Our last new entry of the year is the Stuttgart Germania, a German-language newspaper published in Stuttgart from maybe 1894 to 1914, as the exact dates of publication are unknown. Happy New Year! encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/stut...

On this day in 1949, criminal James Perry Williams conducted the most notorious jailbreak of his career, escaping from Tucker Prison Farm with three other inmates. Wishing you all the best for the New Year! encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/jame...

New entry added: Isaac Thomas “Ike” Gillam IV was the director of the Dryden (later Armstrong) Flight Research Center, the major NASA field center for the flight testing of high-speed aircraft and experimental vehicles. Read more here: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/isaa...

Fred Calvin Marshall of Little Rock was a jazz musician, inventor, sculptor, and educator best known as the bassist in the Vince Guaraldi Trio, which recorded the soundtrack for the Charlie Brown Christmas television special. Merry Christmas! encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/fred...

Ninety years ago today, revered Arkansas novelist and educator Donald Harington was born in Little Rock. Read more about his life and legacy here: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/dona...

Hanukkah ends at sundown today. Our best wishes to everyone who celebrates. Here is our entry on the Concordia Club, a Jewish social club whose existence predated the establishment of any synagogue in Little Rock. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/conc...

Charles Maynard “Savvy” Cooke Jr. was born on this day in Fort Smith. Cooke rose through the ranks of the U.S. Navy from academy cadet to four-star admiral during an extraordinary career spanning more than two decades and two world wars. Read more at" encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/char...

The Ouachita National Forest, originally called the Arkansas National Forest, was created through an executive order issued by President Theodore Roosevelt on this day in 1907. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/ouac...

Gil Gerard, known to the wider world for his leading role in the television series "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century," has died. Born in Little Rock, he attended Catholic High School and the University of Central Arkansas before heading to New York to act. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/gil-...

On this day in 1811, the first of the New Madrid Earthquakes struck, with an epicenter beneath Blytheville. The quakes profoundly altered Arkansas, altering the landscape in ways still visible, especially in the swampy "Sunken Lands" area. Read more here: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/new-...

On this day in 2003, legendary political cartoonist George Fisher died at his Little Rock home, appropriately enough at his drawing board. Read more about his life and legacy here: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/geor...

New entry added: August Lane, a 2025 romance novel by Regina Black of Little Rock. The novel centers upon country music star Luke Randall, a one-hit wonder known for the song “Another Love Song,” and August Lane, the woman from whom he stole the song. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/augu...

New entry added: Radio. Radio has been an important method of communication in Arkansas for more than a century. The state received its first broadcasts in 1920, and the popular medium was quickly adopted throughout Arkansas. Read more here: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/radi...

New entry: Rose Hambleton, a steamboat that was frequently chartered or pressed into service by Union forces during the Civil War and often operated in waters in or near Arkansas. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/rose...

With the holidays upon us, here is footage of Governor Sid McMath and his family celebrating Christmas at the new Governor’s Mansion in Little Rock (Pulaski County); circa 1951. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/media/govern...

On this day in 1841, an article in the Washington Telegraph first attributed the invention of the bowie knife to James Black of Washington (Hempstead County), who claimed to have made a knife for Jim Bowie. Read more about this iconic knife here: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/bowi...

Lloyd “Arkansas Slim” Andrews, best known for film roles as a sidekick to Western stars, was born on this day in 1906. Over a fifteen-year period, he had parts in approximately thirty-four films, including the 1952 film Buffalo Bill in Tomahawk Territory. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/lloy...

James Hinds was born on this day in 1833. A representative to the Arkansas Constitutional Convention of 1868 and to the U.S. Congress upon Arkansas’s readmission to the Union after the Civil War, he was assassinated by a KKK member in 1868. Read more here: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/jame...

New entry added: Pulaski County Tornado of 1875. This strong tornado hit Pulaski County “eight miles down the river from Little Rock” on April 8, 1875, killing four people and causing extensive damage. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/pula...

New entry added: Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory, a 1964 novel by Tristram Coffin about an Arkansas congressman of the civil rights era. Kirkus Reviews described it as a “damp and blowsy novel” that “could have been hilarious satire if pushed a bit further.” encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/mine...

New entry added: James Casherego (Execution of). Hanged at Fort Smith on July 30, 1896, for murder, his was the last execution to be conducted from a conviction in Judge Isaac Parker’s U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/jame...

New entry added: Trail trees, purported by some to be trees modified by Native Americans to indicate the path of a particular trail. However, such deformations occur naturally, and there is no evidence this practice was common among Native Americans. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/trai...

We just learned of the passing late last month of Donald "Skip" Hays, noted Arkansas novelist perhaps most famous for "The Dixie Association," a 1984 book about a wild band of misfits who made up a fictional professional baseball team at Little Rock. RIP. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/skip...

