New Intern Starts at SARA

Taylor Lawson, intern at SARA

A new intern has started at the Southeast Arkansas Regional Archives!

Taylor Lawson, 21, of Rison, is a senior history major with a minor in psychology and sociology at Henderson State University. She heard about the internship opportunity through her public history class instructor, David Sesser. 

“Taylor started in May but has already shown an aptitude for researching, handling and preserving archival documents,” says Melissa Nesbitt, archival manager. “She is smart, passionate and a quick-learner. We are so excited to have her at the Archives.”

Taylor wants to learn about the archival field because she hopes to have a career in it one day. She took an American history class in high school that piqued her interest and put her on the path to working in the archival field.

As an intern, Taylor is gaining experience in processing archival collections. Among the projects she has worked on so far is the Earl Wagner collection of photographs, which consists of scenes from Hope, Texarkana and Washington, Arkansas, in the 1980s through the 2000s. The photos include community and political events.

Of her work at SARA, Taylor says what she enjoys most is “being able to be so close to history in a hands-on way.”

“When studying history, you often don’t get immersed just by reading from a textbook, so working with historical collections at SARA gives you better insight into the past and the people involved in historical events,” Taylor says.

When she is not studying history, Taylor loves to read mystery and true crime stories. She enjoys listening to a wide variety of music. 

Taylor will work at SARA until Aug. 3. Until then, she has the opportunity to immerse herself in the rich history of early Arkansas and gain experience that could pave the way for a career in State Archives.

The SARA Foundation, Inc., which is the friends group for SARA, sponsors the internship each year, and the Historic Washington State Park provides support for the internship by providing housing. Applications are available each spring.

SARA Foundation’s mission includes providing volunteer support, promoting the acquisition of archival materials, conducting special projects and raising funds that benefit SARA. The SARA Foundation depends on membership dues and other contributions to fulfill its mission. For more information on the Foundation, email waterslu@swarchives.org, call 870-983-2633 or write to SARA Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 133, Washington, AR 71862.

For more information on SARA or to find out more about the internship position, contact Archival Manager Melissa Nesbitt at melissa.nesbitt@arkansas.gov or call 870-983-2633.

Historic Arkansas State Flags Return after Conservation

Curator Julienne Crawford and Hunter Foster, archival assistant for conservation,
unpack the original design of the Arkansas State Flag, which was sent off for restoration last year.

Historic Arkansas State flags are back at the Arkansas State Archives after being sent off for conservtion this past November.

“These flags are symbols of our state’s heritage, pride and identity,” said Dr. Wendy Richter, State Archives director and state historian. “We are delighted to have had the opportunity to conserve such iconic pieces of our history.”

The flags were returned June 18 and are in storage, said Julienne Crawford, curator. They may be displayed in the future for brief time periods, but display times must be limited to protect the flags, she said. Previous displays years ago subjected the flags to light exposure that faded and weakened the fabrics.

A historic State Flag, likely donated in 1916 is
in storage at the State Archives after being restored.

One of the flags is the original flag design that Willie Hocker submitted to the flag competition that selected the state’s first official flag. Her design had three stars in the middle with no words. Hocker was later asked to add the word “Arkansas” for the final flag, which the state adopted in 1913. The other state flag is a very early, 1900s State flag with the word “Arkansas” written in blue. It likely was donated to the State Archives in 1916.

The flags were conserved by Textile Preservation Associates, Inc., in West Virginia, through a grant from the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council. The flags were cleaned, repaired where possible, and encased in custom-made exhibition cases. The final cost for conservation work was about $12,400, which was below estimated costs.

The company recommended the flags be protected from light because they already have sustained so much damage from exposure. Even with restoration and protective measures, the flags remain delicate.

For more information about the flags, contact the Arkansas State Archives at 501-682-6900. To view the proposed designs for the State Flag, visit the Arkansas Digital Ark-ives website at http://ahc.digital-ar.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16790coll2 or read about the Arkansas State Flag on the secretary of state website at https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/education/arkansas-history/history-of-the-flag/story-of-the-flag.  

Archives Adds New Accessions

Wabbaseka School Group, Courtesy of Arkansas State Archives

Our new accessions for June included family newsletters, photos and posters! Come discover, research or explore your Arkansas State Archives. We have thousands of books, records and artifacts to help you find your family stories.

