The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies

Holiday Hours

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

The Arkansas Studies Institute will close at 3:00 p.m on Friday, May 24, due to Riverfest and will remain closed through Monday, May 27, in observance of Memorial Day.

Regular hours will resume Tuesday, May 28.

Solomon Munger and the Civil War

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Solomon V. Munger, ca. 1862
When the Civil War began, Solomon V. Munger, a thirty-eight year old farmer living in Barry County, Michigan, enlisted at Battle Creek in 1862. Due to recruitment and organizational difficulties, two companies of Michigan men (including Munger), sought service in a Missouri regiment. These two companies became companies "H" and "I" of the 2nd Missouri Cavalry. In the summer of 1863, the unit moved into Arkansas, where it participated in the Little Rock Campaign and later the Camden Expedition. In February 1864, Solomon's son, Hiram, enlisted in the Union Army against his father's wishes. Hiram volunteered for service in the 2nd Missouri Cavalry and soon joined his father in Arkansas.

The pair wrote many letters home and several of these letters can be found in MSS 03-23 Munger Family Civil War Letters.

New entries on the Encyclopedia of Arkansas

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Check out what's new on the Encyclopedia of Arkansas:
Clem Bottling Works
Cornish House
Fairchild, Barbara
Falco, Tav
Gilbert, Ollie Eva Woody
Greens at North Hills
Harkey Valley (Yell County)
Moorman, Charlotte
Mosley, Lawrence Leo “Snub”
Peter Dierks Joers House
Roundtop Filling Station

Broadside Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Notice to Tax Payers, tax books open, various townships, Arkansas County, Ark., 1888
Box 1, Item 37
The Arkansas Broadsides Collection (MSS.99.35) contains a variety of broadsides that were used to announce such events as land sales, estate sales, public auctions and the openings of the tax books in various counties across the state.

Links of interest

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Need something to keep you busy? Reached the end of the internet? Try out some of these links or read through our archives to pass the time.

George Takei explains :Why We Must Remember Rowher". Want some more information about Rohwer? Visit the Butler Center's online exhibit, The Art of Living: Japanese American Creative Experience at Rohwer.

The Onion decides "If I Could Live In Any Decade, It Would Definitely Be The 960s".

Check out The History of the Set-Top Box: From Bunny Ears to Apple TV from Wired.com.

Featured Manuscript Collection

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Office of Desegregation Monitoring Records

MSS.08.37

Finding Aid

The Office of Desegregation Monitoring (ODM), a federal office created on December 12, 1990, by the Eighth Circuit Court and charged with the duty of monitoring and assisting Pulaski County’s three school districts—Little Rock School District (LRSD), North Little Rock School District (NLRSD), and Pulaski County Special School District (PCSSD)—in meeting their respective desegregation obligations and mandates. ODM was preceded by the Office of Metropolitan Supervisor (1989-1990). However, after the untimely death of Metropolitan Supervisor, Eugene Reville in a car accident on March 17, 1990, the Office of Metropolitan Supervisor was converted into the Office of Desegregation Monitoring.

The Pulaski County School desegregation case was filed on November 30, 1982, when the LRSD, composed mostly of African American students due to “white flight” from the city, sued the NLRSD, the PCSSD (composed mostly of white students), and the State of Arkansas. Represented by the law firm of Heller, Friday, Eldredge & Clark, the LRSD sought to obtain a remedy for the effects of segregation practices, charging that the actions and policies of the other districts had racially segregated it. The suit asked that all three districts consolidate into one countywide district to address the issue. Two intervenors eventually entered the litigation. The Joshua Intervenors, with Lorene Joshua as plaintiff, hired civil rights attorney John Walker to represent African American students with the goal of eliminating racial discrimination and its effects in the LRSD. The Knight Intervenors had Katherine Wright Knight, president of the Classroom Teachers Association, as plaintiff.

The request to consolidate all three school districts into one was ultimately denied, but the districts were required to take steps to end the remnants of racial discrimination in their schools. The final plan involved a series of programs to improve education and attract white students from the suburbs. As a part of the settlement, the state agreed to subsidize the districts’ desegregation efforts over several years.

