Tag Archives: Christ Episcopal Church

Little Rock Look Back: Mayor Thomas D. Merrick

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IMG_5546Thomas D. Merrick was born on 23 May, 1814, in Hampden County, Massachusetts. He later moved to Indianapolis IN and Louisville KY before ending up in Little Rock.

On January 17, 1841, he married Anna M. Adams of Kentucky at Christ Episcopal Church in Little Rock. They had seven children: George, Annie, Ellie, Mollie, Lillian, Dwight, and Thomas. Thomas died at age ten.

Merrick became a prominent member of the Little Rock business community, as a merchant and cotton broker. He was involved in Freemasonry, holding the position of Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Arkansas in 1845.

In 1855 Merrick entered into a business partnership with future LR Mayor John Wassell. Merrick was also involved in city politics, serving on the city council and also as mayor from January 1854 to January 1855.

He saw active service during the Civil War. On February 6, 1861, Merrick delivered an ultimatum to Captain James Totten of the United States Arsenal at Little Rock, demanding the surrender of the federal troops.  This was more than two months before Fort Sumter was attached,.

Merrick also raised a regiment of Confederate Arkansas Militia, holding the rank of Colonel of Infantry at Camp Conway, near Springfield, Arkansas.  Following the Battle of Shiloh (April 1862), Merrick resigned his commission and returned to Little Rock.

Merrick died in his home in Little Rock on March 18, 1866.  He is buried in Mount Holly Cemetery.

Today from 1 to 5, the 51st Quapaw Quarter Association Spring Tour of Homes

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qqa tourThe Quapaw Quarter Association will hold its 51st Spring Tour of Homes next month in historic downtown Little Rock. The event has existed since 1963 and this year we continue to celebrate decades of remarkable preservation that has made downtown Little Rock the South’s most impressive urban renewal success story!

Tickets for this award winning tour of downtown are $25 today. The tour runs from 1pm to 5pm.

The Sunday tour will feature three trolleys throughout the route.
Trolley Stops: 
  • 509 Scott Street (Christ Episcopal Church)
  • 615 E Capitol Avenue (Historic Curran Hall)
  • 1201 Commerce Street (Firehouse Hostel and Museum)
  • Daisy Bates and Main Street(Bernice Gardens)
  • Daisy Bates and Broadway
  • 13th and Spring Street
QQATicket Booths: 
  • 615 E Capitol Avenue (Historic Curran Hall)
  • 1201 Commerce Street (Firehouse Hostel and Museum)
  • Daisy Bates and Broadway
Restrooms: 
  • 615 E Capitol Avenue (Historic Curran Hall)
  • 1201 Commerce Street (Firehouse Hostel and Museum)

 

Here are the properties to be featured!

Historic CURRAN HALL, ca. 1842

615 E. Capitol Avenue

Construction of Curran Hall began in 1842. The home was a wedding gift from Colonel Ebenezer Walter, to his wife Mary Starbuck. She unfortunately passed before the home was completed. The home would then be sold the home to James M. Curran in 1849. The home remained with the Currans until 1881, and Mary Curtis Bell, daughter of William E. Woodruff, in 1884. The home stayed in the Bell family until 1997, when local preservationists and the City of Little Rock joined forces to save it. The home was restored through this partnership to its original glory as a Greek Revival, and today serves as Little Rock’s Visitor Information Center.

1411 Broadway, ca. 1896

The history of construction for this home is unknown, beyond that it was likely constructed before 1896. The primary owner after its construction, throughout the 1890s and early 1900s was Frank Carl, a businessman. The structure then had various owners from 1912- 1922 and was divided up as a rental property from 1922-1935. The home was officially the Broadway Apartments from 1935 to 1975 and became commercial property after that until the Miller family purchased the home for rehabilitation. The home is now a single family home once again and has been restored with historically appropriate details.

