By the time the Missouri Pacific Railroad (MPR) built the depot around 1917, Arkadelphia had established itself as an important economic hub in the region. The city was founded in 1839 and became the county seat in 1843. Its location along the Ouachita River made it ideal for connecting the area to the Mississippi River and New Orleans. The first railroad to arrive was the Cairo and Fulton Railroad in 1873, which helped spur further growth. By 1890, what are now Ouachita Baptist University and Henderson State University had been established. The MPR, which had recently acquired another railroad that ran from Texas to Missouri, was in the process of increasing its share of rail lines in the country at the time. Constructing the depot was part of this effort. The company designed it and its other depots in the Mediterranean architecture to create a corporate identity. The depot was built of brick and features a hipped roof with a red clay tile roof. The museum was established in 2003 and appears to have always been housed in the depot (the Historical Society itself was founded in 1972). The depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992 for its architecture and contribution to the city's development in the early 20th century.

The Clark County Historical Society and Museum preserves and promotes local history. It is located in the historic Missouri Pacific Railroad Depot, which was built around 1917.

Clark County Historical Society and Museum

Website

Housed in the historic Missouri Pacific Railroad Depot, the Clark County Historical Society and Museum preserves and promotes the history of the county. It features permanent exhibits that explore various topics including the area's natural history, Native American cultures, pioneer settlers, military history, and business and educational history. The museum offers rotating exhibits as well. Artifacts, memorabilia, and photographs are on display inside and outside there is a historic salt kettle and caboose on display. The depot was built ca. 1917 and also operates as an Amtrak station.

This route approximates the route of the Dunbar-Hunter Expedition of 1805-1806.

The post office was built around 1904. It is not clear how long it operated but the museum was founded in 1991 by Mary Lee Toles, who was the first African American judge in the city. The museum highlights the lives of several prominent local African Americans. One is that of the slave Abdul Rahman, who was freed by President John Quincy Adams after 40 years and resettled in Africa. Author Richard Wright, as noted above, was born here and he would go on to become an internationally recognized writer. Another famous individual and Natchez native was signer Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, who earned the nickname "Black Swan." The life and legacy of local pastor Rev. Hiram Rhodes Revels is explored as well. Rhodes became the first African American in Congress and he was later elected as U.S. Senator in 1870.

Located in the former United States Post Office building, the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture celebrates the rich history of the local African American community from 1716, the year Natchez was established to today. The museum's exhibits explore a variety of topics including the Rhythm Nightclub fire, one of the deadliest fires in American history (200 people were killed), the Three Forks Slave Market (the second largest slave market in the South), and the life and legacy of author Richard Wright, who was born here. Many items are on display including photographs, personal belongings, books, works of art, and a wide range of artifacts. 

Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture

It is unknown why the first owner&nbsp;of Rosalie, Peter Little, came to Natchez from Pennsylvania when he was just 17 years old, but he purchased the property for the mansion as well as some land in Louisiana in 1798. According to the official website for Rosalie, Peter became good friends with ferryboat owner Jacob Lowe since he often travelled by boat to cross the Mississippi in order to check on his land in Louisiana. Unfortunately, his friend Jacob and his wife both caught the fatal disease yellow fever, and as a favor to his friends, Peter took their young daughter Eliza&nbsp;as his wife.&nbsp;However, since Peter was 25 years old&nbsp;and Eliza 14 years old, the marriage was "in name only," and Peter sent Eliza to Baltimore for an education for an unknown length of time. Despite the distance geographically speaking as well as in their ages, a romance indeed took place between Peter and Eliza and they had a&nbsp;45 year,&nbsp;happy marriage.The couple moved in to their new home named Rosalie in 1823, and since Eliza was one of the founders of the Natchez Children's Home, many children "found a loving home at Rosalie," including Peter's niece, whom he took in after his sister's passing. Eliza passed away of yellow fever in 1853, and Peter followed three years later without a will. Rosalie was sold at auction.&nbsp;In 1857, Andrew Wilson and his wife purchased the home and just as the Littles had done so,&nbsp;housed many orphans there. According to the official website for Rosalie, the couple "became especially close to one of the girls, Fannie McMurtry. To the Wilsons she was their true daughter. Fannie married Capt. Stephen Rumble in the parlors of Rosalie on Augus 2, 1866. Rosalie became their home for the rest of their lives. All 6 of their children were born at Rosalie. In 1938 Miss Annie [sic], daughter of Stephen and Fannie McMurtry, sold Rosalie to the Mississippi State Society DAR. Miss Rebecca and Miss Annie continued to live at Rosalie and give daily tours. In 1958 [sic] after 101 years of life at Rosalie for the Wilson/ Rumble families, Miss Annie, the last of the descendants, passed away."&nbsp;

