Category Archives: History

Vintage Military Vehicles at MacArthur Museum

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vintagevehiclemacmusThe MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History will be hosting an event today to showcase vintage military vehicles.  The event will run from 9am to 3pm and is FREE.

This event will showcase approximately 20 vintage military vehicles including World War II Jeeps, a 1941 Staff car, 1992 Humvee, and the 1915 Dodge touring car used by Gen. John J. Pershing in Mexico in his search for Pancho Villa.  Food and beverages will be available for purchase on-site from Bryant’s BBQ and Repicci’s Italian Ice of Little Rock.

The MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History was created to interpret our state’s military heritage from its territorial period to the present.

Located in the historic Tower Building of the Little Rock Arsenal–the birthplace of General Douglas MacArthur–the museum preserves the contributions of Arkansas men and women who served in the armed forces.

Exhibits feature artifacts, photographs, weapons, documents, uniforms and other military items that vividly portray Arkansas’s military history at home and abroad.

The Museum is a program of the City of Little Rock’s Parks and Recreation Department.

Sandwiching in History: Villa Marre

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villamarreToday at 12 noon, the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program’s monthly “Sandwiching in History” program will visit the Villa Marre.

The Villa Marre is located at 1321 Scott Street. The Second Empire-style Villa Marre was built in 1881 by Italian immigrant and Little Rock saloonkeeper Angelo Marre, who also served on the Little Rock City Council.

The distinctive home features a mansard roof covered in patterned slate, a central tower topped by wrought-iron cresting, and hood molding above the doors and windows. Marre died in 1889, and his widow, Jennie, remained in the house until about 1900. Arkansas Governor Jeff Davis rented the house for a few years, and in 1905, the home was purchased by E. B. Kinsworthy, former state senator and attorney general of Arkansas.

It is probably most famous today for being the outdoor exterior of Sugarbakers design firm in the CBS sitcom “Designing Women.”  For several years, it was the home of the Quapaw Quarter Association. It later returned to a private residence.  Currently it is a rentable venue for weddings and other events.

The “Sandwiching In History” program is a series of tours that seeks to familiarize people who live and work in central Arkansas with the historic structures and sites around us. The tours take place on Fridays at noon, last less than an hour, and participants are encouraged to bring their lunches so that they can eat while listening to a brief lecture about the property and its history before proceeding on a short tour. A representative from the property is encouraged to attend also and address the group.

The tours are organized by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage. All tours are free and open to the public.

 

Brown Bag Lecture at Old State House today

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OSH logoThe Old State House Museum, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, is hosting a brown bag lecture at noon today entitled Eternal Separations: The Civil War Letters of the Witten Family.

The American Civil War is often referred to as a conflict of brother against brother, but there is a dearth of primary documentation that details the impact on families actually torn apart owing to the struggle.

The Witten family of Saline County, Arkansas, provides an understanding of the divided loyalties of a non-slave owning, yeoman farm family during the Civil War. Approximately 150 surviving letters of the family detail the emotions and events that ripped apart this family, even affecting relatives from east Tennessee to Oregon during the conflict.

Though the war exacted a heavy toll on the family, the efforts of the Wittens to maintain contact with family across military lines provides a glimpse of the ties that would not be severed.

Speaker Anthony Rushing is a teacher of history in Bryant. He initiated the forming of Saline County history organizations including the David O. Dodd Camp of Sons of Confederate Veterans and the Saline County History and Heritage Society. Rushing is currently working on editing and publishing the Civil War letters of the Witten family.

Participants are welcome to bring a sack lunch; soft drinks and water are provided. Admission is free.

Little Rock Look Back: Haco Boyd

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BoydOn July 6, 1902, future Little Rock Mayor Haco O. Boyd was born in Leslie, Arkansas.  At the age of four, his family moved to Little Rock; he graduated from the Little Rock public schools.  He attended and graduated from Hendrix College.

In World War II, he was in the Army Air Corps.  He was a very decorated soldier earning two Purple Hearts, a Legion of Merit, and a Bronze star among other designations from the United States.  He also received high military honors from numerous European governments.  Boyd would remain in the Air National Guard and retired with the rank of Colonel in 1964.

As a businessman, he was a founder of Rebsamen Ford and then state manager of Benjamin Moore for Arkansas.  In 1952, he joined Union Life Insurance.  Throughout his career, he received most any recognition and honor and designation that the field of life insurance offered.

In November 1968, he won a three-candidate race for the Little Rock City Board of Directors. One of the candidates he defeated was former Director and Mayor Byron Morse.  In January 1969, he was selected to serve as Mayor of Little Rock.

Later in 1969, Mayor Boyd and 70 others were on an Eastern Airlines plane headed for a life insurance convention in  Nassau, departing from Miami.  A passenger hijacked it and the plane was diverted to Cuba.   The next morning the passengers were returned to Miami and then sent to Nassau without incident.

In other civic involvement, Boyd served on the Little Rock Airport Commission, including a term as chair.  He was also honored for his involvement with the Boy Scouts of America and Easter Seals.

In September 1923, Boyd married Mary Josephine “Polly” Goodrum.  They were married until her death in February 1977.  Haco Boyd died on March 27, 1988.  The couple are buried at Roselawn Cemetery.  They had two children and four grandchildren.

 

 

Little Rock Look Back: Mayor Buddy Benafield

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BenafieldFuture Little Rock Mayor James Weldon “Buddy” Benafield was born on July 5, 1927 in Coy, Arkansas.  As a child he spent part of his time chopping cotton.  He graduated from England High School and then served in the U.S. Navy.  Following his stint in the military, he enrolled in Arkansas State Teachers College (now the University of Central Arkansas).

After college he returned to England.  From 1967 to 1974 he served as Mayor of England.  While in England, he also worked to establish a hospital there. While he was Mayor, Benafield also served as a legislative aide to Governor Dale Bumpers.