HAILE COTTAGE, ca. 1880s

417 W. 13th Street

The Haile family, Andrew J. and his mother Annie, likely constructed the cottage in the late 1880s. This home appears to have been built as a rental property. The Haile Cottage did not remain under the ownership of the Haile family for long. It changed hands many times throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Throughout the early 1900s, there were several additions on the east and west sides of the home. There was also a second story added. It was not until 1989 that the home would be purchased to be restored to its original beauty.Carl Miller, Jr. purchased the home for restoration. When the home was purchased, it had seen years of deterioration and overall neglect. Miller’s rehabilitation restored the Haile Cottage to its original Folk Victorian charm.

CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1941

509 Scott Street

In 1839, Leonidas Polk helped organize Christ Episcopal church in Senator Chester Ashley’s home. It was named after Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia, of which several of the group had been members. Bishop Polk arranged to buy property at the church’s present location, 5th & Scott Streets, in 1840. In 1846 the first church building was opened. By 1873, that building had been destroyed by fire. By 1887 the funds had been raised and a new building was opened. In 1938, before an unveiling of a new interior, this building burned as well. Plans were again drawn for a new church, this time in a neo-gothic style, with the exterior of Arkansas stone rather than the red brick of the former church. In September of 1941 the current building was opened. Guided tours of Christ Episcopal Church will begin at the front door and take place at 2, 3, and 4 p.m.

FIREHOUSE HOSTEL AND MUSEUM, ca. 1917

1201 Commerce Street

Little Rock Fire Station no. 2 is one of the most visible and well known landmarks in the MacArthur Park Historic District. The firehouse was opened in 1917 after moving from its Main Street location to the western end of City Park, now known as 1201 S. Commerce. The fire station, as seen today, is definitively Craftsman. Originally it featured a large porch and had some Spanish Revival elements as well. In 1959 the station was closed when a new station opened on 9th street. The building has served as a meeting location for clubs and organizations in the community, and has been managed by the City of Little Rock since the late 1990s. In 2006 Hosteling Arkansas, Inc. began plans to turn the firehouse into a hostel and museum. It is set to open later this year.

HERRON HORTON OFFICE/STUDIO/RESIDENCE, 2008

1219 South Spring Street

Architects Jennifer Herron and Jeff Horton designed and built their 2008 office and art studio as a separate structure beside the home they designed and built at the same time for their family of four. The two energy efficient structures are joined through a passageway and transition space that connects home to work and work back to home. As infill in an historic neighborhood at a point where residential begins to transition to commercial, the Herron Horton office/studio and residence offers a thoughtful and elegant counterpoint to the older homes and commercial businesses surrounding them.

A full slate for the third day of the 2015 Arkansas Literary Festival

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2015 ALF 1Many activities today with the Arkansas Literary Festival!

At 10am –

  • Karen Joy Fowler, Janis F. Kearney and Jamaica Kincaid on a panel – Acts of Empowerment at the Darragh Center.
  • Alison Hedge Coke and Casandra Lopez on a panel – Indigenous Grace in the Main Library
  • Stephen Roth, Jay Ruud and John Vanderslice on a panel – Island of Fatal Pride in the Arkansas Studies Institute
  • Karen Akins, John Horner Jacobs and Ann Leckie on a panel – Science Fiction & Fantasy in the Arkansas Studies Institute
  • Michael Barrier will discuss his book Funnybooks on the 3rd floor of River Market Books & Gifts
  • Joe Barry Carroll will give a workshop at Historic Arkansas Museum
  • Arree Chung will discuss Ninja! At the Hillary Rodham Clinton Children’s Library and Learning Center.

At 11:30am –

  • Scott Simpson will lead a Dinosaur Odyssey in the Ron Robinson Theater
  • Megan Abbott & Ben Percy on a panel – Thrill Me in the Darragh Center.
  • Morgan Murphy & Desha Peacock on a panel – Social Savvy in the Arkansas Studies Institute
  • Lisa Howorth and James Korne Gay on a panel – Mississippi Two by Two on the 3rd floor of River Market Books & Gifts
  • John A. Beineke & James Presley on a panel – Notorious Crimes at Historic Arkansas Museum
  • Brian Turner discusses Memories of a Soldier at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History
  • Tiphanie Yanique and Sefi Atta on a panel – Vital Fusion at Mosaic Templars Cultural Center
  • Michele Raffin discusses The Birds of Pandemonium at the Witt Stephens Jr. Arkansas Nature Center

