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In 2013, a member of the First Baptist Church, located directly across from the church, purchased the property and donated it to the church with the intention of razing the historic structure. Despite the efforts of preservationists to raise the $600,000 opening bid, the church donor was the only bidder, purchasing the home and demolishing it in 2014.&nbsp;

Tuscaloosa County Preservation Society attempted to save this historic home prior to its demolition in 2014.

Tuscaloosa News- sale of the property in 2013

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Until 2014, this ornate two-story mansion was the only surviving home in what was once a thriving residential area of Tuscaloosa. This grand home was built in 1904 by banker George Searcy. The home was later purchased by the Tuscaloosa County Commission in 1925 and later purchased by the Board of Education in 1968 for use as its headquarters. The Board of Education decided to sell the property, its deteriorating condition leading the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation to place the property on its list of endangered historic sites. 

Searcy House, 1904-2014

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This is a tour that showcases Archeological Sites of interest in Arkansas.

By the 1890s, it became apparent that the State House, the capitol of Arkansas, was in such disrepair that a new building was greatly needed. Financial insufficiencies within the state government made it nearly impossible for the legislature to approve any new construction. By 1899 conditions in the building became so terrible that after a heavy rainstorm moved through the area plaster began to fall from the ceiling of the Senate chambers."Arkansas State Capitol Building," Encyclopedia of Arkansas, accessed 03/10/2016, http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net  That was the last straw for the legislature and the process of building a new capitol began.    January 12, 1899, was a big day for the state of Arkansas. On that day the Senate, with the backing of Governor Daniel Webster Jones, introduced a resolution to begin construction on a new capitol. The process of finding an appropriate site for the building began and the governor suggested using the State Penitentiary grounds as a perfect spot for the construction. Governor Jones suggested that the land where the prison sat was too valuable to be used for that purpose. It also allowed for the inmates to be used in the construction process. "Arkansas State Capitol Building," Encyclopedia of Arkansas, accessed 03/10/2016, http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net After much deliberation over the site and building process the Senate Resolution was passed and on February 13, 1899, the governor signed the resolution into law.    The state hired two architects to draw up blueprints for the new construction project. George Mann, from St. Louis, and Cass Gilbert, of Minnesota, began drawing up plans and the government proposed that the cost should not surpass one million dollars."The State Capital Building," Arkansas Government, accessed 03/10/2016, http://www.sos.arkansas.gov/statecapitolinfo/pages/default.aspx  Mann is credited with being the architect for the state capitol as well as bath houses in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Gilbert was the architect on the capitol buildings of Arkansas, West Virginia and Minnesota in addition to many other buildings as well. George Donaghey, the Capitol Commissioner, oversaw the construction aspect of the project.    By the time that the construction was complete enough for the government to use, the budget had skyrocketed to 2.3 million dollars "The State Capital Building," Arkansas Government, accessed 03/10/2016, http://www.sos.arkansas.gov/statecapitolinfo/pages/default.aspx . In 1911, the first session of the General Assembly was held in a building that still took another four years to complete. The government website points out that the marble on the walls and floors was imported from Vermont, the columnns imported from Colorado, and the grand staircase was imported from Alabama. The building was constructed of limestone from Arkansas and Indiana. "The State Capital Building," Arkansas Government, accessed 03/10/2016, http://www.sos.arkansas.gov/statecapitolinfo/pages/default.aspx By January 1, 1915, the building was being used full time as the seat of government, and it is still in use today.

Construction on the Arkansas State Capital began in July 1899 and by January 1, 1915, the building was deemed complete enough for the Senate, House, and the majority of elected officials to move in. The building replaced the State House, now the Old State House Museum, which was constructed between 1834 and 1842. The building was designed by architect George Mann and the construction was supervised by Capitol Commissioner George Donaghey. The land that was chosen for the project had been the Arkansas State Penitentiary and it was proposed that the land was too valuable to remain a prison site. Many of Arkansas' most famous politicians, such as Orval Faubus, Winthrop Rockefeller, and Bill Clinton have served terms in this building.

Arkansas State Capitol

This historic plantation home preserves and shares the history of some of the early settlers with artifacts and histories from local families. The living history museum.complex is located on Ashley’s Bayou, the location of a Civil War skirmish that is among the various histories preserved and shared by this site. This land was originally part of Arthur Alexander's small plantation and was donated by his descendants for use as a living history museums. The complex includes a local history and genealogy library in addition to original historic buildings such as a log home constructed on the property in the 1840s. The complex also includes recreated buildings and historic buildings such as a one-room school that was moved to the site. There is also a Blacksmith shop, smokehouse, and homes that would have been occupied by servants or tenant farmers after the Civil War. 

