Category Archives: History

Festivus for the Best of Us

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Festivus for the Best of UsAn organization dedicated to historic preservation continues to make history by hosting the second ever official Festivus party in Little Rock.

Festivus is a festival for the rest of us.

No Festivus is complete without the airing of grievences or the feats of strength.  There will also be the official ceremonial pole which has no decorations because “tinsel is too distracting.”

When: Tuesday, December 11 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Where: Arkansas Governor’s Mansion

Tickets are $35 for QQA members and $40 for non members.  Tickets and QQA memberships are available at the door.  The price includes food and open bar.

Proceeds benefit the preservation programs of the Quapaw Quarter Association.

Legacies & Lunch: Annie Abrams

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The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies will host Annie Abrams as the speaker for Legacies & Lunch on Wednesday, December 5, at noon in the Main Library’s Darragh Center, 100 Rock Street.  Abrams has been involved in Arkansas politics for over 60 years and will discuss experiences gained with her many civic and political duties.

Abrams has served as a consultant to many Arkansas governors, including Winthrop Rockefeller, Dale Bumpers, Bill Clinton, Jim Guy Tucker, and Mike Beebe. She currently serves on the board of directors for Our House and as commissioner for the Fair Housing Commission.

The Butler Center’s Legacies & Lunch program is free and open to the public, and supported in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Attendees are invited to bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert will be provided.

The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies is a department of the Central Arkansas Library System. It was founded in 1997 to promote the study and appreciation of Arkansas history and culture. The Butler Center’s research collections, art galleries, and offices are located in the Arkansas Studies Institute building at 401 President Clinton Ave. on the campus of the CALS Main Library.

A Capital Christmas: Capital Hotel Tree Lighting Tonight

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The Capital Hotel is wrapped up in the Christmas spirit. The 2012 edition of A Capital Christmas actually kicked off yesterday with Ballet Arkansas’ Nutcracker Tea. But at the Capital this evening, the hotel lobby’s famous Christmas tree will be lit in a Christmas celebration.

Tonight’s festivities kick off at 5pm. In addition to the tree lighting, Chef Tandra’s gingerbread village will be unveiled. The front windows of the hotel have been wrapped for over a week as the village has been built in an enclosed section of the lobby.

Throughout December there will be many other events at the Capital Hotel. This Saturday (December 8) Ashley’s will host a Teddy Bear Tea. Pre-paid reservations are required for this event which is sure to sell out. Contact 501.370.7015 or lingold@capitalhotel.com.

Saturday the 8th, Sunday the 9th and Sunday the 16th, there will be Gingerbread House Workshops for children 5 and up. A special Adults only workshop will take place on Saturday the 15th. For pre-paid reservations, contact 501.370.7015 or lingold@capitalhotel.com.

There will be other events and special activities throughout the season.  For more updates, visit the Capital Hotel website.

Make Your Own History at Holiday Open Houses

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The three Little Rock based museums of the Department of Arkansas Heritage will host Holiday Open Houses this Sunday, December 2.

Christmas Frolic 2012Historic Arkansas Museumwill host the 45th Annual Christmas Frolic and Open House.  While I have not attended all of them, I did attend as a child and do return as an adult.  (Sipping the cider for me seems to officially start the Christmas season.)

HAM encourages visitors to:

Keep your family tradition going, or make a new one and join hundreds of others who have danced their first Virginia Reel in the Hinderliter Grog Shop, the oldest house in Little Rock. It’s always fun to watch your kids sashay down the line for the first time, or to brush up on your own steps.

From sack races to stilts, from fiddling to frolicking, this favorite seasonal event charms one and all with old-fashioned fun. Bring the whole family out and enjoy live music, crafts, carols, pioneer games and our famous hot cider and ginger cake.

Don’t forget to stop by the Museum Store for Arkansas-made holiday shopping. Kay Collett Goss will be in the Museum Store during the Frolic signing copies of her book Mr. Chairman: The Life and Legacy of Wilbur D. Mills.

The Christmas Frolic and Open House runs from 1pm to 4pm and is free.

 

The Old State House will host its own Holiday Open House.