The mansion is built on land that the French fort Rosalie (named after the Duchess of Ponchartrain) was built on in 1716, so the original owner of the home Peter Little, originally of Pennsylvania, decided to keep the name. The home was built in 1823 in the Greek Revival style. Peter and his wife Eliza, though not having children of their own, housed many orphans through their lifetime and those family members who the home was passed to over the decades did the same. Today, the home is owned by the Daughters of the American Revolution and is open to the public for daily tours.

Rosalie Mansion

The House on Ellicott's Hill has had many&nbsp;tenants&nbsp;over the years. Though James Moore owned the property, his wife preferred living at their Oakland Plantation better. As a result, James Moore&nbsp;rented out the home to Samuel Brooks, a member of a wealthy New England family and the cousin and future&nbsp;President John Adams. Samuel Brooks rented the home from Moore from February 1801 until 1807 or 1808. Brooks was a prominent personality in Natchez and served as the town's first mayor. He was also the state's first treasurer when he passed away in&nbsp;1817 while serving as the first State Treasurer. The next person that&nbsp;Moore rented the house to was&nbsp;Dr. Frederic Seip, who ended up buying&nbsp;the house from Moore in 1816. After Seip passed away in&nbsp;1819, his wife and son continued to live in the home until 1825. The next owner was&nbsp;Orlando Lane, who bought the home in order to rent the property to others, which he did over a number of decades until he sold the property in&nbsp;1850. These families lived among enslaved persons who served the families and contributed to their wealth and status in antebellum Natchez.&nbsp; The house was later purchased by Presbyterians who converted the home into a private academy for young men. This boarding school closed in 1878 and the building served as housing for workers at a nearby cotton mill.&nbsp;During the 1920s, the mills were&nbsp;abandoned and the house stood vacant until 1934 when the Natchez Garden Club bought it. In 1935, the club hired New Orleans architect&nbsp;Richard Koch to renovate the house. The Preservation Society of Ellicott Hill acquired the property from the club in 1976. In recent years, the home has been restored and is open for tours.&nbsp;

Built during the years of 1797 and 1801, the House on Ellicott Hill belonged to Merchant planter James Moore. The home dates back to the actions of US military officer Andrew Ellicott who arrived in Natchez to survey the area according to the terms of the Treaty of San Lorenzo. Ellicott defied Spanish officials by raising the American flag on this hill. Construction of this home followed soon after and also served as a signal that Americans intended to control the area prior to the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. 

