From History to Art

Art: "Red Balloon" by Paul Klee via Guggenheim

The below blog is a reprint with permission from the Arkansas Arts Council and is a reminder why learning history is important. Read the complete blog at arkansasarts.org. Find a list of history-related events at the Department of Arkansas Heritage or check out our services and programs at http://archives.arkansas.gov.

ARKANSAS ARTS -- It turns out, understanding history is vital for becoming an influential artist. Maybe you’re not a history buff, but there are plenty of reasons to delve into history.

1.       Knowing history helps artists understand people and societies. With that knowledge, artists understand how we, as a society, developed the way we did. Artists can then find new and expressive ways to challenge or support societal thoughts and values. Basically, knowing history helps artists communicate.

2.       History helps artists learn to tell their own stories. Artists are more than creative creatures. Artists must be able to tell their own stories as part of marketing their work and growing their successes. History, such as family or ethnic histories, also puts artists in contact with their family roots, which connects artists with their identities and leads to unique expressions.

More at www.arkansasarts.org/blog.

Happy Birthday, Arkansas Territory!

Map courtesy of ASA

We will be celebrating the 200th year of the Arkansas Territory during a special, free event March 1!

Come experience Arkansas history.The Arkansas State Archives and other divisions of the Department of Arkansas Heritage are putting together a grand celebration for the Arkansas Territory bicentennial!

AGENDA

9:00 am - 1:00 pm 
* Arkansas Territory Bicentennial Celebration event at the Arkansas State Capitol, 2nd Floor Rotunda

10:00 - 10:30 am 
*Speakers: Asa Hutchinson, Governor of Arkansas; Stacy Hurst, Department of Arkansas Heritage director; Dr. Wendy Richter, Arkansas State Archives director; Swannee Bennett, Historic Arkansas Museum director

11:00 am – 12:00 pm 
* Music provided by Clarke Buehling and the Ozark Highballers, sponsored by the Arkansas Arts Council.

1:00 
Event ends

March 2 marks the 200th year of the Arkansas Territory, which the U.S. Congress originally formed with parts of what is now Oklahoma and Texas. The move created the state’s first government in 1819 and laid the groundwork for achieving statehood in 1836.

We will celebrate with birthday cake, music, historical displays, a traveling exhibit and period actors! Come learn about our Territory seals, grab a free Territory map and enjoy bringing history to life. For more information or to join the discussion, visit our Facebook page! 

What: Arkansas Territory Bicentennial Celebration
When: Starting at 9 a.m., Friday, March 1
News Conference at 10 a.m. 

Where: Arkansas State Capitol, Second Floor Rotunda

Territory Seal provided by ASA

Wednesday’s Wonderful Collection - William Leon Russell papers, MS.000865

William Leon Russell (1914-2000) served in World War II and the Korean War. He ranks as the Arkansas National Guard soldier to receive the most Purple Hearts. He was awarded what amounts to eight Purple Hearts, represented by Purple Hearts from combat operations at the Aleutian Islands of Attu and Adack and the Battle of the Bulge in Germany, and a silver oak leaf cluster (representing five wounds) and two bronze oak leaf clusters (representing two additional wounds) from other combatives on the Western Front.

William Leon Russell was born July 26, 1914, near Cecil, Franklin County, Arkansas, one of five children, to James W. Russell and Belah Eubanks Russell. In the 1930s, he worked at the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) at Cass, Franklin County, Arkansas. He attended military camp at Fort Riley, Kansas, and joined the Arkansas National Guard in March of 1937.

He was awarded a football scholarship and attended Arkansas State Teachers College, during which time he was appointed 1940 team captain and selected for the 1940 All-State (NAIC) team. His national guard unit was mobilized on December 23, 1940, and was posted to the Aleutian Islands for combat operations. In 1943, Russell went to Camp Croft, South Carolina, where he met and married Gladys Opal English. They married on December 24, 1943, at Fort Benning, Georgia.

