CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas

Halloween is around the corner. Check out our "Spooky Season" exhibit collecting all the EOA's content relevant to the holiday, including a number of horror-themed movies and television episodes set in the state. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/exhibit/spoo...

100 YEARS AGO TODAY: The L’Anguille Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution dedicated a monument marking the initial point for the survey of the Louisiana Purchase. It is now the Louisiana Purchase Historic State Park. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/loui...

New entry: County Seats Bypassed by Railroads. As settlers populated Arkansas in the 1800s, new towns would vie to become the county seat, , but county seats could and did relocate, and railroad construction played a major part in that. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/coun...

New entry: In February 2019, the Arkansas General Assembly approved a measure designating the shotgun as the state’s official firearm. The act pointed to both the long history of the shotgun’s use in Arkansas and its importance in wildfowl harvesting. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/offi...

New entry: West of Memphis is a 2012 true-crime documentary that follows the trial, conviction, and eventual release from prison of three young men—known as the West Memphis Three—following the disappearance and murder of three children in West Memphis. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/west...

New entry: Jennifer Wiseman is an American astronomer and astrophysicist working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a senior astrophysicist and the senior project scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/jenn...

We've added a new quiz on Place Names. How well do you know the origin of place names in Arkansas? Take the quiz to find out! encyclopediaofarkansas.net/quiz/place-n...

New entry: One Horse Store is a small, unincorporated community in south-central Arkansas County, just west of Pecan Bayou, that derives its name from a store that existed there for seventy years. Read more at: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/one-...

New entry: Rowland Cave in Stone County was a popular mid-century venue for spelunkers until a tragedy involving a team of spelunkers who were trapped by a flash flood in the spring of 1965 cost the life of a Navy Seal who had led the team’s rescue. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/rowl...

New entry: A Seed in Spring is a 1948 novel written by Edward Thompson. Kirkus Reviews described the novel, which opens in May 1926 in Pine Bluff, as “a thorough-going novel of a particular scene, in a particular place....” Read more at: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/a-se...

New entry: 45RPM is a 2013 independent film written and directed by Juli Jackson. Filmed in various locations across Arkansas and Missouri, it follows a pair searching for a copy of “Rusted Roof,” a song recorded by one of their fathers back in the 1960s. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/45rp...

New entry: Jasper Gordon was lynched in Monroe County’s Pea Ridge community on November 6, 1893. While sensational initial reports described him as “a notorious outlaw,” subsequent events indicate that was likely not true. Read more at: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/jasp...

Sister Rosetta Tharpe died on this day in 1973. In October 2023, Tharpe was listed as number six on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 250 greatest guitarists of all time. Read more about her here: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/sist...

New entry: As settlers populated Arkansas in the 1800s, new towns would vie to become the county seat. However, county seats could and did relocate, and railroad construction played a major part in that. Read more at: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/coun...

New entry: Let Us Build Us a City, Donald Harington’s 1986 “nonfiction” novel, comes from the Bible, specifically from the King James translation of Genesis 11:4. “And they said, ‘Go to, let us build us a city and a tower...’” Read more at: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/let-...

New entry: The Louisiana and Arkansas Railway (L&A) was a railroad that began in the 1890s as a short operation in southwestern Arkansas. Read more at: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/loui...

New entry: The Big Lake Club, also known as the Big Lake Sporting Club or Big Lake Sportsman’s Club, was a private hunting and fishing club established near Little Rock, #Arkansas, in 1886 by prominent Arkansas sportsmen and businessmen. Read more at: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/big-...

It's Banned Book Week! Did you know that Maya Angelou's memoir "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" is frequently banned from school libraries and was among the nearly 400 books purged from the U.S. Naval Academy’s library in April 2025? Read more at: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/i-kn...

It's Banned Book Week! Did you know that Bette Greene's 1973 novel, "Summer of My German Soldier," ranked 88 on the American Library Association’s “The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1900–1999”? Read more at: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/summ...

On this day in 1971, Governor Dale Bumpers announced Lily Peter’s appointment as poet laureate of #Arkansas. Peter, a farmer from Phillips County, was a renowned patron of the arts and an advocate for the environment. Read more at: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/lily...

B. Alan Sugg, longtime president of the University of Arkansas System, died over the weekend. You can read more about him at: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/barn...

Rockabilly legend Billy Lee Riley was born in Pocahontas, #Arkansas, on this day in 1933. His career peaked in the 1950s after he signed a record deal with Sun Records, but he was later rediscovered by Bob Dylan. Read more at: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/bill...

On this day in 1905, a white mob rampaged through the Black community of Harrison, #Arkansas, burning down homes and ordering all African Americans to leave town. Read more about the Harrison Race Riots here: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/harr...

New entry: The Moaner’s Bench is a 1998 semi-autobiographical novel by Pine Bluff, #Arkansas, native Mars Hill. The book is narrated by the youngest child in a middle-class Black family in a fictionalized, Depression-era Pine Bluff called Pine Ridge. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/the-...

New entry: The Grand Promenade in downtown Hot Springs, #Arkansas, connects the city’s Reserve Street to Fountain Street. The eight-foot-wide brick walkway is located behind the famed Bathhouse Row, running parallel to the back of the bathhouses. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/gran...