Scott Plantation Settlement 

In 1954, the United States Supreme Court declared public segregation unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education. This Supreme Court Ruling made it necessary for all public schools throughout the country to desegregate the school districts 'with all deliberate speed'. Some schools developed strategies to resists integration of the public school system, but school officials at Little Rock, Arkansas stated that they would comply with the Supreme Court's ruling against segregation. The Little Rock district implemented a system where Black students who wanted to attend the white school were put through a series of tests to find out if they were suitable to attend the white school. Of the eighty children that were tested, only nine where given admittance. The student selected were Melba Patillo Beals, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Carlotta Walls Lanier, Terrance Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, Minnijean Brown Trickey, and Thelma Mothershed Wair. These individuals would later be known as the 'Little Rock Nine.'On September 3, 1957 the nine children arrived at Central High School. Instead of being welcomed with open arms they were greeted by an angry mob of white students, parents, and citizens hell-bent on stopping integration. In addition to the threats, screams, and racial slurs from the crowd, Arkansas Governor Orval M. Faubus stepped in and ordered the Arkansas National Guard to keep the nine Black students from entering the school. The nine students were forced to give up their attempt to attend Central High School. On September 20, 1957, Federal Judge Ronald Davies ordered Governor Faubus to remove the National Guard from Central High School, and to allow the nine Black children admittance. Faubus ignored the order causing President Dwight Eisenhower to send 1,000 paratroopers to the school. On September 23, 1957, the nine Black children returned to the school, and were protected by the United States Army for the entirety of the school year.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Now a National Historical Landmark, Little Rock Central High School was home to one of the pivotal episodes of American history and a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement. White school officials in Little Rock, with the support of Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus, refused to comply with the 1954 Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board by allowing Black students to enter the school. Even after ordered to comply by a federal court and a reluctant President Eisenhower, school officials refused to allow Black students to enter the school. Defenders of segregation were emboldened by the actions of Governor Faubus, who illegally ordered state troops to keep nine Black children from attending their school. Eisenhower was not a strong defender of civil rights, but he recognized that the state of Arkansas was challenging the authority of the federal government by refusing to comply with the law. Faced with few alternatives after Faubus continued to use troops to violate the law, Eisenhower deployed the United States Army to occupy the school and enforce the law. For an entire school year, soldiers occupied the school to ensure the safety of the nine Black children. After the soldiers left, however, public school officials in Little Rock and throughout Arkansas again tried to evade the law. In some cases, including Little Rock Central, white officials closed schools rather than comply with the integration law. 

Today, visitors can tour parts of the school and view interpretive exhibits offered by the National Park Service. The school itself is historically significant.When it was built in 1927, the American Institute of Architects declared the building to be the most beautiful high school ever constructed in the United States. The links below include a direct link to the visitor's center  which is operated by the National Park Service. 

Little Rock Central High School

After receiving the overall command of Union forces in 1864, Ulysses S. Grant sent Sherman to march on Atlanta and conduct a total war as he went to ultimately destroy the Confederate ability to make war. During this campaign, Sherman burned and destroyed many cities and lands, greatly demoralizing Confederate soldiers. After months of fighting, he finally surrounded Atlanta and began to siege it but found its defenses impenetrable. Consequently, Sherman sent his men in force to take control of the&nbsp;the Macon &amp; Western and the Atlanta &amp; West Point Railroads because cutting rebel supply lines would force the rebels to retreat from Atlanta.&nbsp; However, Confederated General Hood quickly realized what Sherman was up to and dispatched two corps under&nbsp;Lieutenant General William J. Hardee&nbsp;to secure the supply lines. Thus, Confederate and Union forces engaged near Jonesboro when Confederates attacked on September 31. Unfortunately for the Confederates, Hood had not expected for the Union to send such great numbers to take the supply lines, so Hardee's attack was easily repulsed. That night, Sherman withdrew one corps from Hardee's forces because he feared Union attack on Atlanta. On the next day, September 1, Union forces engaged Hardee's men and broke through their lines, which led to Hardee's retreat to Lovejoy Station and Union control of the Confederate supply lines for Atlanta. As a result, Hood withdrew his men from Atlanta leaving Sherman in control of Atlanta, one of the South's most important cities. This victory also allowed Sherman to begin his move toward Savannah and then on to Richmond, continuing his total war strategy as he went.

