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| SARA Archival Manager Melissa Nesbitt shows off her shirt with Michael Terral, Historic Washington State Park staff member, and Aaron Dovell, park volunteer. |
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| Beryl Henry Elementary School Choir |
“Hempstead County,
itself, existed before the state of Arkansas did,” said Melissa Nesbitt, archival
manager at the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives. “The county has a long and
distinguished history and represents part of Arkansas’s unique heritage. Happy
birthday, Hempstead!”
Nesbitt and other
former and current county and state officials attended the two-hour event. Festivities
included a parade, music, vendors and games. Celebrations started at the
University of Arkansas-Hope campus and moved to downtown Hope at the Farmers
Bank building, which is set to become the county’s new courthouse.
The event ended with a
cake cutting and firework display.
Hempstead County
became one of Arkansas’s first five counties Dec. 15, 1818. The county was
created from what was the Missouri territory. The five original counties became
the Arkansas territory in 1819.
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| Panelists speak during celebration |
Hempstead County has
produced renowned public officials, including former U.S. President Bill
Clinton, who spoke about the county’s birthday via video posted on social media.
Speakers at the event included Hempstead County natives Mack McLarty, who served as Chief of Staff for President Clinton; Judge
Lavenski R. Smith, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
Eighth Circuit; Little Rock attorney Joe Purvis; and Ellen Turner, a
professor at Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville.
Hempstead County
originally included all of southwest Arkansas and parts of present-day
northeast Texas and southeast Oklahoma. The county was eventually divided into
12 counties, including Columbia, Hempstead, Howard, Lafayette, Little River,
Miller, Nevada, Ouachita, Pike, Polk, Sevier and Union.
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| Melissa Nesbitt, SARA archival manager, and Peggy Lloyd, former SARA manager, inside the Archives booth. |
