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WALKS THROUGH HISTORY SCHEDULE
The "Walks Through History" program is a series of monthly outdoor walking tours that seeks to familiarize people who live and work in communities outside of central Arkansas with the historic structures and sites around them. Presented by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, the tours begin at 11 a.m., unless otherwise noted, on Saturdays, and last between one and two hours. An AHPP staff historian leads the tour, delivering a brief lecture about the properties visited and their history.
View Archived Walks Through History Tour Scripts
Fishback Neighborhood Historic District |
June 15, 2013 - Fishback Neighborhood Historic District
June 15, 2013, at 11:00 a.m.—Fishback Neighborhood Historic District in Fort Smith. In the late 19th century, Arkansas Governor William Meade Fishback and his wife, Adelaide Miller Fishback, owned the property that now comprises the Fishback Neighborhood Historic District. After his death in 1903, Fishback’s heirs subdivided his property for residential development as Fort Smith expanded to the southeast. The neighborhood grew in stages, and the homes reflect changes in residents’ architectural style preference going from Period Revivals to Craftsman to Ranch. The Fishback neighborhood remains one of Fort Smith’s finest. Co-sponsored by the Fort Smith Museum of History and the Fort Smith Historical Society. Meet at the corner of S. Greenwood Ave. and Reeder St.
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Ozark Heritage Arts Center & Museum |
July 20, 2013 - Historic Downtown Leslie
July 20, 2013, at 11:00 a.m.—Historic Downtown Leslie in Searcy County. Leslie, originally called Wiley’s Cove, was a relatively isolated mountain community in north central Arkansas until the arrival of the Missouri & North Arkansas Railroad in 1903. In 1906 the H. D. Williams Cooperage Company moved its facilities from Poplar Bluff, Missouri, to Leslie and soon claimed to be the largest barrel producer in the world. By the 1910s, Leslie boasted another stave mill as well as hub and handle factories. However, Leslie’s boom years were short-lived as the M & NA relocated its shops to Harrison in 1912, and the Williams Cooperage Company was badly damaged by fire later that year. Today Leslie’s downtown is visible from U.S. Highway 65, and the town often captures the attention of people traveling to the nearby Buffalo National River and points northward. Co-sponsored by the Searcy County Historical Society. Meet at the Ozark Heritage Arts Center & Museum at 410 Oak St.
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Jefferson County Courthouse |
August 10, 2013 - Pine Bluff Commercial Historic District
August 10, 2013, at 11:00 a.m.—Pine Bluff Commercial Historic District. Pine Bluff was so named because it was the first bluff above the mouth of the Arkansas River and was covered with pine trees. The Jefferson County seat prospered as a steamboat port and later because of the railroads. The Cotton Belt Railroad built its shops and a car-making facility in Pine Bluff, quickly making it the largest employer in the city. Railroads enabled residents to ship the area’s valuable cotton and timber resources to larger markets. During World War II, the U.S. Army constructed the Pine Bluff Arsenal north of town to produce munitions and chemical agents. Today Pine Bluff is the largest city in southeast Arkansas and is home to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. The buildings in the historic district reflect Pine Bluff’s status as a regional commercial hub during the 19th and 20th centuries. Co-sponsored by the Pine Bluff Historic District Commission and the Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Historical Museum. Meet at the Jefferson County Courthouse at Main & Barraque streets.
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Whittington Park Historic District |
September 14, 2013 - Whittington Park Historic District
September 14, 2013, at 11:00 a.m.—Whittington Park Historic District in Hot Springs. Located northwest of Bathhouse Row in Hot Springs, the Whittington Park neighborhood contains good examples of Queen Anne, Craftsman and Ranch-style homes. The residential area developed around Whittington Lake Reserve Park, which was constructed in the 1890s by the U.S. Department of the Interior as part of an extensive building and landscaping program for the Hot Springs Reservation. In the early 20th century, an entertainment district was established west of the park, including an ostrich farm, alligator farm and an amusement park. As the bathing industry grew, more construction occurred around Whittington Park. The neighborhood was home to working-class residents, many of whom worked in nearby hotels, bathhouses and restaurants. Co-sponsored by the Whittington Valley Neighborhood Association and the Garland County Historical Society. Meet in front of the Dryden Ouachita Mountain Pottery Plant at 341 Whittington Ave.
