in Black

                

                As I write this week’s column, it’s Sunday, Feb. 26. Not only is it the 10th birthday of my beloved Boston Terrier, Dixie Marie, but it’s also the 91st birthday of the legendary country musician and Arkansas native, Johnny Cash.

                I was raised on country music. KSSN 96 FM played on the radio in my parents’ vehicles and on the alarm clock/radio that sat on our kitchen counter. My dad had a stack of vinyl and cassette tapes of artists such as Conway Twitty, Don Williams, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash. 

                By the time I became a teenager and able to choose more of what I listened to, I found myself drawn to singers such as George Strait, Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn and others. Now don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy Cash’s album, “Live at Folsom Prison,” mostly because of the humorous song, “A Boy Named Sue,” but honestly, I just wasn’t much of a “Man in Black” fan in my early years. 

                Fast forward many, many years later to when I began working for the Group Sales Division of the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism (Heritage was its own separate agency back then). Much of what our division did was “sell” Arkansas to out-of-state and international tour operators and travel writers. I remember my boss, Tracy Morales, telling me one morning that I would be accompanying her on a “familiarization tour” focusing on Arkansas’ musical history with a group of international tour leaders and writers.

                Tracy explained that because the bus trip around the Arkansas Delta would be long and tedious, we needed to be able to entertain our guests. She knew I played guitar and asked if I could perform some Johnny Cash songs on the trip. Again, as I wasn’t much of a fan, I said no. So she instructed me to learn some quickly, as the tour was just a couple of weeks away. 

                I got online and began printing off lyrics and chords to such songs as “Ring of Fire,” “I Walk the Line,” “Folsom Prison Blues” and my old childhood favorite, “A Boy Named Sue.” Soon I became quite proficient in Cash’s musical repertoire. Much to my amazement, when the ride started to get monotonous, I pulled out my guitar, did my best Cash impression and the people on the bus went wild. They knew the words to every song. I was shocked! 

                After we took a tour of Cash’s restored boyhood home in Dyess, I led the group in a medley of Cash songs as I sat on the Cash family’s old front porch swing. No doubt, this was one of my favorite memories of working for Arkansas Parks & Tourism. 

                Last August, I started teaching at a private school in Bryant. One of my subjects is eighth grade Arkansas history. When I began teaching a section on famous Arkansans, I was surprised that the one famous Arkansan my students seemed to be most familiar with was Johnny Cash. When I asked these young students how they knew about Cash, most responded that their parents were fans or they had seen the hit 2005 movie, “Walk the Line.”

                It seems that the older I get, the more appreciative I become of Johnny Cash and his music. Perhaps it’s because his recurring themes — sin and redemption, the tragic loss of loved ones, learning from mistakes like shooting a man in Reno just to watch him die — resonate more with middle-aged me. Maybe it’s because, through my work in the Arkansas tourism industry, I’ve been able to visit and experience significant places in Cash’s history, such as his birthplace of Kingsland; his boyhood home in Dyess; Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded his first album; his home and office in Hendersonville, Tennessee; and his final resting place nearby. Maybe it’s a combination of all the above. 

                Whatever it is, after all these years I’ve come to understand what millions of fans (such as my dad) have known for decades — Johnny Cash is an American icon whose songs of sorrow and the plight of the common man age like a fine wine.

                A sixth-generation Arkansan, Darrell Brown is a lover of all things Arkansas. He lives in Saline County with his wife, Amy, and their beloved Boston Terrier, Dixie. His previous columns can be found at AllAroundArkansas.blogspot.com.

All Around Arkansas: The Greens at North Hills

 

                Located in my hometown of Sherwood, The Greens at North Hills was originally named the Sylvan Hills Country Club and was built in the Sylvan Hills community along Highway 107 in 1926. It was built by real estate developer Justin Matthews to provide recreational opportunities for residents living in the Park Hill subdivision in North Little Rock, as well as residents of his planned community called Sylvan Hills.

                A 1927 nmagazine ad stated that the Sylvan Hills Country Club boasted of a “magnificent field stone clubhouse, a swimming pool, four other buildings, and an 18-hole golf course, which has been pronounced as one of the finest in the state.” The swimming pool was the first public one opened in Arkansas.

                The Sylvan Hills Country Club was very successful up until the early 1930s, when America entered the Great Depression. As people had less disposable income for recreational activities, the country club closed. Milk cows from the nearby Salyer Dairy Farm were herded to the golf course to graze the fields during the summer of 1936 and into the mid-1940s. 