The case came under the jurisdiction of the United States District Court, Eastern District of Arkansas, which eventually granted unitary status to two of the three districts. Unitary status is obtained when desegregation has occurred to a practical extent. At that point, the district is allowed to manage its affairs without federal court approval. The LRSD was granted unitary status in 2007 and the NLRSD in 2011. Currently, the PCSSD has not obtained complete unitary status.

The collection contains legal documents, including court filings, motions, responses, orders, and exhibits. It also contains correspondence; news clippings; maps; school profiles; monitoring and various other reports concerning school district compliances, operations, and policies. The case has been heard by five federal judges: Henry Woods (1982-1990), Susan Webber Wright (1990-2002), and William R. (Bill) Wilson Jr. (2002-2009), Brian Miller (2009-2011), and D. Price Marshall (2011-present). ODM federal monitors have included: Ann S. Marshall, Judge Andrea Roaf, and Margie Powell.

Butler Center receives Award of Merit

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

At the recent Arkansas Historical Association annual meeting, the Butler Center was presented with an Award of Merit for our Civil War website, “A Nation Divided: Arkansas in the Civil War.” The award is an honor reserved for groundbreaking history projects with vast importance to Arkansas history.

Butler Center Lead Archivist Brian Robertson with AHA President Tim Nutt

The Butler Center is a premier destination for Civil War research in Arkansas. Within the Butler Center’s vast Civil War holdings, researchers will find hundreds of letters, diaries, photographs, and other primary materials related to Arkansas’s involvement in the war. In addition, the Butler Center also holds an extensive collection of secondary sources and subscribes to a number of online databases, which provide easily accessible and up-to-date information.

Broadside Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Notice, Now Open, El Rancho, Alma, Ark., ca. 1940
Box 1, Item 58
The Arkansas Broadsides Collection (MSS.99.35) contains a variety of broadsides that were used to announce such events as land sales, estate sales, public auctions and the openings of the tax books in various counties across the state.

Webinar: Preserving Your Personal Digital Photographs

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

The Association for Library Collections and Technical Services has a webinar about personal digital photos available online.

From ALCTS: Digital photos are fragile and require special care to keep them accessible. But preserving any kind of digital information is a new concept that most people have little experience with. Technologies change over time and become obsolete, making it difficult to access older digital photos. Learn about the nature of the problem and hear about some simple, practical tips and tools to help you keep your digital photos safe.

New entries on the Encyclopedia of Arkansas

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Check out what's new on the Encyclopedia of Arkansas:
Dickinson, Samuel Dorris
Presley, Luther G.

Broadside Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Sheriffs Sale, Jennie Hickey land, St. Francis County, Ark., 1888
Box 1, Item 15
The Arkansas Broadsides Collection (MSS.99.35) contains a variety of broadsides that were used to announce such events as land sales, estate sales, public auctions and the openings of the tax books in various counties across the state.

This Day in History: The Louisiana Purchase Treaty

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Robert Livingston and James Monroe closed on the sweetest real estate deal of the millennium when they signed the Louisiana Purchase Treaty in Paris on April 30, 1803. They were authorized to pay France up to $10 million for the port of New Orleans and the Floridas. When offered the entire territory of Louisiana—an area larger than Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal combined—the American negotiators swiftly agreed to a price of $15 million.

Read the rest of this story and see interactive images of the treaty at ourdocuments.gov. While you are there, stick around and learn about some of the other 100 milestone documents of American history.

Advertising in the Arkansas Democrat

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Contract for Worthen Bank advertising space in the Arkansas Democrat newspaper, August 3, 1923.
For a rate of $0.70 net per inch, Worthen Bank agreed to take the minimum required advertising space in the Arkansas Democrat for one year. Specifically, Worthen Bank was committed to a 4 inch double column on Wednesdays and Sundays or a total of 16 inches each week.

Location of this document: MSS 08-06 Worthen Bank Collection, Series I, Box 1, File 17.

New entries on the Encyclopedia of Arkansas

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Check out what's new on the Encyclopedia of Arkansas:
Clinton v. Jones
Coronado Coal Co. v. United Mine Workers of America
Fiddlin’ Bob Larkan & His Music Makers
Hendrix, James Richard
Humphreys’ Dairy Farm
Mitchellville (Desha County)
Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation

Broadside Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Administrators Sale, Jno. M. Kennedy estate, Quitman, Cleburne County, Ark., 1900
Box 1, Item 24
The Arkansas Broadsides Collection (MSS.99.35) contains a variety of broadsides that were used to announce such events as land sales, estate sales, public auctions and the openings of the tax books in various counties across the state.

