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Arkansas City High School
Located in the Mississippi River town of Arkansas City (Desha County), Arkansas City High School is a historic educational building constructed in 1910. The building houses offices for the Desha County government in the twenty-first century. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 4, 1984.
Arkansas City was a booming river town in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Multiple railroads, large businesses, and a busy river port brought thousands of residents to the city. The earliest school in the town was a one-room structure located near the site of the future high school building. Moved at least twice, this building later began serving as a church.
Officials of the growing town hired Little Rock (Pulaski County) architect Clyde Farrell to design the Arkansas City High School building in the early 1900s; construction was completed in 1910. Noted for his design of multiple public buildings throughout the state, Farrell designed schools such as the Portia School in Lawrence County and multiple courthouses, including those in Stone County, Cleburne County, and Montgomery County.
The building is two stories tall with a three-story centrally located tower on the front projection. The red-brick building rests on a white painted concrete block foundation. Designed in a Renaissance Revival style, the building has a sign over the front entrance that reads “ARKANSAS CITY HIGH SCHOOL 1910.” While the building is known as a high school, it actually contained classes for all grades in the Arkansas City School District.
The exterior of the building includes multiple windows to light the classrooms inside. The building is fronted by a rounded arched entryway topped with a keystone. The recessed entrance is framed by the archway and includes double doors with decorative sidelights and transoms. Access is gained via a set of concrete steps. A similar entrance is located at the rear of the building. The basement level is painted white and is separated from the red brick portion by a belt course. Topped with a hip roof, the building includes hanging eaves and decorative rafter ends.
The interior of the building includes four classrooms on the first floor. A central corridor provides access to the rooms, and stairs located at each end of the corridor provide access to the second floor. Additional small storage rooms and offices are located between the classrooms on the first floor. The second floor contains three classrooms, including one that encompasses the entire northern side of the floor. A basement includes restrooms and storage.
With a new school building constructed in the early 1980s, the high school was abandoned for approximately twenty years. Efforts to restore the building were successful, and it served as the temporary courthouse in the early twenty-first century while the permanent courthouse across the street underwent renovations. Extensive renovations were completed on the high school building; it serves as a courthouse annex and houses the offices of the sheriff, assessor, and collector.
For additional information:
“Arkansas City High School.” National Register of Historic Places registration form. On file at Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Little Rock, Arkansas. Online at https://www.arkansasheritage.com/docs/default-source/national-registry/de0023-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=d3d9b76_0 (accessed January 30, 2025).
Silva, Rachel. “Walks Through History: Historic Arkansas City.” Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, October 15, 2011. https://www.arkansasheritage.com/docs/default-source/ahpp-documents/sandwiching-tour-scripts/arkansas-city-tour-script-2011c8e61766-520d-45da-b0c2-7572e3055a81.pdf?sfvrsn=deb7409_5 (accessed January 30, 2025).
David Sesser
Southeastern Louisiana University
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