Archival Collections

·         Wensil Clark Collection: Materials were collected by Wensil Clark and mostly relate to genealogical and heritage organizations. The collection, which dates from 1932 to 2011, includes several genealogy and family history newsletters and several copies of her book, “1890 White County Arkansas Census.” Clark, who died in 2012, was a historian and genealogist and was active in many historical societies, such as the Arkansas Genealogical Society and the Arkansas Pioneers Association. The collection was donated by her daughter, Marsha Hylton.

·         Mary Jean Hall Collection: The collection contains material related to Scotland, Arkansas, including school memorabilia, news articles, plaques, posters, photographs, a wedding dress, a uniform and various textiles.    

·         Marion High School Newspaper Collection: The collection, which was donated by John Fogleman, includes high school newspapers from 1937 to 1944.

Benton Baptist Church Records,
Courtesy of the Arkansas State Archives

·         Benton Baptist Church Records, 1890-1901: The donation is a book of church records, which includes membership rolls and council minutes.

·         Arkansas Baptist College Grant Report: The documents spotlight the final grant report for a project, “Preserving Our History/Archives,” which was funded by the Black History of Arkansas Commission’s Curtis H. Sykes grant this year.

·         Judie Fite King Collection: The collection, which dates from the early 1900s through the 1930s, includes one photograph of a school group in Wabbaseka, Arkansas. The photo shows Willie K. Hocker, designer of the Arkansas state flag. The Arkansas General Assembly adopted her design in 1913. Another photo shows a school group in Altheimer, Arkansas. Two other photographs show the Cut Price Store in Wabbaseka, Arkansas. Judie Fite King donated the photos, which were given to her by her mother-in-law.

·        Arkansas Secretary of State Records: The Secretary of State’s Office has transferred 226 boxes of election records that include statements of financial interest, election results, general election files, lobbyist files and PACs to the State Archives. The records are part of an ongoing transfer.

Printed Material

·         “308^th Strategic Missile Wing: End of an Era 1962-1987,” a yearbook for the Little Rock Air Force Base, donated by April Goff, administrative specialist for the Arkansas State Archives

·         “Arkansas: A Concise History,” by Jeannie M. Whayne, Thomas A. DeBlack, George Sabo and Morris S. Arnold, 2019

·         “First Amendment Studies in Arkansas: The Richard S. Arnold Prize Essays,” by Stephen Smith, 2016

·         “The First Twenty-Five: An Oral History of the Desegregation of Little Rock’s Public Junior High Schools,” by LaVerne Bell-Tolliver, 2018

·         “The Education of Ernie Dumas: Chronicles of the Arkansas Political Mind,” by Ernest Dumas, 2019

·         “Arkansas Beauty,” by Tim Ernst, 2017

·         “Sloan: A Paleoindian Dalton Cemetery in Arkansas,” by Dan Morse, 1997

·         “Ozark Coverlets: The Shiloh Museum of Ozark History Collection,” by Martha L. Benson and Laura Lyon Redford, 2015

·         “True Faith, True Light: The Devotional Art of Ed Stilley,” by Kelly Mulhollan, photos by Kirk Lanier and introduction by Robert Cochran, 2015

·         “The Arkansas Post of Louisiana,” by Morris S. Arnold, 2017

NEARA Symposium Set for Aug. 10

POWHATAN – The Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives will present “Moving About: The History of Transportation in Arkansas” during its annual symposium Saturday, Aug. 10, at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.

"Various modes of transportation played a pivotal role in shaping the lives and livelihoods of people in the state of Arkansas," said Dr. Fatme Myuhtar-May, archival manager. "It is important to expose the public to that history. From flatboats to highways, our symposium will address how evolving modes of transportation and access to it changed our region and state."

Special speakers are: Robert Craig, an award-winning historian who will discuss the history of transportation on the White, Black and other rivers; Dr. Michael Dougan, a renowned history professor who will talk about the history of railroads and highways; and Joan L. Gould, a longtime preservation consultant who will focus on early footpaths and roadways.

Little Rock Packet Co. excursion boat, 1920,
Courtesy of the Arkansas State Archives

Lunch will be served. The event is free, but seating is limited. Please make reservations by Aug. 5. Teachers can earn three professional development credits by attending. 

How transportation changed over the centuries has greatly influenced all aspects of the development of Arkansas, from the state’s agriculture-based economy to immigration and the establishment of cities. The history of transportation has also affected families.