In July 1944 Russell was sent to France. While on the Western Front, he received eight notable wounds, seven of which count toward his Purple Hearts. Russell was medically evacuated to the United States where he went through rehabilitation and was honorably discharged on February 11, 1946. He was elected sheriff of Ozark, Franklin County, Arkansas, in 1946, and reelected in 1948.

In August 1950 Russell was mobilized for the Korean War, where he served six months prior to returning to Arkansas for the anticipated death of his father. Russell attended other military training programs and served post assignments throughout the United States and in Greece. He retired from the military on June 30, 1965. In the 1970s he went to work as a tax agent for the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration in Fayetteville, Washington County, Arkansas. He retired from that job in 1986.

Russell died on October 9, 2000, in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and is buried at the Fayetteville National Cemetery, and was posthumously inducted into the Arkansas Military Veterans' Hall of Fame in 2011.

This collection contains a personally created scrapbook, featuring items about William Leon Russell, his wedding to Gladys Opal English, travel images and postcards, news clippings, documents, ration tickets, and telegraphs relating to his life and military service. Additionally, there are loose items included with the scrapbook of William Leon Russell.

An undated OV photograph depicting a large group of soldiers in uniform has been separated.

·         Scrapbook 1940-1974 (Box 1)

·         Newspaper clippings and other memorabilia 1940-1974 (Box 1)

·         PH.Russell.0001 OV group photo of soldiers circa 1940s (Drawer 115)

SARA Records Detail Crimes, Criminals in 1900s Little River County

Courtesy of SARA 

We have a treasure trove of historical records that detail crimes and criminals in Little River County. Our records show what life was like in the early to mid-1900s.

Named after the river that borders its northern and eastern sides, Little River County was created from parts of Sevier and Hempstead counties in 1867. Agriculture, timber, cement and paper manufacturing were the primary industries.

Our collections contain two criminal dockets by the Justice of the Peace of Little River County. These dockets give details about crimes, including petit larceny, assault and battery, disturbing the peace, embezzlement and murder. The records also showcase laws, including those against lottery ticket sales.

In December 1919, 24 people were charged with “gaming” or “selling lottery tickets.” Inside one docket book, researchers found an affidavit for warrant from Constable D.W. Bailey, who sought the arrest of R.L. Elliott.

Elliott had sold lottery tickets for an automobile, records show. Justice of the Peace F. B. Arnett signed Elliott’s warrant and made the following record in his docket: “On this the 27 day of Dec [1919] comes the defendant R.L. Elliott and being fully advised as to the law entered a plea of guilty to the charge whereupon the court fixes his punishment at a fine of fifty dollars $50 and all the costs.”   Today, a $50 fine would amount to more than $700.

The record is just one example of the kinds of documents the State Archives and its branches preserve. Much of the information is interconnected. For example, the archives headquarters in Little Rock has a copy of “A digest of the statutes of Arkansas: embracing all laws of a general nature in force at the close of the general and special sessions of General assembly, 1919,” by William Fosgate Kirby and John Thomas Castle. The digest is mentioned in Elliott’s arrest warrant.

These resources, including criminal dockets, help genealogy researchers fill in the gaps in their family histories and give researchers insight into how Arkansans lived 100 or more years ago.

Our State Archives are built on donations of historic value. At SARA, we accept donations of original materials pertaining to the history of southwest Arkansas. For more information contact Melissa Nesbitt, archival manager, at 870-983-2633 or email southwest.archives@arkansas.gov.

Events Celebrate Territorial Arkansas!

Come join us for two great events: Territorial Arkansas Living History School Day
and Territorial Arkansas Living History Fest. Both events are free!

We've teamed up with the Davidsonville Historic State Park to hold two free events to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Territorial Arkansas!

On March 1, teachers and students are welcome to explore the historic state park 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. during Territorial Arkansas Living History School Day! The event will let students explore the town of Davidsonville as it would have been during its heyday.