                After the end of World War II, several original members of the country club returned, reorganized the country club, and repurchased the land. A new clubhouse was built around 1946 on the original clubhouse’s foundation. However, unlike the original two-story building, the new clubhouse was only one story. The greens were also rehabilitated following many years of neglect and misuse.

                As finances were still tight after World War II, management purchased slot machines to help generate funds. Club members paid a hefty joining fee, but the fee was offset by the fact that there were no monthly dues. The slot machines were successful, in that they made enough money to cover the club’s expenses, as well as turn a modest profit. However, when Gov. Sid McMath began a campaign to end illegal gambling in Hot Springs, club officials feared that state law enforcement authorities would soon be sent to destroy the machines at Sylvan Hills. Club employees took the slot machines to a wooded area near the golf course at night and buried them, but the machines were found and destroyed. 

                In July 1950, Metropolitan Trust Co. (owned by the heirs of Justin Matthews) began selling residential lots alongside Sylvan Hills Country Club. As Sherwood grew, a huge demand was created for new homes in the area. In 1956, Sylvan Hills Country Club was renamed North Hills Country Club.

                The club’s second clubhouse caught fire and burned in May 1961. Almost immediately, the leaders of the new North Hills Country Club made plans to rebuild. With money from their insurance claim, the club built a small “teen building” behind the swimming pool and used this as a clubhouse while a new clubhouse was being built. Construction on the new structure began in October 1962 and was finished in December 1963 at a cost of approximately $300,000. In 1977, one of the world’s leading golf course architects, Robert Trent Jones, Sr. was brought in to redesign the outdated 1920s golf course. The total cost to remodel the greens was around $800,000. This is the only course designed by Jones, Sr. in Arkansas.

                No longer profitable, the North Hills Country Club officially closed in May 2007. An offer was presented to the owners to purchase the land for use as a residential development. This caused a major uproar among many of the citizens of Sherwood, especially those who frequented the links and owned homes alongside the golf course. After much debate, the city settled all claims against the property and purchased it with taxpayer funds. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010, making it one of only two properties in Sherwood granted the designation, the other being my favorite building in Arkansas-- the Roundtop Filling Station.

A sixth-generation Arkansan, Darrell Brown is a lover of all things Arkansas. He lives in Saline County with his wife, Amy, and their beloved Boston Terrier, Dixie. His previous columns can be found at AllAroundArkansas.blogspot.com.

All Around Arkansas: The Longest Home Run

                These days on St. Patrick’s Day, Hot Springs is famous for its “World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade.” But on St. Patrick’s Day in 1918, the Spa City was famous for something much different — the home run that made baseball history, by one of the all-time greats, George Herman "Babe" Ruth.

                Hot Springs hosted more than 300 major leaguers, including 137 members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, for spring training between the late 1800s through the early 1940s. What initially attracted athletes to the city was the warm climate and the city’s thermal spring water, which supposedly cured a variety of ailments. Illegal gambling, bars, horse racing and other forms of adult entertainment also lured teams to the “Valley of the Vapors.”

                Major league teams began holding spring training baseball games in Hot Springs in 1886, when businessman A.G. Spalding brought his Chicago White Stockings (now the Chicago Cubs) to the city to “boil out the winter,” according to The Sporting News. The White Stockings practiced on a hastily built field at what's now home to the Garland County Courthouse. When the White Stockings won the National League championship that year, several other clubs took note. As a result, more and more teams came to Hot Springs for spring training, and more fields were built, including Majestic Park and Whittington Park.

                It was Whittington Park where the most baseball was played in Hot Springs. Built in 1894 and used until 1942, Whittington Park (later renamed Johnson Field) was the hub of spring training. Future hall of famers who played there include Cy Young, Honus Wagner, Tris Speaker and Babe Ruth. Today, Whittington Park is now the employee parking lot at a Weyerhaeuser Co. office.

                On March 17, 1918, then Boston Red Sox pitcher Babe Ruth was pitching in a game at Whittington Park, when the team needed someone to bat. Ruth wasn't considered much of a hitter, but walked up to home plate and launched the ball over the fence, out of the ballpark, across the street, over a wall, and into the farthest pond of the Arkansas Alligator Farm. The hit changed Ruth's career. He became known for being a power slugger and not just an average pitcher. Ruth went on to play for the New York Yankees and become arguably the most famous baseball player in history.

