Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas

Everything from Single-story church building with steeple with gravel in front with sign saying "Snowball Baptist Church" Snowball to Two-story courthouse with dome clock tower and four columns Poinsett County
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This Day in Arkansas History

December 21, 1902

William Bunch, known as “Peetie Wheatstraw,” was born in Ripley, Tennessee, although some accounts list Bunch’s birthplace as Arkansas. Bunch was raised in Cotton Plant (Woodruff County) and became one of the most popular and widely imitated bluesmen of the 1930s and 1940s. He was an incredibly successful pianist, recording more than 160 songs between 1930 and 1941.

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Fargo Agricultural School

In 1920, Floyd Brown, a Tuskegee Institute graduate, established Fargo Agricultural School near Brinkley (Monroe County), a private residential school for African-American students. The school offered “training for the head, hands and heart” and a high school education for hundreds of black students for almost thirty years. Students and friends are shown here gathered in front of the administration building, the fourth building constructed at the school. A small museum preserving the school’s history was opened at the former site of the school.

 

In 1920, Floyd Brown, a Tuskegee Institute graduate, established Fargo Agricultural School near Brinkley (Monroe County), a private residential school for African-American students. The school offered “training for the head, hands and heart” and a high school education for hundreds of black students for almost thirty years. Students and friends are shown here gathered in front of the administration building, the fourth building constructed at the school. A small museum preserving the school’s history was opened at the former site of the school.

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"In memory of those killed December 1987 Pope County Arkansas" flat engraved marker on grass Ronald Gene Simmons Criminal Activities busy city intersection with cars and people, view of state capitol in background Little Rock Pulaski "Negroes leave town of Bonanza" newspaper clipping Sundown Towns Exploded underground missile silo and debris as seen from above Titan II Missile Explosion Post Civil War Shirtless white man aiming a sniper rifle with silencer Carlos Norman “Gunny” Hathcock II Individuals Faces of three white men superimposed upon forest with red and white text on book cover West Memphis Three Criminal Activities White man in purple suit with bow tie Conway Twitty Country Older African-American man smiling in suit and bow tie Joseph Walter Jackson Business Leaders Group of African-American men standing and sitting before brick wall Elaine Massacre of 1919 Early Twentieth Century White man with long hair in white shirt and jeans singing with band on stage Jeff Keith Metal Promotional photograph of white man woman and 19 young and teen children standing together with white text Duggar Family Religious Figures, Television and Streaming brick and glass building "Walton Arts Center." Fayetteville Washington White men in suits inspecting nooses at gallows with hooded men waiting behind them Capital Punishment Law Enforcement Portrait white man in suit military medal long wavy hair thick beard smoking large pipe Albert Pike Individuals, Lawyers, Poetry, State Figures Trees and buildings painted on hog sculpture with brick building in the background Razorback Hogs Zoology Aerial view of river and fields in the background, white man and woman perched on rock outcropping in foreground Arkansas River Physical Geography, Water
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Lake with rock wall and trees Springfield Conway "Conway County" map with borders roads cities waterways Mallettown Conway White man wearing black holding framed "Capitol Citation" document Wayland Holyfield Country Sheet music with Arkansas state flag on cover Official State Songs Official State Symbols Mourner’s Bench Fiction Book cover featuring an empty swing and some trees Sweet Baby Fiction James Harris Draughon Miller Leaders "Cleveland County" map with borders roads cities Draughon Cleveland Book cover picturing a white woman from the back Blessings of the Heart Fiction White man smiling in suit and tie Sheffield Nelson Business Leaders Howard Samuel Eichenbaum Architects White man in suit and capitol building on campaign flyer saying "Re-elect C.G. Crip Hall secretary of state take a tip win with crip" Office of Secretary of State State Organizations and Structures Single page calendar topped with picture of multistory building with Greek columns in front Hot Springs National Park Museums and Historic Sites, National Parks aerial view of downtown Hot Springs featuring the large somewhat triangular shaped Arlington hotel and various other tall buildings and boulevard with cars amid tree-covered hills Hot Springs Central Avenue Historic District Museums and Historic Sites Multistory building with steeple tower and multistory building behind it on dirt roads Frank Wooster Gibb Architects Symmetrical three-story building with large arched windows on the ground level and street Bathhouse Row Attractions (Historic and Current), Buildings

About the Encyclopedia

The CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas is a free, authoritative source of information about the rich history, geography, and culture of Arkansas. It is updated regularly to ensure the people of Arkansas have an accurate and accessible resource to explore our heritage. We invite you to browse our text entries and media galleries to learn more about the people, places, events, legends, and lore of the 25th state. We are continually adding new entries, photographs, maps, videos, and audio files, so check back frequently to see what’s new.

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