On August 31 and September 1, 1864, Union forces under the command of Sherman engaged Confederate forces led by Lieutenant General William J. Hardee and under the overall command of Confederate General Hood. Fighting occurred near Confederate supply lines by Jonesboro, Georgia. Hardee's men attacked Union forces but were easily repulsed as they had not expected the Union Army to be in such force at that location. The following day, September 1, Sherman's men broke through Hardee's defensive line forcing them to retreat to Lovejoy's Station and forcing Confederate General Hood to withdraw his men and abandon Atlanta as this loss meant his supply lines had been cutoff. 

Battle of Jonesboro

Mountain Home National Cemetery opened shortly after the Mountain Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers opened in 1903. On these grounds, over 10,000 veterans are buried. The cemetery is a National Historic Landmark and covers nearly 92 acres.

Mountain Home National Cemetery 

<div>The settlement history of this land dates back to before it was incorporated as a county. The German Emigration Company had land here but found that when they came to establish a colony it was blocked by Native Americans. Managers of the Butterfield Overland Mail Trail also lived in the area from 1858-1861. The Butterfield Overland Mail Trail was a stagecoach service that ran from Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri to San Francisco, California. The routes went through Native American territory, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Baja California, and California. The stagecoach service carried passengers and in March of 1857 began carrying mail to the Far West. Mail had previously been taken here by ship from the Gulf of Mexico to Panama, where it was then freighted to the Pacific and taken by ship to California. The RF Tankersley family made the future Tom Green country their permanent home in 1854. By 1874 there were five settlements in the area. </div><div><div>San Angelo's origins date back to the establishment of the first irrigated farm in West Texas by Jake Marshall in 1868 on the South Concho River. During the same year, Bartholomew J. Dewitt bought land across the river and developed a community that first only consisted of a saloon and a few gambling establishments. It was named Santa Angela after either Mrs. Dewitt or her sister, who was the mother superior of the Ursuline Convent in San Antonio, where the Dewitts were from. The name was changed to San Angelo so that an application for a post office would be approved.</div><div> </div> </div>

Tom Green County, where San Angelo is the county seat, was officially established in 1874. It was on a trail of the California Gold Rush and was part of the Bexar Land District in the Republic of Texas until 1846. The county was named after Confederate brigadier general Thomas Green.


Original Tom Green County- historical marker 

Beverly Historical Society maintains several house museums, in addition to their research library which boasts a collection of more than 750,000 historic objects and documents. The majority of items in the collection relate to local and regional history, including rare documents related to the American Revolution and early maritime history. The Historical Society also maintains exhibits of original and historic art from the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as historic furniture, weapons, and textiles. The collection also includes the Walker Transportation Collection, the largest collection of documents related to the history of transportation in New England.&nbsp; At the start of the 17th century, the land that became Beverly was part of&nbsp;Naumkeag within the territory of the Agawam Indians. Colonists first arrived in what would become Salem in 1628 and began building homes. By 1635, colonists were building homes in the community that would eventually separate from Salem to become the community of Beverly. The harbor brought merchants to the community and during the Revolution, many of the most influential&nbsp;merchants and privateers who supplied the rebel American army were located in this region of Massachusetts. Beverly was the home of the first ship commissioned by General George Washington. In 1775, it was also the&nbsp;site of a small battle between naval forces and local militia.&nbsp;

Constructed in 1781, the John Cabot House is now the headquarters of the Beverly Historical Society. The Cabot family were among the first merchant families in the region, settling in Massachusetts in the 17th century. John Cabot was the son of Joseph and Elizabeth Cabot and his mother moved to Beverly after she became a widow and built a home at Central and Cabot. This stately home was built for the family of her son John in 1781 and was the very first brick mansion in Beverly. The home contains two floors of exhibits related to local and regional history, as well as the Beverly Historical Society's Research Library. Both are open to the public. 

