St. Francis County

View Media (130)
Luther Allison (1939–1997)
Blues guitarist and singer Luther Allison was born in Arkansas, but like many of his contemporaries in the rur...
Old African-American woman smiling in hat and necklace with earrings sitting with brick wall behind her
Daisy Anderson (1900?-1998)
Educator, author, and lecturer Daisy Graham Anderson is best known for being one of the last surviving widows ...
Bell and Swain v. State
aka: Elbert Thomas (Reported Lynching of)
Examination of the cases of Black youths Robert Bell and Grady Swai...
Tree covered hill side with bare trees and leaf covered roots
Blackfish Lake Ferry Site
The Blackfish Lake Ferry Site marks the location where a ferry was established in 1826 to allow travelers on t...
African-American man with mustache in suit and tie
Josiah Homer Blount (1860–1938)
Josiah Homer Blount was a successful African American businessman who, in 1920, became the first Black per...
African-American man with mustache in suit and tie
Scott Winfield Bond (1852–1933)
Scott Winfield Bond was a successful landowner, farmer, and businessman at a time when the total number of Afr...
Young African-American boy in suit sitting in chair
Ulysses Simpson (U. S.) Bond (1897–1967)
Prominent businessman and entrepreneur Ulysses Simpson (U. S.) Bond, like his father and brothers, was a membe...
Brooks (Lynching of)
In some cases, conflicting newspaper accounts make it difficult to identify the actual victim of a lynching, a...
Single story red brick building with glass front door and parking lot
Caldwell (St. Francis County)
Caldwell is a city on Crowley’s Ridge, a few miles north of Forrest City (St. Francis County). Located on th...
White man in suit and glasses sitting at desk
William Wilson Campbell (1889–1970)
William Wilson Campbell of Forrest City (St. Francis County) was a banker known nationally for his expertise i...
Poster showing photos of a brown-haired man along with a list of physical details and a fingerprint
Larry Porter Chism (1948–)
Larry Chism is an Arkansas criminal, convicted felon, and longtime fugitive. In 1978, he escaped from a Lonoke...
young African-American men playing basketball outside with school buildings in the background and young African American women watching
Christ Church Parochial and Industrial School
Christ Church Parochial and Industrial School was a private school for African-American children operated in F...
gray single story buildings
Colt (St. Francis County)
Colt (St. Francis County), located at the intersection of Arkansas Highway 1 and Highway 306 between the L’A...
Large blue sign with white text and lights on grass with Brick building with parking lot behind it
Crowley's Ridge Technical Institute
The Crowley’s Ridge Technical Institute (CRTI) was a technical college in Forrest City (St. Francis County) ...
Untitled newspaper clipping
Poindexter Dunn (1834–1914)
Poindexter Dunn was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He represented the First Distric...
"Featherstone's Fraudulent Pretense" newspaper clipping
Lewis Porter Featherstone (1851–1922)
Lewis Porter (L. P.) Featherstone was an Agricultural Wheel leader and a politician who served in the state le...
Charles A. “Charlie” Fleming (1877–1954)
An Irish American born into abject poverty in western Tennessee, Charlie Fleming came to the Arkansas Delta in...
Looking down town street with multistory storefront buildings on one side
Forrest City (St. Francis County)
Forrest City, located on the western slope of Crowley’s Ridge near the center of St. Francis County, has bee...
African-American man with mustache in suit and tie
Forrest City Cemetery
aka: Forrest City Colored Cemetery
aka: Purifoy Cemetery
The Forrest City Colored Cemetery, located in the eastern Arkansas ...
"Bathed in blood" newspaper clipping
Forrest City Riot of 1889
In the 1888 election, the Union Labor Party, which included farmers of the Agricultural Wheel, allied with the...
Newspaper front page "Forrest City Times"
Forrest City Times
Among the early businesses in Forrest City (St. Francis County) was the Forrest City Times (1871–1919), esta...
Robert Foreman (Bobby) Fussell (1938–2018)
Robert Foreman (Bobby) Fussell had a long career as a lawyer championing the legal rights of disabled veterans...
African-American man in button-up shirt smiling with his left hand on his head
Al Green (1946–)
Al Green is one of Arkansas’s best-known singers, with a career that has ranged from rhythm and blues (R&...
Scout from Helena to Madison (October 11–15, 1864)
A five-day scouting foray by Union soldiers of the Fifteenth Illinois Cavalry Regiment from Helena (Phillips C...
Expedition from Helena up the St. Francis River (February 13–14, 1864)
On the afternoon of February 13, 1864, Captain Charles O’Connell of the Fifteenth Illinois Cavalry boarded t...
Black man drives two mules and wagon through flooded city street, brick buildings, large sign for "Bull Durham Smoking Tobacco"
Hughes (St. Francis County)
Hughes is the second-largest town in St. Francis County. Located halfway between Mud Lake (St. Francis County)...
View of water tower looking up from beneath it
Hughes Water Tower
The Hughes Water Tower is located on Church Street in Hughes (St. Francis County). The metal water tower was b...
White man in baseball uniform with hard cap swinging a bat during a game with crowded stands in the background
Donald Euleon (Don) Kessinger (1942–)
Donald Eulon Kessinger played major league baseball for sixteen years in the 1960s and 1970s, mostly for the C...
Skirmish at L'Anguille Ferry
On August 3, 1862, a skirmish took place at L’Anguille Ferry, just north of Marianna (Lee County). The skirm...
"Nathan Lacey was lynched last night" newspaper clipping
Nathan Lacey (Lynching of)
On October 16, 1911, an African American man named Nathan Lacey was lynched in Forrest City (St. Francis Count...
Portrait African-American male boxer with gloves raised, shorts, boots, in corner of ring
Sonny Liston (1932?–1970)
aka: Charles Liston
Charles “Sonny” Liston was a noted boxer who briefly reigned as...
Metal sign "Welcome Madison City Limit"
Madison (St. Francis County)
Madison, named for President James Madison, is located on the western bank of the St. Francis River at the foo...