                By all accounts, everyone knew that day that Ruth’s home run was special, but exactly how far Ruth’s home run traveled was unknown until 2011. Thanks to modern technology, it was determined the ball traveled about 573 feet. 

                The location of the Whittington Park home plate, where Ruth swatted his record-setting homer, was marked in the Weyerhaeuser parking lot. Eventually, as part of the Hot Spring Baseball Trail program, a marker was erected there too, as well as across the street at the alligator farm where the ball landed. And if you look behind the Whittington Park marker, pieces of the old concrete bleachers are still visible among the weeds and trees.

                On Feb. 6, what would have been his 186th birthday, a bronze statue of Ruth was unveiled and dedicated at the main entrance to the city’s newly expanded Majestic Park baseball complex. Pennsylvania sculptor Chad Fisher created the statue, estimated to weigh 1,500 pounds. It's believed to be one of only three Ruth statues in existence, with the others at Camden Yards in Baltimore and Tokyo.

                For a state that’s never been home to a major league team, it's amazing that Arkansas has played host not only to some of its most legendary players, but also to one of its most historic events.

All Around Arkansas: The Father of Our Capitol

    

                If you’ve been paying attention to the local news, you might have heard that Arkansas’ new governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, removed the portrait of George Donaghey from the Governor’s Conference Room in the state Capitol, replacing it with a portrait of her father, former Gov. Mike Huckabee. You might also wonder about the significance of George Donaghey. Well, wonder no more.

                George Washington Donaghey was born on July 1, 1856, in Oakland, Louisiana, to C.C. and Elizabeth Donaghey. The Donagheys were farmers and had six children. In 1858, they moved to the small community of Lapile (Union County). Young George worked on the family farm and later moved to Texas in 1876, where he worked various jobs for the next three years. In 1880, he moved to Conway to live with an uncle. Donaghey would end up living in the town for 30 years.

                Donaghey would spend just one year at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville before he dropped out and became a carpenter. He later used his carpentry skills to become a full-time contractor, erecting homes and other buildings in Arkansas and Texas. By 1890, he had built a successful business.

                In September 1883, George Donaghey married South Carolina native Louvenia Wallace, whose family had moved to Faulkner County when she was 17. The couple lived in Conway, where Donaghey became a major proponent of bringing colleges and universities to the growing city. He contributed $1,500 (about one-third of his assets at the time), to a fund started by the citizens of Conway to move Hendrix College from Searcy to Conway in 1890. He also donated $5,000 to bring Central College for Women (now Central Baptist College) to Conway. Donaghey also led fundraising efforts to move the Arkansas State Normal School (later Arkansas State Teachers College, and then the University of Central Arkansas) to Conway. 

                George Donaghey became active in local politics. He was one of the leaders of a campaign to drive saloons and taverns out of Conway, as no higher learning institution at the time wanted to operate in a town with such establishments. The anti-saloon campaign was successful, and Conway outlawed them in 1888. Donaghey successfully ran for town marshal in 1884 but was defeated in 1885 when he ran for mayor.

                Donaghey then got into the railroad business, working as a railroad contractor from 1899 to 1903. He and his family moved to Little Rock in 1908, where he ran in the Democratic primary for governor the same year. In the primary, Donaghey defeated former Arkansas Attorney General William Kirby, who had been endorsed by a former governor and U.S. senator, Jefferson Davis. Donaghey handily defeated his Republican opponent, John Worthington, in the general election of 1908.

                During his administration, Donaghey continued to support the establishment of colleges and universities throughout Arkansas. Along with the support of the Democratically controlled Legislature, Donaghey was able to create and fund four agricultural high schools, which later became Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia and the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

                Donaghey ran for a second term in 1910, defeating challenger C.C. Kavanaugh with 69% of the vote. After promising he would not run for a third term as governor, Donaghey changed his mind and was defeated by U.S. Rep. Joe T. Robinson.

                Donaghey is best remembered for leading the completion of the Arkansas State Capitol. Since its beginning in 1899, construction had been plagued with problems, legislative scandals and political opposition. Donaghey, with his construction background, led the new Capitol to its successful completion in 1915 by hiring architect Cass Gilbert and appointing a non-partisan commission to supervise construction. 

                For his work, Donaghey is known in Arkansas history as “The Father of Our Capitol.” For decades, his official gubernatorial portrait was permanently displayed in the Governor’s Conference Room in honor of his efforts.

                So the next time you just happen to walk into the Governor’s Conference Room at the Capitol and look at the painting to your left, remember that’s the father of our governor — not our seat of government.

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.