October 16, 1875

Conway, the seat of Faulkner County, incorporated. Conway was named for a famous Arkansas family that included the state’s first elected governor, James Sevier Conway. Controversies surrounding the creation of Faulkner County in 1873 and the choice of Conway as its seat continued for many years (partially as a lingering effect of the Brooks-Baxter War). Eventually, the town and Faulkner County became home to large German and Irish populations. A fire in 1878 destroyed a large part of Conway. Involved in rebuilding Conway was George Washington Donaghey, later the twenty-second governor of Arkansas.