New entry: Promises Kept: A Memoir is the autobiography of Governor Sidney Sanders McMath (1912–2003), one of the most significant public figures in Arkansas history. Read more at encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/prom...

New entry: "The White River Raft: The Largely True Story of a Logging Trip into the Flooded Forests of Arkansas, Followed by an Eventful Voyage Down the Mississippi" is a 1910 adventure novel set in antebellum eastern #Arkansas. Read more at: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/the-...

New entry: Magic Springs Theme and Water Park, located at 1701 East Grand Avenue off Highway 70 in the northeastern portion of Hot Springs, #Arkansas. It features roller coasters, bumper cars, a log flume, children’s play areas, and more. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/magi...

New entry: Morning Is a Long Time Coming is a 1978 novel by Bette Greene, a sequel to her award-winning Summer of My German Soldier (1973). The novel mirrors Greene’s own experiences as a young woman, leaving Arkansas for Paris. Read more at: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/morn...

Filmed on and around the UCA campus in Conway, #Arkansas, "September 30, 1955" is about a college student, played by Richard Thomas, who is devastated by the death of his idol, actor James Dean. Read more at: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/sept...

New entry: The fourth Grant County Courthouse in Sheridan, #Arkansas, was dedicated in July 1964 and added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 18, 2026. Read more at: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/gran...

On this day in 1919, a group of African Americans, mostly sharecroppers, attended a union meeting at a church in Hoop Spur, #Arkansas. What happened next kicked off several days of anti-black violence now known as the Elaine Massacre. Read more at: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/elai...

New entry: Located in Hot Springs, the historic Congregation House of Israel celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2026. It is the only house of worship for Jewish people in the Hot Springs area and maintains one of the few full-time rabbis in #Arkansas. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/cong...

Bernell "Fatman" Austin, the Atkin, #Arkansas, restauranteur credited with the creation of the fried dill pickle, died on this day in 1999. Read more about fried dill pickles here: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/frie...

The Lafayette Hotel opened in downtown Little Rock, #Arkansas, on this date in 1925. The building was one of the main filming locations for the 2022 science-fiction movie Chariot, starring John Malkovich. Read more at: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/lafa...

Johnny Sain, a star major league pitcher and is widely considered to have been the best pitching coach in major league baseball history, was born on this date in Havana, #Arkansas, in 1917. Read more at encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/john...

At the link, a selection of home movie archived at the CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies showing the Little Rock Nine being escorted by military personnel through the front doors of Central High on this date in 1957. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/media/centra...

Scottie Pippen was born on this day in 1965 in Hamburg, #Arkansas. He played basketball at the University of Central Arkansas and joined the Chicago Bulls in 1987. Pippen was in 1996 named one of the “50 Greatest Players in NBA History.” Read more at: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/scot...

New entry: Chronic Wasting Disease is a fatal and highly contagious disease that affects white-tailed deer and other members of the cervid family. It was first discovered in Arkansas in 2015 and, by August 2025, had been found in 24 counties. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/chro...

New entry: Pursuit is a 2022 action-thriller directed by Brian Skiba and filmed and partly set in #Arkansas. The story centers upon a hacker searching for his kidnapped wife, which brings him in conflict with his crime-lord father. Read more at: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/purs...

New entry: Located at 374 Whittington Avenue in Hot Springs #Arkansas, Tiny Town is a family-run attraction featuring a handmade miniature village and an interactive model railroad. Read more at: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/tiny...

What is now Harding University in Searcy, #Arkansas, opened its doors in Morrilton on this date in 1924. It was a combination of two struggling two-year schools—Arkansas Christian Academy of Morrilton and Harper College of Harper, Kansas. Read more at encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/hard...

In honor of the first full day of autumn, Kathryne Bess Hail Travis with her painting "Autumn Leaves"; circa 1968. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/media/kathry...

In honor of the first full day of autumn, "Autumn in the Ozarks," painting by Ernest Fredericks (real name Fred Swedlun). encyclopediaofarkansas.net/media/autumn...

In honor of the first full day of autumn, "Autumn Trees," an example of Edward Everett Burr’s mid-century Regionalist style. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/media/autumn...

Ernest Green, one of the Little Rock Nine, and the only one to graduate from Central High School, was born on this day in 1941. Read more here: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/erne...

The BlueSky "trending" box tells us it's Hobbit Day. All we've got on the EOA that might be relevant is this picture of Bean's Hobbit Hole inside Bean's Books at Pickles Gap Village. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/media/pickle...

Author Stephen King was born on this date in 1947. Did you know that the director of the 1989 movie adaptation of his novel Pet Sematary was Helena native Mary Martha Lambert? encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/mary...

New entry: Harry S. Ashmore, once the nationally famous executive editor of the Arkansas Gazette, wrote a 195-page history of Arkansas in the 1970s—one of fifty state histories published for the occasion of the nation’s 200th birthday in 1976. Read more at: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/arka...

New entry: John Gould Fletcher wrote an impressionistic and almost poetic history of Arkansas that was published by the University of North Carolina Press in 1947. Simply titled Arkansas, it was republished in 1989 by the University of Arkansas Press. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/arka...