SANDWICHING IN HISTORY SCHEDULE

The "Sandwiching In History" program is a series of tours that seeks to familiarize people who live and work in central Arkansas with the historic structures and sites around us. The tours take place on Fridays at noon, last less than an hour, and participants are encouraged to bring their lunches so that they can eat while listening to a brief lecture about the property and its history before proceeding on a short tour. A representative from the property is encouraged to attend also and address the group.

The tours are organized by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage. All tours are free and open to the public.

View Archived Sandwiching in History Tour Scripts

Crestview Park

August 6 - Crestview Park

August 6, 2010: Crestview Park at the intersection of Crestview Dr. and Cherry Hill Ave. in North Little Rock. Parking is available on nearby streets, and for those who cannot walk stairs, limited parking is available behind the Travelodge on N. Main St. Park Hill developer Justin Matthews commissioned Mexican sculptor Dionicio Rodriguez to design his famous “faux bois” sculptures in Crestview Park in the early 1930s. While he is better known for his work at the Old Mill, Rodriguez created two concrete sculptures for this little-known park, including a front-gabled rustic shelter, which is unique to this site. Be sure to pack a lunch for this outdoor tour!

First Lutheran Church

September 10 - First Lutheran Church

September 10, 2010: First Lutheran Church at 314 E. 8^th St. in Little Rock. Located in the MacArthur Park Historic District, First Lutheran Church is an excellent example of the Gothic Revival style in downtown Little Rock. Completed in 1888, this building replaced a wood-frame church constructed on this site about 1870 by the Lutheran congregation. The First Lutheran Church was designed by Little Rock architect Thomas Harding. In 1926 a layer of buff brick was laid over the original red brick exterior, making the walls 14 inches thick with the exception of the west (or rear) wall, which is still faced in red brick under several coats of paint.

Oakland-Fraternal Cemetery

October 1 - Oakland-Fraternal Cemetery

October 1, 2010: Oakland-Fraternal Cemetery in Little Rock. Enter the cemetery at the gate on Barber St. between E. 17^th St. and Booker Arts Magnet Elementary School. We will meet at the intersection of Veterans Blvd. and Main St. inside the cemetery. In 1862 the City of Little Rock purchased the Starbuck Estate in southeast Little Rock for use as a public cemetery due to concerns over private burials in the city limits, overcrowding at Mount Holly Cemetery, and the increasing number of soldiers dying in Little Rock’s hospitals during the Civil War. This land became Oakland-Fraternal Cemetery, which now contains over 10,000 monuments and sculptures on its 92 acres. The cemetery is representative of Little Rock’s social fabric—interring immigrants, African-Americans, paupers, religious and non-religious people—potentially revealing more about the City of Little Rock than many written histories.

108 Melrose Circle

November 5 - Melrose Place Addition

November 5, 2010: Melrose Place Addition in North Little Rock. Meet in front of 108 Melrose Circle. Located in the northwest corner of the Argenta Historic District, the Melrose Place Addition was platted in 1924 by Twin City Bank. The bank constructed 53 small Craftsman bungalow houses in the addition between 1925 and 1929. These homes feature similar plans and were historically occupied by railroad employees. The Melrose Place Addition is the only deviation from the traditional street grid pattern in Argenta. We will discuss the similarities between houses and take a look inside the house at 108 Melrose Circle.

Herschell-Spillman Carousel

December 3 - Herschell-Spillman Carousel

December 3, 2010: Herschell-Spillman Carousel at the Little Rock Zoo. The Herschell-Spillman, or “Over the Jumps,” Carousel consists of forty hand-carved wooden horses made in the 1920s by three of carousel manufacturer Allan Herschell’s companies. Herschell was one of the first carousel manufacturers in the United States, opening his first factory in 1873 in New York. Hand-carved and painted carousel horses are rare today, and “Over the Jumps” represents a unique, intact example of this art form.