The traditions of joyous family holiday celebrations past can be relived at Holiday Open House. Visitors will find the Old State House colorfully decorated for the season. Fun, hands-on activities will be available to children; they can create unique holiday cards and more! Delightful carols will be performed by local music groups. Visitors will also enjoy delicious cookies and punch.

The Open House at the Old State House runs from 1pm to 4:30pm and is free.

 


143657The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center is the newest museum of DAH.  Though the new kid on the block, it is creating its own Holiday Open House traditions.  Their holiday celebration will include holiday music by local choirs, children’s activities, refreshments, and the first event sweet potatoe pie contest.  It is also a great opportunity to view the exhibit “A Voice Through the Viewfinder: Images of Arkansas’s Black Community” which closes on January 5, 2013.

The Open House at Mosaic Templars is from2pm to 5pm and is free.

Bill Worthen marks 40 years at helm of HAM

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Worthen performing at 2nd Friday Art Night at HAM in July 2011

Earlier this week, Little Rock’s newest museum director was announced.  So it is fitting to end the week with a party to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Little Rock’s longest-serving museum director.

As HAM put it, in 1972:

Nixon had just defeated McGovern.

Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes

The Godfather was the Best Picture.

All in the Family was the #1 tv show.

Pong was the most wanted Christmas gift.

And…

at the tender age of 25

Bill Worthen donned top hat and danced his first jig.

To celebrate Bill Worthen’s 40th Anniversary as Director of Historic Arkansas Museum, the museum is hosting a reception on Friday, November 30 from noon until 1pm.  There wil be light refreshments (cake and punch), light remarks, and lights aplenty from the camera flashes.

Little Rock Look Back: Horace A. Knowlton Jr.

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On this date in 1872, future Little Rock Mayor Horace A. Knowlton Jr. was born.

In April 1920, he was elected City Clerk of Little Rock.  He served in that position until April 1931.  That year, he was chosen as the Democratic nominee for Mayor, denying incumbent Mayor Pat L. Robinson a second term.  Knowlton was elected Mayor in April 1931 and served two terms as Mayor.

He oversaw the start of some of President Roosevelt’s New Deal programs in Arkansas during his tenure.  One of his final acts as Mayor was to participate in the groundbreaking for the Museum of Fine Arts building in City Park (now a portion of the Arkansas Arts Center building in MacArthur Park).

Mayor Knowlton’s signature on the first City Council minutes of his Mayoral tenure.

Following his departure from public office, Mayor Knowlton and his wife eventually moved to Florida and resided in the Tampa Bay area.  He died on February 14, 1965 and is buried in the Oak Grove cemetery in Conway.

Little Rock Look Back: Charles P. Bertrand

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On November 23, 1808, future Mayor Charles P. Bertrand was born in New York.  He was the son of Pierre and Eliza Wilson Bertrand; his father died in 1809 in an uprising in Haiti and his mother eventually remarried.  With her new husband, Dr. Matthew Cunningham, she and the family moved to Little Rock in 1820.

After apprenticing with family friend William Woodruff at the Arkansas Gazette, Bertrand opened the Arkansas Advocate newspaper.  He later studied law under Robert Crittenden and entered the legal profession.

In 1835-1836, he served as State Treasurer for the Arkansas Territory, and in 1836 as secretary for the first constitutional convention. He was a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1840-1841 and 1844-1849.

Bertrand followed in his stepfather’s footsteps and became Mayor of Little Rock.  (Dr. Cunningham had been the first Little Rock Mayor in 1831.)  He was in office from January 1855 through January 1857, serving two one-year terms.  He later served on the City Council and filled in as acting mayor. (Another influence on his upbringing was studying under future Mayor Jesse Brown who taught at the first school in Little Rock.)

Bertrand, as acting mayor, was involved in the negotiations of the surrender of Little Rock to federal troops in 1863.  He also later corresponded with President Lincoln on behalf of Little Rock citizens.  Though a staunch Confederate, his good will toward the Union soldiers and federal officials is credited with helping to save Little Rock from the destruction which befell many other Southern cities.

He had put his considerable fortune into Confederate money during the war. At the Civil War’s conclusion, the family was financially ruined. Though they had vast land holdings, those would be sold off in parcels to pay for taxes.

Bertrand died August 27, 1865, shortly after the conclusion of the Civil War.  He, like his mother, step-father, and several other relatives is buried in Mt. Holly Cemetery.