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Judsonia Bridge |
October 12, 2013 - Judsonia Bridge and Historic Downtown Judsonia
October 12, 2013, at 11:00 a.m.—Judsonia Bridge and Historic Downtown Judsonia. The south half of modern-day Judsonia was initially called Prospect Bluff, which began in the 1830s as a small settlement on the northern bank of the Little Red River. About 1870, families from the northern U.S. arrived and established the town of Judsonia just to the north of Prospect Bluff. Judson Academy was founded in 1871 by M. R. Forey, a former professor at Chicago University who felt compelled to establish a Baptist college in the South. Judsonia and Judson Academy were named in honor of Baptist missionary Adoniram Judson. Although Prospect Bluff and Judsonia were incorporated in 1872 as separate towns, in April 1874 they were united under the name of Judsonia. Strawberries became a major cash crop in the region, prompting construction of the Judsonia Box Company, which produced containers for harvesting and shipping strawberries. Completed in 1924, the Judsonia Bridge across the Little Red River is one of three swing-truss vehicular bridges in Arkansas. Co-sponsored by the White County Historical Society. Meet in front of the Judsonia United Methodist Church at the northeast corner of Washington & Van Buren streets.
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Great Hall |
November 9, 2013 - Camp Ouachita Girl Scout Camp Historic District
November 9, 2013, at 11:00 a.m.—Camp Ouachita Girl Scout Camp Historic District on AR Highway 324 near Thornburg in Perry County. Located in the Ouachita National Forest about 30 miles west of Little Rock and 10 miles south of Perryville, Camp Ouachita is the last remaining Works Progress Administration-built Girl Scout camp in the U.S. Constructed between 1936 and 1940 for the Little Rock Girl Scout Council, Camp Ouachita was situated on the north side of Lake Sylvia. The Rustic-style camp structures were designed by the architectural firm of Thompson, Sanders & Ginocchio and laid out according to the “unit plan” with five distinct clusters of buildings, including an administration unit and four camping units. Girl Scouts at Camp Ouachita engaged in activities like hiking, swimming, canoeing, folklore, dramatics and crafts. The Girl Scouts have not used the camp since 1978. Rehabilitation work at the Great Hall and the Lakeview camping unit was completed in 2007. Co-sponsored by the Perry County Historical Museum and the Perry County Historical Society. Meet at the Great Hall.
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Poinsett Co. Drainage District No. 7 Office |
December 14, 2013 - Marked Tree Commercial Historic District
December 14, 2013, at 11:00 a.m.—Marked Tree Commercial Historic District in Poinsett County. Marked Tree is located between the St. Francis and Little rivers in the area known as the “sunken lands,” which was created by the New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-1812. The town supposedly acquired its name from an oak tree on the bank of the Little River that was marked with an “M” in the 1830s by John Murrell’s gang of outlaws. Marked Tree prospered after the completion in 1883 of the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf Railroad (later the Frisco). By the 1890s, the timber industry dominated the local economy. The region was plagued by frequent flooding, and in response to the devastating Flood of 1927, the Corps of Engineers constructed the Marked Tree Lock & Siphons in the late 1930s to control flooding and provide transportation along the St. Francis River. Better flood control methods allowed farmers to grow more crops, including cotton, corn, soybeans and rice. Co-sponsored by the Marked Tree Chamber of Commerce. Meet at the Farmers and Merchants Bank and Trust Building (Poinsett County Drainage District No. 7 Office) at 11 Frisco St.
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