“Modern-day studies of early land routes across Arkansas has led to the identification of thousands of previously unrecognized men, women and children whose labors became the genius of the state’s present-day, world-famous agricultural industry,” Gould explained. “These families who first populated the state laid the foundation for the introduction of later technological advancements in transportation methods.”
Gould’s lecture will also include tips for genealogy research and information on the transformation of ancient footpaths by Native Americans, Euro-American and African American farmers.

Joan L. Gould, a graduate of the University of Nebraska, is owner of Preservation Matters, a preservation consulting business. Over the past three decades, Gould has provided historic research for preservation projects and National Register nominations in Arkansas and Missouri. Specific projects have included the Early Arkansas Settlement Studies I & II; the 1829 Izard County Territorial Courthouse, or Jacob Wolf House in Baxter County; the 1828 Rice-Upshaw House and the 1833 William Looney Tavern in Randolph County; and the early history of Lawrence County.

Train traveling through Arkansas, undated,
Courtesy of the Arkansas State Archives

Robert Craig, who grew up in Newport, Ark., is an avid history researcher and writer. He has edited, written and published multiple historical articles and books on Independence and Jackson counties. His work has appeared in “The Stream of History,” a publication he edits for the Jackson County Historical Society, and the Central Arkansas Library System’s Encyclopedia of Arkansas. His research has earned him awards from the Arkansas Historical Association. Craig is finishing research on Jackson County during World War II, which includes information on the Army Air Field that was constructed in the county. He lives in Kennett, Mo.

Dr. Michael B. Dougan, of Neosho, Mo., is professor of history emeritus at Arkansas State University. He earned a bachelor's degree from Missouri State University, formerly named Southwest Missouri State College, and a doctorate from Emory University. He taught at Arkansas State University from 1970 to 2006. Dougan has published multiple articles and books on a wide range of historical Arkansas events over many time periods. His books include “Community Diaries: A History of State Newspapers” and “Confederate Arkansas: The People and Policies of a Frontier State in Wartime.” He authored “Arkansas Odyssey: The Saga of Arkansas from Prehistoric Times to Present” and has written many entries for The Encyclopedia of Arkansas. In 2017, he was the first recipient of the Five Rivers Historic Preservation’s Ransom Bettis Award in recognition of his research into Randolph County’s history.

The symposium will focus on Northeast Arkansas but will include information on other Arkansas regions and the state overall. For more information about the symposium, contact Fatme Myuhtar-May at 870-878-6521 or fatme.myuhtar.may@arkansas.gov. Make a reservation via Eventbrite.

Volunteer Day Resounding Success at NEARA

 

Eighteen volunteers turned out June 14 to help NEARA celebrate Volunteer Day.

POWHATAN – Eighteen volunteers came out for Volunteer Day at the Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives on June 14 and helped preserve pieces of the region’s history.

“The turnout was incredible,” said Dr. Fatme Myuhtar-May, archival manager. “The community cares deeply about learning and preserving its history.”

Volunteers came from Paragould, Black Rock, Strawberry, Newport, Hoxie, Salem, Ash Flat, Jonesboro, Pocahontas, Evening Shade, Horseshoe Bend, Charlotte, Smithville and even Little Rock, which is about two hours away. Many volunteers arrived around 8:30 a.m. and stayed past 3 p.m. to work on Walnut Ridge court records.

Volunteers carefully unfolded records, removed rusty staples, paperclips or stick pins, and then placed the documents in folders and archival boxes. Once a cubic-foot box was full of unfolded records, a volunteer labeled the folder with the box number, folder number and name of the collection. 

During Volunteer Day, at least 12 cubic feet of material was unfolded and labeled. NEARA staff will index the material before it is made available to researchers. Some volunteers also worked on indexing records by typing the information into a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet will allow patrons to search the information by name or keyword.

Several attendees said they intend to become regular NEARA volunteers. The Volunteer Day was so successful, archives staff are considering holding another one. Volunteers help preserve records and make them more accessible to the public, Dr. Myuhtar-May said.

“Volunteer days are very important for NEARA because it takes a lot of time to unfold and index records,” she said. “With only two full-time staff members whose time can be filled by reference tasks and administrative duties, having outside help to process records is essential.”

Dr. Myuhtar-May said she is grateful to each person who came to help NEARA. She was especially moved by the presence of 91-year-old Jack Sloan from Powhatan, who came to help unfold records with his daughter Lesia Sloan Phillips and his young great-grandson. 

