March 15, 1912

The town merchants of Carlisle (Lonoke County) organized a fundraiser to entertain former president Willilam Howard Taft. Upon arrival, Taft made a short speech from the train and then took a tour by automobile to view the rice fields and creameries. Carlisle, a bedroom community outside the metropolitan area of Little Rock (Pulaski County), lays claim to being the birthplace of rice-growing on the Grand Prairie.