House on Ellicott's Hill

Louisiana is home to a rich cultural and political history that is showcased in its many historical landmarks. Frogmore Plantation was founded in the early 1800s and was expanded to its full size around 1843. Currently privately owned and operated by George "Buddy" Tanner and his wife Lynette, Frogmore is a functional cotton plantation with a 900-bale fully computerized gin. Because of its proximity to the Tensas, Black and Mississippi rivers, Frogmore features rich, fertile soil that allows for the continued production of cotton. It also boasts authentically furnished slave quarters and a traditional steam gin, the Piazza Cotton Gin. On July 26, 2019, a fire broke out that destroyed the plantation house. The gins and fields remained unharmed, and tours were not affected. Antebellum Louisiana was home to the largest city in the South, New Orleans, which served as a major trade center for the Confederacy during the American Civil War. Because of the importance of its port cities, Louisiana was a crucial player in the war. From King Cotton to naval fleets, the state did not hesitate to do what was necessary to protect its slave-dependent economy. Plantation owners were significant contributors to the economic wellbeing of Louisiana. Sugar and cotton lead their agricultural production lists, and there was a definite reliance on slave labor to maintain that level of success. In Lynette Tanner's novel, Chained to the Land, she provides a firsthand look into the lives of slaves on plantations throughout the state. This insight indirectly offers a greater understanding of the men and women who lived on and worked the lands of historical Frogmore. While they may not be stories from Frogmore itself, these accounts provide a glimpse into what plantation life in Louisiana may have been like. Of equal importance to the slaves and the politics of the time are the technological developments that took place. The development of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793 completely revolutionized the cotton industry. However, there was a second development in cotton ginning that was just as revolutionary, though it came almost a century later. Robert S. Munger developed a system of ginning that was entirely mechanized, from the moment the plant entered the system to the moment the bale emerged, tied and finished. The Piazza Gin is an example of one of Munger's gins. It was transplanted to Frogmore around 1997/8, and was registered by the Tanners with the National Register of Historic Places on December 31, 1998. Lynette and Buddy Tanner have a long history of involvement in the cotton industry. Lynette is the daughter of a cotton farmer, and, according to the Frogmore website, she acted as president of the Louisiana Attractions Association and was on the board of directors for the Louisiana Travel Promotion Association. Buddy is currently involved in the National Cotton Council, serving as a delegate, and is also a Mid-South Cotton Foundation Trustee. His cotton farming experience dates back to the 1960s, and he was named the United States' most outstanding ginner in 1992 by the National Ginners Association. Their combined passion for agriculture and the preservation of Southern history allow Frogmore to continue to act as a bridge from past to present.

Frogmore is a plantation that was built in the early 1800s in Frogmore, LA. It is a Historical Site and still operates today, though it also functions as a museum and tourist location. Visitors may experience cotton milling firsthand, as the plantation is still home to a steam gin from the 19th century and a modern computerized gin. 

Frogmore Plantation and Gins

Joseph A. Biedenharn was born in 1866 in Vicksburg, Mississippi. His father and uncle owned a retail&nbsp;confectionary business and Joseph eventually took over the company and changed the name to&nbsp;Biedenharn Candy Company. Joseph began bottling Coca-Cola in Vicksburg and in 1913&nbsp;moved his family to Monroe, built the house and gardens, and&nbsp;opened another bottling plant in Monroe. Joseph was an important figure in Monroe, becoming elected City Commissioner and also a philanthropist. He passed away in 1952.

Built in 1913, the Biedenharn Museum and Gardens was the home of Joseph A. Biedenharn, the first person to devise a method to bottle Coca-Cola in 1894 (Coca-Cola was created by Josseph Pemberton in 1886). The home  is now a museum and is furnished as it was when Biedenharn's daughter, Emy-Lou lived there; she passed away in 1984. The museum offers guided tours, special exhibits, children's programming, concerts and other activities. Each year, the museum receives from 25,000 to 30,000 visitors per year.

