August 28, 1878

Historian Dallas Herndon was born into a farming family in Elberton, Georgia. Herndon wrote many works on Arkansas history and was the first director of the Arkansas History Commission. During his long career, he authored many works on Arkansas history. His best known are his multi-volume Centennial History of Arkansas (1922) and Annals of Arkansas (1947). His Highlights of Arkansas History and Arkansas Handbook were longtime staple reference sources. His Why Little Rock was Born (1933) was the first published history of that city.