Students can make candles, throw tomahawks and try carpentry, brickmaking and quill writing. They also can visit the historic tavern, play cards at the public house and talk with an innkeeper. Speakers dressed in period clothing will present information on how people lived and thought 200 years ago.

On March 2, the public is invited to join the fun! The Territorial Arkansas Living History Fest is free and will include historic games, activities and history. Food and merchandise will be available for purchase during the event. 

The U.S. Congress created the Arkansas Territory on March 2, 1819. Davidsonville, which was established in 1815, had Arkansas’s first post office. Archeological excavations are still uncovering streets, foundations and other artifacts. The park features a new visitor center with an 1820s hunter-trapper float-boat, audio tour and display of historic finds from the archeological digs.

Contact the park interpreter at 870-892-4708 to register a class for the school-day event. Space is limited so register as soon as possible. For more information about our Living History Fest, call the park or email davidsonville@arkansas.gov or visit us on Facebook.

These events are presented by the Arkansas State Archives and Arkansas State Parks and supported, in part, by a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities. 

Pen to Podium Focuses on Arkansas Firsts

Phyllis Hodges

Our first Pen to Podium lecture of 2019 was a resounding success! Now come out and learn about Arkansas trailblazers.

More than 50 people attended Dr. Blake Perkins' lecture on the history of defiance unique to people of the Ozarks. The free lectures are part of our Historical Writers’ Lecture Series.

Next, author Phyllis Hodges will discuss her book, “8 years of Unforgettable History: the Allure of America’s First,” 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 16.

Friends of the Arkansas State Archives plans a reception at 5:30 p.m. Come network and learn!

Hodges' lecture will highlight some of Arkansas’s firsts and parallels the works of former U.S. President Barak Obama. Her book includes people of all backgrounds, including 2016 Olympic Gold Medal Long Jumper Jeff Henderson.

Hodges has more than 30 years of experience as a clergy educational and fitness trainer. She is a world traveler with a vision to shape up the world spiritually, mentally, physically and financially. She travels Arkansas as an ambassador on health and fitness via workshops, seminars, health fairs and schools.

Hodges also is the owner of Carousel Fit-4-Life Wellness Center in North Little Rock. For more information, contact Danyelle McNeill.

Check out our latest Pen to Podium video, too!

Students Complete Projects for Bicentennial Year

SARA Archival Manager Melissa Nesbit poses with Superintendent Dr. Bobby Hart
and two high school students who recently finished research projects.

Arkansas State Archives staff recently helped four high school students complete history projects as part of Hempstead County bicentennial celebrations!

“Promoting history, education, collaboration and teamwork are vital core values of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, of which the State Archives is a division,” said Melissa Nesbitt, archival manager for the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives. “Not only do these projects fit into our core values, they allow young people to experience and preserve our history and heritage.”

Two student teams from the Environmental and Spatial Technology (EAST) program in the Hope Academy of Public Service at Hope Public Schools researched and compiled documents for separate projects. Teacher Jacqueline Brady led the student research.

Students Edith Dominguez and Ana Alvarez developed a series of oral history interviews called “Learn from Yesterday, Live for Today, Hope for Tomorrow.” The interviews show different aspects of life in Hope and Hempstead County from the pioneer period to today.

In the second project, students Alecia Bradley and Daniella Vega created a PowerPoint overview, called “Hope Schools History,” that showcases the development of public education in Hope over the past 200 years.

The “Hope Schools History” project is separate from a similar, student-led project on Hempstead County education completed last year, Nesbitt said. School district Communications Director Ken McLemore said the two most-recent projects presented a broader and more modern view of history in Hope and Hempstead County.

Copies of both projects were presented Jan. 11 to Nesbitt. They are the only education-related student-led projects for the Bicentennial Year. The projects will be presented to the SARA Foundation at a later date.

“These projects represent student research into an aspect of the history of Hope and Hempstead County that will be preserved with SARA and in the Hempstead County Bicentennial Time Capsule,” McLemore said.

For more information, contact SARA at 870-983-2633.