“NEARA Volunteer Day 2019 showed that there is a strong sense of community in Northeast Arkansas, that the community cares about history and that residents are willing to help make records available to researchers,” Dr. Myuhtar-May said.

For more information on ways to volunteer at NEARA, contact Fatme Myuhtar-May at 870-878-6521 or fatme.myuhtar.may@arkansas.gov.

A Conversation with Darren Bell

Darren Bell, archival assistant

Darren Bell, an archival assistant, is a history lover who supports preserving local history through technology, education, scholarship and advocacy. Bell spends much of his time preserving Arkansas publications and historically significant records by creating a master 35 mm negative or digitizing a copy of the material. He makes presentations about historical preservation, helps patrons with questions and is interested in community revitalization and local journalism. He recently took time from his busy schedule to answer a few questions about the Arkansas State Archives and what he does.

Q: What’s your job title, and how long have you worked at the State Archives?

A: I’ve been a microphotographer, archival assistant, with the Arkansas State Archives for four and a half years. As part of my job, I use a special negative known as microfilm to preserve documents as images.

Q: What do you do on a typical day at Archives?

A: A typical day for me at the Archives varies. I could be preserving publications on microfilm, developing and duplicating microfilm, cataloging microfilm, communicating with organizations that want to purchase copies of the microfilm, reaching out to publishers about microfilming a publication or assisting patrons in the Archives research room.

Q: How did you become interested in Arkansas history or working at the Arkansas State Archives?

A:  I learned a lot about Arkansas history while researching a Clark County collection and the John L. McCLellan Papers in college at Ouachita Baptist University. My interest continued in graduate school, where I studied historical preservation and how to interpret the state’s history using local resources. 

Q: What’s the most important or interesting thing you’ve discovered while working at Archives? Why?

A:  The Archives microfilms over 150 publications from across Arkansas. Microfilming those publications has increased my knowledge of the history and significant issues happening in Arkansas communities, some of which I previously didn’t know existed. My position has also taught me the importance of local journalism.

Q: Why do you think the Arkansas State Archives is important for Arkansans?

A:  The Arkansas State Archives has been preserving the state’s history on microfilm since 1957 and has the largest collection of Arkansas publications in the world. ASA has publications that do not exist anymore and information about communities that have dwindled in population. Some examples of discontinued publications are the National Panacea in Logan County, De Valls Bluff Times in Prairie County, Stephens Star in Ouachita County and Lead Hill Bugle in Boone County. The Archives also duplicates microfilm so that local libraries or historical societies can have copies of their local publications. 

Q: What is the most rewarding part of your job?

A: There have been numerous instances with patrons that involve sharing what I have learned working as a microphotographer. I enjoy making the research process easier for patrons. I may be helping by describing the microfilm process, using various publications to chronicle a community’s history or improving the quality of an image by altering the lighting or digitization.

Q: How do you see archiving evolving in the future?

A:  Microphotography, as a method of preservation, has been around since the mid-1800s and is still considered the preferred method of preservation. What will continue to evolve in archival is how microfilm is accessed or digital material is preserved. The discussion will be whether and how to preserve original material in offsite or in cloud-based storage.

Q: What do you wish people knew about Archives?

A:  What I get asked about most often is how staff decide to preserve documents on microfilm rather than through digitization. Historical material is microfilmed on a 35 millimeter negative that has an estimated life expectancy of 500 years, which is a huge reason why microfilm is the preferred method of preservation. The 35 millimeter negative can then be duplicated or digitized for easier, online public access. 

Join Us for Pen to Podium with Mark Christ

Special Speaker Mark Christ will talk about a Union soldier's account of the
Civil War during our next Pen to Podium on Aug. 20.

Mark the date! The next Pen to Podium lecture will cover the Civil War!

Arkansas author Mark Christ will speak about his book, “This Day We Marched Again: A Union Soldier’s Account of the War in Arkansas and the Trans-Mississippi,” at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 20, at the Department of Arkansas Heritage at 1100 North St.

The free lecture is part of the Arkansas State Archives’ “Pen to Podium: Arkansas Historical Writers’ Lecture Series.” A reception sponsored by The Friends of the Arkansas State Archives will start at 5:30 p.m.

Christ’s book focuses on Jacob Haas, a 22-year-old enlisted soldier in the Sheboygan Tigers, a company of German immigrants that became Company A of the Ninth Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. Christ’s discussion will include Haas’s harrowing account of combat during the Camden Expedition of 1864, which is considered a Union defeat that killed about 2,750 Union soldiers.