At 1pm –

  • Issa Rae will discuss The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl at the Ron Robinson Theater
  • Michael Kardos & M.O. Walsk on a panel – The Unputdownables at the Darragh Center.
  • Mary Miller & Timothy S. Lane on a panel – Triumph of Youth in the Main Library
  • Jesse J. Hargrove and Janis F. Kearney on a panel – Celia and T.J. in the Arkansas Studies Institute
  • Cheryl & Griffith Day on a panel – Baking Days in the Arkansas Studies Institute
  • Jonathan Darman discusses Landslide: LBJ and Ronald Reagan on the 3rd floor of River Market Books & Gifts
  • Joe Barry Carroll discusses Growing Up…in Words and Images at Historic Arkansas Museum
  • Jeff Allen and Preston Lauterbach on a panel – Beginning in 1866 at Mosaic Templars Cultural Center
  • Amanda Petrusich and Kent Russell on a panel at the Witt Stephens Jr. Arkansas Nature Center
  • Spencer Reese discusses The Road to Emmaus at Christ Episcopal Church

At 2:30 pm –

  • Rick Bragg discusses Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story at the Ron Robinson Theater
  • Quan Barry and Brock Clarke on a panel – Luminosity at the Darragh Center.
  • Richard Lange, Thomas Pierce & Antonio Ruiz-Camacho on a panel – Short Stories in the Main Library
  • Maxine Payne discusses Making Pictures in the Arkansas Studies Institute
  • Morgan Murphy discusses Off the Eaten Path: On the Road Again in the Arkansas Studies Institute
  • Meili Cady discusses Smoke on the 3rd floor of River Market Books & Gifts
  • Frank Thurmond discusses Ring of Five at Historic Arkansas Museum
  • Ted Rall discusses Traveling to Afghanistan at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History
  • Jamaica Kincaid discusses See Now Then at Mosaic Templars Cultural Center
  • Scott Sampson discusses How to Raise a Wild Child at the Witt Stephens Jr. Arkansas Nature Center

At 4 pm –

  • Marck Beggs, Nickole Brown, Hope Coulter, Jessica Jacobs, Sand Longhorn and Jo McDougall headline a poetry panel at the Ron Robinson Theater
  • Kevin Brockmeier and Tania James on a panel at the Darragh Center.
  • Desha Peacock leads a workshop on creating your style in the Main Library
  • J. Hartley discusses Macbeth: A Novel in the Arkansas Studies Institute
  • Sam Quinones and Marilyn Wedge on a panel in the Arkansas Studies Institute
  • Seph Lawless discusses Black Friday on the 3rd floor of River Market Books & Gifts
  • Laura Parker Castoro and Adrienne Thompson on a panel at Historic Arkansas Museum
  • Molly Guptill Manning discusses When Books Went to War at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History
  • Guy Lancaster and Andrew Maraniss on a panel – History and Sport at Mosaic Templars Cultural Center
  • Michael Largo discusses The Big, Bad Book of Botany at the Witt Stephens Jr. Arkansas Nature Center

Evening activities include:

  • Fed, White & Blue at 5pm at the Oxford American annex (1300 Main) featuring author and TV personality Simon Jajumdar
  • Joshua Wolf Shank discussing Powers of Two at the Clinton School at 6pm
  • Pub or Perish, moderated by Bryan Borland at Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack at 7pm
  • Speak Now at Mosaic Templars Cultural Center at 7pm
  • John Waters discussing Carsick at the Ron Robinson Theatre at 8pm

Rebecca Wells headlines first day of 12th Annual Arkansas Literary Festival

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2015 ALF 1The 12th annual Arkansas Literary Festival kicks off today.

