Entry Category: Folklore and Folklife - Starting with J

Jackson Cookie Company

The Jackson Cookie Company, which originated in North Little Rock (Pulaski County), produced a variety of confections that were beloved by consumers both inside and outside Arkansas. Over the years, their products included cookies such as chocolate chip, chocolate fudge, lemon-flavored Jackson Jumbles, peanut butter, oatmeal, and what was considered by many to be the company’s crown jewel, Jackson’s Vanilla Wafers. Its plant in North Little Rock closed in 2004. Residents recall how the aroma of Jackson’s cookies baking would sweetly scent the downtown area. The Jackson Cookie Company opened in North Little Rock in 1933 during the Great Depression. The business partners were Joseph Conlee “J. C.” Jackson, C. R. Jackson, and W. A. Jackson. Its first establishment was …

Jones Bar-B-Q Diner

Jones Bar-B-Q Diner, a nationally known eatery in Marianna (Lee County), is perhaps the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Arkansas, as well as perhaps the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the South owned by a black family. In addition, it is the state’s first recipient of the James Beard Award, which many in the food community consider one of the highest honors that can be bestowed on a chef or restaurant. Jones Bar-B-Q Diner has drawn barbecue enthusiasts from around the world while maintaining its important position in this rural Arkansas community. No one is sure when the restaurant first opened, but multiple generations of the Jones family have manned the pits. Some version of the diner has been serving …