“The Jacob Haas diary is one of the most comprehensive first-person accounts of a common soldier's experience in the Trans-Mississippi, including military activities in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and the Indian Territory, which is now modern-day Oklahoma,” Christ said.

Haas and his regiment marched thousands of miles through scorching summers and brutal winters to fight in some of the most savage combats in the west. Yet, his diary doesn’t focus solely on military matters. Haas makes observations on social and cultural activities and describes natural wonders he finds, Christ said.

“Haas’s account of nature and culture as he travels through four different states adds depth to the history of the Civil War period and would be of interest to any Arkansan,” Christ said.

Christ studied journalism and liberal arts and graduated from the University of Arkansas in Little Rock in 1982 and earned a master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma in 2000. He worked as a journalist in Memphis and Little Rock before going to work for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program for nearly 29 years. He is now the head of adult programming for the Central Arkansas Library System and helps create programs for the 14 CALS branches.

Christ has written and edited several historical works on the Civil War, including “Civil War Arkansas, 1863: The Battle for a State,” “The Earth Reeled and the Trees Trembled, Civil War Arkansas 1863-1864,” and “Rugged and Sublime: The Civil War in Arkansas.” “This Day We Marched Again” will be available for sale before and after the lecture.  

Let us know you're coming and register via Eventbrite! We look forward to seeing you here.

Wednesday’s Wonderful Collection - Black Rock Pearl Company records, SMCNE.0002.0010

Button finishing plants in Iowa and New York were supplied by tons of button blanks that came from small factories lining the northeastern Arkansas rivers, which teemed with the freshwater mollusks that naturally grew mother-of-pearl-lined shells. Supplying the button blank factories with raw material offered farm families extra income because shell harvesting fit around the ebb and flow of agriculture. Factories, which had to be close to a railroad for shipping outbound cargo, had button-cutting machines with various sized tubular saws that generated small to large button blanks.

Black Rock Pearl Company formed in 1900, began output in 1901, shut down due to a labor strike, and was purchased by a Davenport, Ohio, company. Harvey Chalmers Pearl Button Company, based in Amsterdam, New York, operated at two factory locations in Black Rock. By 1914, the Rockport Pearl Button Company was located between Falls Creek and the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad track spur. In 1936, the manager was V.C. Howe.

This collection has three checks that were found at the abandoned Black Rock Pearl Company. The paycheck exemplifies rate of pay for the early 20th century and the expense checks provide previously unknown details about the factory such as the name of the company and general manager.

·         1919 August 9: Paycheck to B. Smith (Box 2)

·         1936 May 12: Expense Account check

·         1936 May 26: Expense Account check

‘Prince of Hangmen’ Never Haunted Over Executions

George Maledon, from the 1898 book, 

“Hell on the Border,” courtesy of 

the Arkansas State Archives. 

Fort Smith has a unique place in the story of the taming of the American West. The city’s history created legendary outlaws and lawmen, including a German native who became known as the most prolific executioner of the late 1800s.

George Maledon was born June 10, 1830, in Landau, Germany, and immigrated with his parents to the United States. The family settled in the Detroit area. As a young man in the late 1840s, Maledon headed west and first landed a job at a lumber mill for the Choctaw Nation. The work didn’t interest him as much as law enforcement, however, so Maledon traveled to Fort Smith, where he joined the city’s police force in 1857.

When the Civil War broke out, Maledon enlisted with the Union army in the First Arkansas Light Artillery Battery. After the war, in 1871, he became a guard with the U.S. marshals for the U.S. District Court for the Western District, which included western Arkansas and Indian Territory, or what is now Oklahoma. The next year, he became a deputy sheriff of Fort Smith. After serving a few years with distinction, he returned to working as a guard for the marshals.

In 1875, U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant appointed former Missouri Congressman Isaac Parker to the district court judge position. Parker’s jurisdiction was a well-known hiding places for outlaws, and his court became one of the busiest courts in the West. The number of outlaws condemned to death by Parker led to his popular nickname, “The Hanging Judge.” Although Parker pronounced the sentences, it was Maledon who carried them out.  

Maledon became the primary executioner under Parker, but his involvement with executions started in 1873, when he served as an assistant executioner to Charley Messler who was in charge of executions at the time. The first execution in which Maledon was involved was the case of John Childers, who was sentenced to death for the murder of Rayburn Wedding.