John Cabot House and Beverly Historical Society

Cabot Yerxa was an incredible man often described as a visionary, artist, writer, builder, architect, adventurer, explorer, collector, idealist and entrepreneur. He was a human rights activist concerned about the legal, economic and cultural crisis for Native Americans. Cabot was a highly degreed Mason. Masons believe in independent thinking and self-actualization. Cabot was also the president and founder of the Theosophical Society in 1946-47 in Desert Hot Springs.Before settling in the California desert, Cabot Yerxa led an adventurous life, traveling to Mexico, Alaska, Cuba, and Europe. In Paris, France he studied at the Academie Julian art school.In 1913 (at age 30) Cabot homesteaded 160 acres in what is now Desert Hot Springs. Pressed for water, he dug a well with pick and shovel, discovering the now famous hot mineral waters of Desert Hot Springs. Nearby, he dug a second well and discovered the pure cold water of the Mission Springs Aquifer. These two wells, hot and cold, give the area its name – Miracle Hill.Cabot began construction on his pueblo-style home in 1941 and worked on it until his death in 1965 at the age of 81.Cabot’s Pueblo Museum is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places! Cabot Yerxa started building his Museum and home in about 1941 at the age of 57, although collecting the materials he needed to build the Pueblo started years before.The Hopi-inspired structure is hand-made, created from reclaimed and found materials Cabot was inspired as a young boy when he first saw a replica of a Southwest Indian pueblo at the Chicago World’s Fair. Much of the material used to build the Pueblo was from abandoned cabins that had housed the men who built the California aqueduct in the 1930’s. Cabot purchased these cabins and deconstructed them to build his Pueblo. The Pueblo is four-stories, 5,000 square feet and includes 35 rooms, 150 windows and 65 doors. Much of the Pueblo is made from adobe-style and sun-dried brick Cabot made himself in the courtyard. Cabot modified his formula and used a cup of cement rather than straw to make his bricks.Waokiye" (Y oh kee ay), means "Traditional Helper" in the Lakota Sioux language.Created by artist Peter "Wolf" Toth, Waokiye was completed in May 1978. At the dedication ceremony on May 20, 1978 Toth simply said, "The American Indian is a proud and often misunderstood people...even as a young boy I had admiration for my Indian brothers and perhaps this monument, and all the others, will bring awareness of a proud and great people."Toth was an immigrant to the United States from Hungary. His family fled from the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956. In learning about the Native American culture, he empathized with the tribes' situation. He saw parallels to the violent repression of the Magyar people he experienced in Hungary.Toth started his project, The Trail of Whispering Giants, to highlight the struggle of the American Indians for justice and recognition of their human rights. Waokiye is 27th in the series. The series has over 70 statues remaining throughout the United States, Canada and Hungary. They represent all humanity and stand against injustice to all people. This philosophy is a mirror of Cabot Yerxa's 50-year commitment as an American Indian Rights activist.The 750-year-old Sequoia redwood log was donated by the California Division of Forestry. It was delivered at the end of February 1978. It weighs over 20-tons and stands over 22 feet high. The tree had been struck by lightening in the mid-1950s. The feather is made from an Incense Cedar from Idyllwild and is 15 feet tall, over 4 feet thick. The entire statue is over 40-feet high.

Cabot's Pueblo Museum is a Hopi-inspired pueblo. The structure is hand-made, created from reclaimed and found materials. The Pueblo is four-stories, 5,000 square feet, and includes 35 rooms, 150 windows and 65 doors. Visitors will notice many unique features including windows and doors collected and reassembled from abandoned homesteads, old telephone poles, buck board wagon parts and many other materials used creatively.

Cabot's Pueblo Museum

Dedicated volunteers from the surrounding area were able to put together the entire museum, which opened May 1, 2005, after twenty years of planning. The artifacts on display are all on loan or were gifts from local citizens, all being in original form. Volunteers also come form the Little Rock Air Force Base, who have helped landscape the area and help maintain janitorial work.&nbsp;The museum displays are built around local and regional events throughout military history. The 10,000 square foot addition is now a home for some military vehicles and displays for the Korean, Gulf, Afghan, and Iraqi Wars. There is also a small theater where visitors can watch and enjoy films and lectures. The museum is now a main attraction in Arkansas and was voted as one of the top 175 places to visit in Arkansas!

The purpose of the Jacksonville Museum of Military History is to display and appreciate the me and women who served the country and to ensure that the freedoms Americans enjoy are not taken for granted. The museum is there to educate the public on the important military and home front role played by the community of Jacksonville and the men and women of the armed services. 

The museum is located where it once was the site of the administration building of the Jacksonville Ordnance Plant during World War II. The site is now 4,500 square feet with a new additional 10,000 square foot area of new construction behind the building. There are many permanent and special exhibits located throughout the museum's galleries. 

Historical Sites of Arkansas

Searcy House, 1904-2014

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information