Does anyone remember being in Arkansas on this day in 1990? Retired climatologist Iben Browning had caused some panic by predicting a major earthquake along the New Madrid Fault for that day, but nothing came of it. Share your own memories of that day! encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/new-...

Wishing a very happy birthday to Dr. Terrence Roberts, one of the Little Rock Nine, born on this day in 1941. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/terr...

New blog post: An Aurora in Arkansas. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/an-aurora-in...

On this day in 1879, Eugene Weibel stepped off a train in Randolph County, Arkansas, beginning a priestly career that included establishing numerous churches, leading him to be dubbed the Catholic “Apostle to northeastern Arkansas.” Read more here: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/euge...

What is now Batesville Regional Airport began operations on this day in 1944 with a small, grassy runway located in a field. Learn more about it here: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/bate...

The staff of the Encyclopedia of Arkansas wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow! And in honor of Turkey Day, here is our entry on the Stone County community of Turkey Creek. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/turk...

Did you know that Arkansas native Henry C. Gibson is credited with developing a box-style turkey call that had the distinction of being the turkey call of this kind patented in the United States? Read more here: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/henr...

What are your Thanksgiving Day plans? Did you know that the legendary Feltner's Whatta-Burger in Russellville opened on Thanksgiving Day in 1967? And would you like to have been there on that opening day? encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/felt...

Pictured here: A Nevada County turkey farm circa 1935. Good luck with all your Thanksgiving Day preparations! encyclopediaofarkansas.net/media/turkey...

On this day in 1936, what is now the World's Championship Duck Calling Contest was first held in Stuttgart. The contest originated in a dispute among local hunters as to who was the best duck caller. Read more here: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/worl...

New entry added: Thanksgiving Day Tornado Outbreak of 1926, an outbreak of twenty-seven tornadoes killed fifty-one people and caused damage in twelve Arkansas counties. Here is hoping your Thanksgiving Day is more peaceful! Read more at encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/than...

New entry added: Rose Hill Cemetery, the first public cemetery in Harrison, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 13, 2025, and contains 1,000+ graves, including many of Harrison’s early prominent citizens and ninety-four veterans. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/rose...

New entry added: Located in rural Arkansas County about five miles east of Almyra (Arkansas County), Immanuel High School began as a training institute for formerly enslaved people and their children. Read more at: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/imma...

New entry added: The Harvey and Bernice Jones Center for Families, popularly known as the Jones Center, was dedicated in 1995, a gift to Springdale from philanthropist Bernice Young Jones. Read more here: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/jone...

New entry added: Charles Witsell Jr., an architect and historic preservationis who worked on some of Arkansas’s iconic buildings. Witsell’s résumé included work on the Old State House, the Pike-Fletcher-Terry House, the Albert Pike Hotel, and so much more. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/char...

New entry: Dobbins's First Arkansas Cavalry. This Confederate regiment saw action at the Battle of Helena, in the Little Rock Campaign, and in Price’s Missouri Expedition. Read more here: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/dobb...

November is Sweet Potato Awareness Month, and probably no Arkansan is more closely associated with sweet potato pie than political gadfly and restauranteur Say McIntosh. Read more about him here: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/robe...

Were you aware that November is Sweet Potato Awareness Month? To help spread awareness, here is an image of the sweet potato harvest in Blevins, Arkansas, in 1917. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/media/sweet-...

On this day 60 years ago, famed birth control advocate Hilda Cornish passed away. She is buried in Little Rock's Oakland Cemetery. Read more here: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/hild...

New entry added: The Arkansas prison rodeo, an annual event held at the Cummins Unit from 1972 until 1984. Prison commissioner T. Don Hutto created the rodeo in the wake of state prison scandals, importing the idea from his native Texas. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/pris...

New entry added: Bed and Breakup, a 2025 romance novel by Little Rock native Susie Dumond set in Eureka Springs. Read more here: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/bed-...

The William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park is now officially old enough to drink, having opened on this day in 2004. Learn more about it here: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/will...

New entry added: Tornado Outbreak of 1945, a series of tornadoes that struck Arkansas on April 12, 1945, killed twenty-two people and caused widespread damage. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/torn...

New entry added: Dutch Mills in Washington County. Also known as Hermannsburg, this was a German settlement that existed before the Civil War. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/dutc...

New entry added: Pickles Gap in Faulkner County. A small area settled by farmers in the mid-to-late 1800s, it became known as a tourist attraction in 1966. Read more here: encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/pick...

On this day in 1856, John Bush, founder of the Mosaic Templars of America, was born in slavery in Moscow, Tennessee. In Arkansas, he founded the MTA, a fraternal organization that spanned 26 states and 6 foreign countries from the 1880s until the 1930s. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/john...

On this day in 1931, Governor Harvey Parnell appointed Hattie Caraway to fill the U.S. Senate vacancy caused by her husband’s death. She was confirmed in a special election on January 12, 1932, thus becoming the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/hatt...