Wedding was a traveling salesman who rode a circuit through Indian Territory selling bacon and flour in return for animal hides that he sold in Arkansas. On Oct. 14, 1870, Wedding crossed paths with Childers, who demanded Wedding trade horses with him. Wedding refused because his horse was worth more than Childers’ horse. Childers, undeterred, overtook Wedding, murdered him and stole his fine, black horse.

On May 15, 1871, the grand jury indicted Childers for murder, and he was held over for trial in Fort Smith. His trial began in May 1873 and resulted in conviction and a death sentence. On Aug. 15, 1873, Childers stood on the newly built gallows and awaited his fate. The sky was clear and sunny, but as the executioner readied the noose, a dark cloud suddenly appeared. As the execution time grew closer, the dark cloud grew larger, and a light rain began to fall.

When asked for final words, Childers spoke for 15 minutes, detailing his life of crime and warning the audience to avoid consorting with dangerous criminals. As Childers spoke, he recognized other members of his criminal gang in the audience. He remarked that, even though his gang members all promised to aid each other, “they seem to be doing nothing for me now.” The hangman said he would spare Childers if he would identify the rest of the gang in the audience, but Childers declined and demanded the marshal pull the trap door to hang him.

The storm grew more intense. Maledon recalled, “Just as the trap was sprung, the keenest flash of lightning I ever saw rent the air, accompanied by a tremendous clap of thunder.” Seconds later, Childers was dead. Almost simultaneously, the storm ended, and the sky began to clear.

Over the next few decades, many outlaws would meet the same fate as Childers. After Maledon became chief executioner for the court, the number of executions he oversaw earned him the nickname “The Prince of Hangmen.”

When Maledon retired in 1894, he claimed he hanged 83 men but admitted he had not kept good records. The exact number of men Maledon hanged cannot be verified. As with so many Old West personalities, reality has been blended with myth.

After retirement, Maledon went on tour to talk about his experiences as a hangman in Judge Parker’s court. He carried with him pieces of rope and a gallery of photographs of outlaws who met their ends on the gallows. He drew large crowds wherever he went.

Maledon died in Tennessee at a retirement home for soldiers in 1911. Until the end, he said he was never bothered by his role as a hangman. A reporter asked Maledon in 1900 if he was haunted by the ghosts of those he hanged, but Maledon scoffed. “I sleep just as soundly as I ever did, and when I am awake, I am not bothered with bad thoughts,” Maledon said. “You can just say for me that the botheration of the spirits is not a factor in my life. I simply did my duty, and, as I have said, there was not a man sentenced to be hung by Judge Parker who didn’t deserve to be hung.”

For more information on the history of Fort Smith or Arkansas, visit the Arkansas State Archives at 1 Capitol Mall, Suite 215, or call 501-682-6900. Information is also available online at http://archives.arkansas.gov/. For information on the acquisition of U.S. District Court of Western Arkansas records, visit http://arkansasstatearchives.blogspot.com/2019/03/new-acquisition-announced-at-arkansas.html.

Wednesday's Wonderful Collection - Hayes C. McClerkin campaign papers, MS.000168

Hayes C. McClerkin was born December 16, 1931 in Texarkana, Arkansas. He acquired his Bachelor of Arts from Washington and Lee University in 1953 and a law degree from the University of Arkansas in 1959. He served in the United States Navy Reserve, with active duty as an officer from July 1953 to December 1956, and inactive duty from 1956 to 1967.

McClerkin served five consecutive terms as a state representative from District 38, Miller County, from 1960 to 1970. He was chairman of the Public Health Committee, the Efficiency Committee, and was Speaker of the House for the 67th General Assembly, 1969-1970.

In 1970 McClerkin campaigned unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for governor.

This collection contains papers of the unsuccessful campaign of Hayes C. McClerkin for Democratic nominee for governor in 1970. Materials include his campaign schedule/itinerary, general correspondence, speeches, general reports, newspaper clippings, and financial records.