After moving to Little Rock, Benafield served as legislative aide to Governor Frank White.  He had been a donor to former Governor Bill Clinton, who had been defeated by White. Though a staunch Democrat, he remarked to the media at the time that he had been a friend of White’s and never declined a Governor’s request for help.

Long active in Democratic politics, he had served as Secretary of the State Democratic Party.  (One of his daughters, Dawne Benafield Vandiver has carried on the family tradition serving in several leadership positions in the State Democratic Party.  Most recently she was Executive Director of the party.)

In January 1982, Benafield was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Little Rock City Board of Directors. He ran for election to a full term in November 1982 and was reelected in November 1986.  From January 1983 to December 1984, Benafield served as Mayor of Little Rock.

After leaving the Little Rock City Board in January 1991, he has remained engaged in civic matters.  He served a term on the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Commission.  He was first appointed in January 1993 by Gov. Jim Guy Tucker to fill out the remainder of Rodney Slater’s term. Slater had resigned to to take a job in the Clinton Administration in Washington DC.  In 1995, he was reappointed, this time to a full ten year term.  This was only the second time a member of the Highway Commission had been reappointed.

He continues to be involved in farming and a variety of business ventures and has maintained his interest in politics.

Little Rock Look Back: Mayor Matthew Cunningham

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M_Cunningham_fDr. Matthew Cunningham was born on July 5, 1782 in Pennsylvania. After receiving his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania, he ended up in New York City.

It was there he met and married a young widow, Eliza Wilson Bertrand. After a brief stint in St. Louis, Dr. Cunningham was one of the first settlers of Little Rock in February 1820. He became the first physician in Little Rock.

In September 1820, Mrs. Cunningham and her children joined him. She became the first female in the Little Rock settlement. Dr. and Mrs. Cunningham had a son, Chester, who was the first white baby born in Little Rock. (There is some thought that one of the African American slaves they had gave birth to a child before Chester was born.) The Cunninghams also had a daughter, Matilda, who would later marry Peter Hangar.  (The Hangar Hill neighborhood is named after Peter Hangar.)

In 1831, Dr. Cunningham was elected the first Mayor of Little Rock. He won the race 23 to 15 over Rev. W. W. Stevenson. The first City Council meeting took place at the Cunningham house at the southwest corner of what is now 3rd and Main Streets (where Bennett’s Military Surplus is located).

Dr. Cunningham served one year as Mayor. He lived until June 15, 1851 and is buried at Mt. Holly Cemetery. His wife, son, daughter and her family are buried next to him.  His stepson – Charles P. Bertrand – also served as Mayor of Little Rock.

Ark Democrat-Gazette Pops on the River tonight

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popsonriverPops on the River, presented by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and sponsored by Arkansas’ Best Chevy Dealers, will take place Thursday, July 4, at the First Security Amphitheater. The event holds true to its roots by continuing to offer free family entertainment with a performance by the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and a fireworks finale, but has expanded over the years to include more activities and events for festivalgoers.

Salute the Troops, which is sponsored by St. Vincent, is a three-part campaign to honor the men and women in the armed forces. Throughout the day, a letter-writing station will be set up for children in our Kids Pavilion (open noon-8:30 p.m.) where letters can be written (or pictures drawn) to the troops serving overseas through the A Million Thanks campaign. From 5:30-9:30 p.m., a Salute the Troops tent will be sent up to record video messages to the troops. The videos will appear on www.arkansasonline.com/salute. Those who are not able to make the event can upload their own video to the website through July to honor these men and women.

Other events/attractions at this year’s Pops include The Chevy Car Pavilion will feature the newest lines of cars and trucks. The Kids Pavilion, sponsored by Arkansas Children’s Hospital, will include bounce houses, games, crafts, live music, face painting and caricatures by John Deering, cartoonist for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Also at the event is a classic car show, a marketplace for shopping and, of course, food trucks with traditional (and not so traditional) fair food. Live music will be played throughout the day and evening, including local acts Mister Morphis, Kirk Anderton, the Oh Say! Can You Sing? contestants and the Happy Tymes Jazz Band.

The gates will open to the First Security Amphitheater at 5:30 p.m. for the other planned entertainment that is the backbone of the event, including Arkansas Symphony Orchestra concert, sponsored by Delta Dental, will begin at 8:30 p.m. with Music Director Philip Man conducting. Fireworks, sponsored by St. Vincent,  will begin at approximately 9:30 p.m. and are shot off the Main Street Bridge. This year’s show will be 30 minutes to mark the 30th anniversary. Fireworks used at Pops are 100 percent made in the U.S.A.

Festivalgoers are asked to take their best shot for a chance to win a $250 gift card from Bedford Camera and Video. Photos of Pops can be submitted to www.capturearkansas.com and it’s monthly challenge for a chance to win.

Transportation and free parking are provided for festivalgoers. The route includes stops at the Clinton Presidential Center, the U.S. Post Office, the Arkansas Arts Center and the River Market, where the event will be held. Free parking is available at each trolley stop, and trolley service is free.

The following roads will close between 5 and 11 p.m.: Rock, Ottenheimer, Commerce and the Main Street Bridge.

The event is free to the public. People are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy the festivities. Amphitheater seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. The public can reserve amphitheater seating for only $10 prior to the event through the Pops on the River website. No fireworks, food, drinks, coolers or pets will be allowed in the park.

The event’s benefiting charity this year is Ronald McDonald House Charities. The event is supported by sponsors Arkansas’ Best Chevy Dealers, Delta Dental, Chick-fil-A, Bedford Camera and Video, St. Vincent, City of Little Rock, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Hiland Dairy, Downtown Little Rock Partnership and Flynco.