Biedenharn Museum and Gardens

Before 1922, Smackover, Arkansas was a quiet town that depended upon cotton farming and timber. There were not many opportunities for the town until Sidney Umsted "struck gold" or more accurately - struck oil. Umsted had believed for years that oil was beaming beneath the land of Smackover and he would be proven right on July 1st 1992 when a well at the depth of 2,066 feet would erupt with oil. "Within six months, 1,000 wells had been drilled, with a success rate of ninety-two percent. The little town had increased from a mere ninety to 25,000, and its uncommon name would quickly attain national attention.” Smackover would become the largest oil producing field in the world by 1925. The rapid pace that the town grew would lead to complications with criminal activity. Lawlessness was a large issue in Smackover during the oil boom. The lack of authority and respect for law would lead to a large multi day riot. There is debate about exactly how the Smackover Riot began, but it is rumored to have began because of a murder that occurred within town. The result of the murder led to a “clean up” crew being established to rid the town of the “undesirables.” Undesirables were considered to be those that participated in gambling or saloon goers. There are many unconfirmed reports of the riot and it is unclear how many people were wounded or killed. The riot succeeded in pushing many people out of town, undesirables and businesses. Large oil companies chose to move to different places to settle their business leaving the town with a decreasing population. The oil boom in Smackover also quickly died out due to the lack of environmental protection. The oil pressure, which allowed the oil to be easier to extract, was used up by 1923 and the Smackover population would continue to decrease from 25,000 to 2,500. While the Oil boom was relatively short for Smackover, Arkansas, it had a lasting impact on the town. Still today, the oil industry supports fifty percent of the town residents. The town also celebrates its history with an Oil Town Festival every year since 1971.The Arkansas Natural Resources Museum was established in 1986 and its mission is "to collect, preserve, and exhibit and interpret Arkansas’s natural resources with particular interest in petroleum and brine used for bromine extraction." The Museum is set up within part of the historic oil field and features exhibits inside to mimic what the historic town of Smackover would have been like. The outside area of the museum features the Oil Field Park with operating examples of equipment that would have been used to extract oil or bromine.

Established in 1986 and located smack in the middle of the old oil field, the Arkansas Natural Resources Museum tells the story of the rich history of oil and brine within the town. While you may not be able to tell today, Smackover was once a booming oil town when oil was discovered in 1922. The Museum covers all of Arkansas' natural resources such as wood, minerals, and coal, but shows special dedication to the oil and brine industry. The Museum is funded by a state sales tax on Oil and Bromine. A large portion of the museum exhibits are dedicated to telling the story of what everyday life in Smackover, Arkansas was like at the height of the oil boom in the early 1920s. 

Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources

John Thomas Chidester and his
family moved from Tuscumbia, Alabama to Camden, Arkansas in 1857. He and his
family moved to Arkansas, in order to increase his stage coach business. He
originally worked as a mail carrier and he created Chidester, Rapley and
Company which included both mail service and stage lines. This stage coach
business linked several different locations together; such as: Gaines Landing,
Washington Arkansas, Hot Springs, Trenton, Louisiana, Homer via Magnolia,
Lewisville, Pine Bluff, Arkadelphia and Antoine. Since the business was
expanding rapidly, John Chidester needed an ideal site that contained enough
space for the stage coaches. 

When he moved to Camden Arkansas,
he spotted a property that he thought contained the perfect amount of land for
both his home, and horses for his business. This property was located near the
well-traveled trade route during this time period, and was owned by a man named
Peter McCollum. The land that the McCollum house is on was purchased with a
grant from the United States Government. Mr. McCollum built the house in 1847,
and was the first person to build a home with planed lumber. He was also the
first person to put wallpaper and an iron cook stove in his home. Mr. McCollum
ended up selling his land to Mr. Chidester for $10,000 in gold, when he
relocated further west. After Mr. Chidester bought the property, he built an
additional two rooms on both wings of the home. He also kept the coaches and
horses in a large two story barn on the west side of the house. The stage
drivers and any overnight passengers stayed in the two rooms in the upstairs of
the house.&nbsp; Mr. Chidester really wanted&nbsp;his business to prosper, and it did. It expanded to over nearly sixty
Concord stages with 2,000 horses, and three hundred workers. In
the spring of 1864, Federal troops began to occupy Camden Arkanasas, and
General Frederick Steele made the McCollum-Chidester house his headquarters. Mr.
Chidester’s wife buried her silverware, china, pewter and jewelry under a
chinaberry tree in the yard before the troops arrived. The family monies were
hidden in a belt worn by a servant. The Confederates shelled the house forcing
Mrs. Chidester’s children to hide under their beds in order to protect themselves.
Shortly after General Steele took over the McCollum-Chidester house, he and his
troops moved closer into town for better protection. Mr.
Chidester was accused of rummaging through federal mail in an attempt to inform
the Confederacy of state secrets. Therefore, he was considered a spy and the
Union troops returned to his home in search of him, but he was able to&nbsp;hide in the
house’s small attic and the troops were unable to find access to the room to
take custody of him. They fired shots in the wall, and the bullet holes remain
there today. Mr. Chidester managed to escape to Texas, where he stayed until he
was offered forgiveness for the war crimes he allegedly committed. 
 