·         Biographical material

o    1. 1970 May 25: News release, biographical sketch of Hayes McClerkin (Box 1)

o    2. Newspaper release publicity

o    3. Radio release publicity

o    4. Campaign manuals

o    5. Photographs

o    6. Photographs

·         Campaign material

o    7. Arkansas County (Box 2)

o    8. Ashley County

o    9. Baxter County

o    10. Benton County

o    11. Boone County

o    12. Bradley County

o    13. Calhoun County

o    14. Carroll County

o    15. Chicot County

o    16. Clark County

o    17. Clay County

o    18. Cleburne County

o    19. Cleveland County

o    20. Columbia County (Box 3)

o    21. Conway County

o    22. Craighead County

o    23. Crawford County

o    24. Crittenden County

o    25. Cross County

o    26. Dallas County

o    27. Desha County

o    28. Drew County

o    29. Faulkner County

o    30. Franklin County

o    31. Fulton County

o    32. Garland County

o    33. Grant County

o    34. Greene County (Box 4)

o    35. Hempstead County

o    36. Hot Spring County

o    37. Howard County

o    38. Independence County

o    39. Izard County

o    40. Jackson County

o    41. Jefferson County

o    42. Johnson County

o    43. Lafayette County

o    44. Lawrence County

o    45. Lee County

o    46. Lincoln County

o    47. Little River County

o    48. Logan County

o    49. Lonoke County (Box 5)

o    50. Madison County

o    51. Marion County

o    52. Miller County

o    53. Miller County, general correspondence, 1969 January

o    54. Miller County, general correspondence, 1969 February

o    55. Miller County, general correspondence, 1969 March-December

o    56. Miller County, general correspondence, 1970

o    57. Mississippi County

o    58. Monroe County

o    59. Montgomery County

o    60. Nevada County

o    61. Newton County

o    62. Ouachita County (Box 6)

o    63. Ouachita County, general correspondence, 1969-1970

o    64. Perry County

o    65. Phillips County

o    66. Pike County

o    67. Poinsett County

o    68. Polk County

o    69. Pope County

o    70. Prairie County

o    71. Pulaski County

o    72. Pulaski County: "Thank you" letters from McClerkin

o    73. Randolph County

o    74. St. Francis County (Box 7)

o    75. Saline County

o    76. Scott County

o    77. Searcy County

o    78. Sebastian County

o    79. Sevier County

o    80. Sharp County

o    81. Stone County

o    82. Union County

o    83. Van Buren County

o    84. Washington County

o    85. White County

o    86. Woodruff County

o    87. Yell County

·         Schedule/Itinerary

o    88. 1970 May 25: Announcement day (Box 8)

o    89. 1970 June

o    90. 1970 July 1-14

o    91. 1970 July 15-31

o    92. 1970 August

·         General correspondence

o    93. A-C

o    94. D-G

o    95. H-L

o    96. M-N

o    97. O-Z

o    98. Out-of-state correspondence

o    99. Memos and form letters

·         Speeches

o    100. Undated: Ashdown Chamber of Commerce, "The Seventies" (Box 9)

o    101. Undated: Blytheville Rotary Club

o    102. Undated: Brinkley Rotary Club

o    103. 1969 May 28: El Dorado Kiwanis Club

o    104. 1969 November 12: Forrest City Kiwanis Club

o    105. 1970 January 15: Fort Smith Exchange Club

o    106. 1969 November 20: Hot Springs Association

o    107. 1969 June 17: Hot Springs Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association

o    108. 1969 June 4: Jonesboro Kiwanis Club

o    109. 1969 March 27: Little Rock Chamber of Commerce Managers

o    110. 1970 July 14: Arkansas Education Association

o    111. 1969 December 1: Little Rock Burial Association

o    112. 1969 March 7: Little Rock County Bar Association

o    113. 1969 October 18: Little Rock Democratic Research Committee

o    114. 1969 April 1: Little Rock Downtown Kiwanis Club

o    115. 1969 May 15: Little Rock Downtown Rotary Club

o    116. 1969 April 1: Little Rock Home Builders Association

o    117. 1969 January 13: Little Rock House of Representatives

o    118. 1969 March 11: Little Rock House of Representatives

o    119. 1969 December 18: Little Rock Jaycees

o    120. 1970 February 9: Little Rock Pulaski Heights Lions Club

o    121. 1969 January 21: Little Rock School Board Association convention

o    122. 1970 January 11: Little Rock Soil Conservation

o    123. 1970 June 27: Little Rock state campaign headquarters

o    124. Undated: Malvern Chamber of Commerce (Box 10)

o    125. 1969 October 7: Russellville Lions Club

o    126. 1969 October 16: Searcy Kiwanis Club

o    127. 1970 May 25: Announcement of candidacy for Governor

o    128. Undated: "Our Quest for a Better Society: The Governmental Function"

o    129. Undated: "The Seventies"