From the photograph collection:

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0000

PHO 20-426
Swinging Bridge, Calico Rock, Arkansas, undated
5 1/2 x 3 1/2, black and white copy print of postcard

New entries on the Encyclopedia of Arkansas

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Check out what's new on the Encyclopedia of Arkansas:
Benton Road, Skirmish at (March 23–24, 1864)
Greenland (Washington County)
Monticello Road, Skirmish at (May 16, 1865)
Norful, Smokie
William Looney Tavern

Broadside Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Notice of Sale, B. H. Cunningham Mill Site, Finter, Ark., 1909
Box 1, Item 10
The Arkansas Broadsides Collection (MSS.99.35) contains a variety of broadsides that were used to announce such events as land sales, estate sales, public auctions and the openings of the tax books in various counties across the state.

The Arcade Building

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Construction crew recently poured concrete for the Arcade Building roof. This photograph was taken by J. R. Hensley of Clark Contractors around midnight on April 1.

From the Arkansas Small Manuscripts Materials

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Daily schedule and menu from the Arkansas State Tuberculosis Sanatorium, February 1911.
Arkansas Small Manuscript Materials, Box 26, File 418.

From the Encyclopedia of Arkansas: “The Arkansas State Tuberculosis Sanatorium was established in 1909 about three miles south of Booneville (Logan County). Once fully established, the sanatorium was the relocation center for all white Arkansans with tuberculosis. By the time the facility was closed in 1973, it treated over 70,000 patients, and in time, its main hospital, the Nyberg Building, became known worldwide for its tuberculosis treatment.”

For more information about the Sanatorium read the full Encyclopedia of Arkansas article by William Tyrell Leeper or visit the Arkansas State Tuberculosis Sanatorium Historic Site website.

*The Arkansas Small Manuscripts Materials (SMM) is a large collection containing miscellaneous documents pertaining to Arkansas. This collection is constantly expanding as new materials arrive at the Butler Center.

New entries on the Encyclopedia of Arkansas

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Check out what's new on the Encyclopedia of Arkansas:
Anthony, Beryl Franklin, Jr.
Bennett, Alvin Silas (Al)
Castleberry-Herrington Historic District
Country Music
Crossett Strike of 1940
Crystal River Tourist Camp Historic District
Cunningham, Charles E.
Greene, Charles Edward
Hines, James Ray (Jim)
Jonquil Festival
Kitchens, Wade Hampton
Star City Commercial Historic District

Broadside Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Farm Sale, Crenshaw Place, William W. Andrews estate, Miller County, Ark. 1877
Box 1, Item 49
The Arkansas Broadsides Collection (MSS.99.35) contains a variety of broadsides that were used to announce such events as land sales, estate sales, public auctions and the openings of the tax books in various counties across the state.

Broadside Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Notice to Bridge Contractors, for Fourche la Fave River Bridge, Perry County, Ark., 1901
Box 1, Item 24
The Arkansas Broadsides Collection (MSS.99.35) contains a variety of broadsides that were used to announce such events as land sales, estate sales, public auctions and the openings of the tax books in various counties across the state.

New entries on the Encyclopedia of Arkansas

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Check out what's new on the Encyclopedia of Arkansas:
Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre
Baring Cross (Pulaski County)
Choctaw Boundary Line
Donaldson (Hot Spring County)
Fort Smith Expedition (November 5–16, 1864)
Fort Smith Expedition (November 5–23, 1864)
Little Rock Marathon
Nelson, Knox
Subiaco (Logan County)
Thayer, John Milton
Tontitown Grape Festival
Twelve Oaks

Broadside Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie Bayless) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Sheriffs Sale, property of Robert E. Carlton, Monroe County, Ark., 1877
Box 1, Item 21
The Arkansas Broadsides Collection (MSS.99.35) contains a variety of broadsides that were used to announce such events as land sales, estate sales, public auctions and the openings of the tax books in various counties across the state.