 The
stagecoach business managed to recuperate after the war ended in 1878. Mr. Chidester’s
stage line was the longest single stage route during this time period; it ran
from Fort Worth, Texas to Yuma, Arizona. The McCollum-Chidester House became
the fundamental mail station of the Butterfield Overland Stage Route. In 1963,
After Mr.Chidester and his wife passed away, two of their sons; Dan and Tom
sold the house to the Ouachita County Historical Society, who then transformed
it into a museum. 

According to Becky Davis, an
employee at this museum, there have been no renovations or restorations to the
house; it is in the same condition it was when it was occupied. However, there
is a handicap ramp near the rear of the home. All of the furnishings are the
same, and there is a bedroom and a parlor downstairs and two bedrooms upstairs.
There are no sections in the house designated for children. Some of the distant
relatives to the previous owners of the house still live nearby.

John Thomas Chidester and his family moved from Tuscumbia, Alabama to Camden, Arkansas in 1857 in order to increase his stage coach business. Once Mr. Chidester's business began to expand, it was important for him to find an ideal site that contained enough space for the stage coaches. When he moved to Camden Arkansas, he spotted a property that he thought contained the perfect amount of land for both his home, and horses for his business. This property was located near the well-traveled trade route, and was owned by a man named Peter McCollum. Mr. Chidester ended up buying the home from Mr. McCollum, and  Mr.Chidester built an additional two rooms on both wings of the home. In the spring of 1864, Federal troops began to occupy Camden Arkanasas, and General Frederick Steele made the McCollum-Chidester house his headquarters. Shortly after General Steele took over the McCollum-Chidester house, he and his troops moved closer into town for better protection. In 1963, after Mr.Chidester and his wife passed away, two of their sons; Dan and Tom sold the house to the Ouachita County Historical Society, who then transformed it into a museum. 

McCollum-Chidester House 

Water from
the Hot Springs Mountain are collected and distributed to each of the historic bathhouses-the leading tourist attraction in the state of&nbsp;Arkansas.&nbsp;An average of a million people per year visit
this National Park and its associated bathhouses&nbsp;to witness the historic area and enjoy its&nbsp;legendary "healing"&nbsp;waters. Besides visiting the
bathhouses and spas, the park also offers hiking trails, camping facilities, and
etc. Hot Springs National Park&nbsp;was established on July 5, 1933. Although it is the smallest park in the National Park system, it remains one of the most popular.&nbsp;. 

While the park is also one of the oldest in the National Park system, its history predates the establishment of the United States. For thousands of years, Native peoples&nbsp;came to this location to quarry novaculite--an important source of&nbsp;tools and
weapons. Novaculite is Latin for “razor stone”. In 1804, President Thomas
Jefferson sent the Dunbar-Hunter Expedition to explore the Louisiana Purchase. The first explorers to the area immediately recognized the unique value of the springs, which they believed held healing capabilities. By the turn of the century,&nbsp;Hot
Springs was known as the “American Spa.”

The first bathhouses were constructed prior to this time. In&nbsp;1830, Victorian style bathhouses were built at each spring. These wooden structures are not longer extant. The&nbsp;current bathhouses are a mixture of Spanish and neoclassical designs and were built during a period known as&nbsp;the Golden Age of Bathing (1911-1939).&nbsp;

Hot Springs National Park became the first of its kind when Congress approved a law that would preserve the area and its famous thermal springs. Hot Springs remains famous for its "healing" waters that have attracted people to the location from before the arrival of Columbus. Today, "Bathhouse Row" includes eight historic bathhouses built between 1892 and 1923. This area, along with the Grand Promenade was designated as a National Historic Landmark District in 1987.

Dunbar-Hunter Expedition (aka Hunter-Dunbar Expedition) (1805-1806)

Clark County Historical Society and Museum

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information