o    130. Undated: "State Government Reorganization"

o    131. Undated: Television appearance

o    132. Undated: Miscellaneous speeches

o    133. Undated: Miscellaneous handwritten notes

o    134. Undated: News release, Arkansas Loan and Thrift

o    135. Undated: News release, Cummins Prison Farm

·         Topics

o    136. Census

o    137. Constitutional Convention

o    138. County organization

o    139. Marion Crank

o    140. Democratic Committee

o    141. Elections with maps

o    142. Employment

o    143. Financial plight of our cities

o    144. Labor

o    145. Hayes McClerkin's voting record on selected topics

o    146. Medicaid and welfare

o    147. Pollution control (Box 11)

o    148. Poll watchers

o    149. Prison reform

o    150. Bob Riley recommendations

o    151. Steering committee

o    152. Poll on taxes regarding special session

o    153. Voting (bills, constitutional excerpts, handwritten notes, and publications)

·         Lists

o    154. 1970: Membership list, Arkansas Bus and Truck Association, Incorporated

o    155. 1969-1970: Arkansas Democratic State Committee

o    156. 1970: Arkansas Liquefied Petroleum Gas Dealers' Directory

o    157. 1969: Arkansas Newspaper Directory Ratebook, (handwritten list and publication)

o    158. 1969: Arkansas State Council on Economic Education

o    159. 1969: Arkansas State Dental Association membership roster

o    160. 1970: Arkansas Veterinarian Medical Association

o    161. 1969: Chambers of Commerce in Arkansas, executive roster

o    162. 1968-1970: County Democratic Central Committees, chairmen and secretaries

o    163. Undated: Judges and sheriffs

o    164. Undated: Miscellaneous lists

o    165. Undated: Post offices and postmasters

o    166. 1961, 1963-1964, 1967, 1969, 1970: Senate and House members

o    167. Undated: Young Democratic clubs, state executive committee mailing list

o    Reports

§  168. 1968-1969: Arkansas county and regional personal income estimates, (reprinted from Arkansas Business and Economics Review, 1970 November)

§  169. Undated: Arkansas's needs for consideration prior to an extraordinary session of the legislature

§  170. Undated: Mandate for Reform, a Report of the Commission on Party Structure and Delegate Selection to the Democratic National Committee

§  171. Undated: Arkansas issues survey preliminary report

§  172. Undated: Senatorial and representative analysis

§  173. 1961-1969: Summary of action on selected subjects 5 reports

o    Newspaper clippings

§  174. Candidates and possible candidates for governor (Box 12)

§  175. Democratic Party

§  176. Drugs and child abuse

§  177. Education

§  178. Environment, parks, pollution

§  179. Legislature and legislation

§  180. McClerkin

§  181. Miscellaneous

§  182. Miscellaneous

§  183. Nowotney, George W., Jr.

§  184. Nursing homes

§  185. Prisons, prison reform, and Robert Sarver

§  186. Purcell, Joe

§  187. Racial issuses

§  188. Rockefeller, Winthrop

§  189. Special session

§  190. Taxes and financial matters

§  191. Thomasson, Jerry K. (racing)

§  192. Voting, eighteen-year-olds

·         Publications

o    193. 1972: Centrex, state offices telephone directory (Box 13)

o    194. 1969-1970: Directory of Arkansas Lions Clubs

o    195. 1969: Directory of the Sixty-Seventh Legislature

o    196. 1970: Johnson County Peach Festival

o    197. 1970: The Montessorian, centennial year

o    198. 1969: Rules of the House of Representatives, 67th General Assembly

·         Financial matters

o    199. Account authorization

o    200. Billboards

o    201. Car cards

o    202. Car insurance

o    203. Checkbook

o    204. Employee withholding exemption certificates

o    205. Expense receipts

o    206. Overdue bill

o    207. Print quotes

o    208. Receipts, invoices and records

o    209. Speech on salary, bank statements

·         Miscellaneous

o    210. Blank forms

o    211. "Current Issues of Campus"

o    212. Handwritten notes

o    213. Magazine articles

o    214. 1968 December 6: Press release

·         Audio-visuals

o    215. 1970 May 15: Audio tape, announcement of candidacy (Box 14)

o    216. 1970 June 10: Cassette, press conference

o    217. McClerkin cards and stickers

o    218. 1970 May 25: Color silent 16mm film, announcement of candidacy

o    219. Slides, McClerkin and family