  • From 5pm to 7pm, there will be a book sale preview party at River Market Books & Gifts in the Cox Creative Center.
  • At 5:30, the exhibit “Page Turners” featuring Bryan Collier will open at Hearne Fine Art.
  •  At 6pm, there will be a Summer Reading Club Preview on the 3rd floor of the Main Library.
  •  Rebecca Wells will discuss “Divine Secrets” at 7pm on stage at the Ron Robinson Theatre. She is the author of the “Ya Ya Sisterhood” books. She will also return to Little Rock in 2016 to perform her one-woman show at the Arkansas Rep.

Through the Writers In The Schools (WITS) initiative, the Festival will provide presentations by several authors for Pulaski county elementary, middle, and senior high schools and area colleges.

Support for the Literary Festival is provided by sponsors including Central Arkansas Library System, Friends of Central Arkansas Libraries (FOCAL), Arkansas Humanities Council, Fred K. Darragh Jr. Foundation, Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, ProSmart Printing, Little Rock Family, KUAR FM 89.1, Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Sync, Arkansas Life, Clinton Foundation, MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, Windstream, Arkansas Federal Credit Union, Arkansas Times, Wright, Lindsey & Jennings LLP, Hampton Inn Downtown/McKibbon Hotel Group, Capital Hotel, Historic Arkansas Museum , TransAmerica, Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center, Arkansas Library Association, Pulaski Technical College, Union Pacific, Sequoyah National Research Center, Gibbs Elementary School, Rockefeller Elementary School, Hendrix College, Hendrix College Project Pericles Program, Arkansas Women’s Forum, Philander Smith College, University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, East Harding, University of Arkansas at Little Rock English Department, University of Arkansas at Little Rock Department of Rhetoric and Writing, Pyramid Art, Books & Custom Framing/Hearne Fine Art, Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, Literacy Action of Central Arkansas, Christ Episcopal Church, and Lamar Advertising. The Arkansas Literary Festival is supported in part by funds from the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Arkansas Literary Festival is a project of the Central Arkansas Library System. The Festival’s mission is to encourage the development of a more literate populace. A group of dedicated volunteers assists Festival Coordinator Brad Mooy with planning the Festival. Katherine Whitworth is the 2015 Festival Chair. Other committee chairs include Kevin Brockmeier, Talent Committee; Susan Santa Cruz, Festival Guides; Laura Stanley, Hospitality Gifts; and Amy Bradley-Hole, Moderators.

The Tallis Scholars tonight at 7:30 as part of Arts at Christ Church

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TallisScholarsAs part of the Arts @ Christ Church series, tonight at 7:30pm The Tallis Scholars will be in concert at Christ Episcopal Church.

Through their recordings and concert performances, The Tallis Scholars have established themselves as the leading exponents of Renaissance sacred music throughout the world. Director Peter Phillips has worked with the ensemble to create, through good tuning and blend, the purity and clarity of sound which he feels best serve the Renaissance repertoire, allowing every detail of the musical lines to be heard. It is the resulting beauty of sound for which The Tallis Scholars have become so widely renowned.

Tickets are on sale in the parish office: $35, $20 for students. (501) 375-2342.

Little Rock Look Back: MacArthur Returns….to Little Rock

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General MacArthur and Mayor Remmel

General MacArthur and Mayor Remmel

On Sunday, March 23, 1952, General Douglas MacArthur made his only post-infancy visit to Little Rock. He had previously been scheduled to visit Mississippi, and Little Rock Mayor Pratt Remmel had persuaded him to add a visit to Little Rock to the agenda. The fact that Little Rock now had a Republican mayor had apparently piqued the General’s interest.

General MacArthur, accompanied by his wife and son as well as several journalists and members of his military retinue, arrived at Little Rock Airport at 10:40 am. He was met by a delegation of civic leaders including Mayor Remmel. Alderman James Griffey made welcoming remarks on behalf of the city. Then the General and Mayor boarded an open car and led a motorcade from the airport to downtown.

The motorcade’s destination was Christ Episcopal Church at Capitol and Scott streets. It was at this church that MacArthur had been baptized as an infant. The delegation was greeted by the Episcopal Bishop R. Bland Mitchell, Rector J. Hodge Alves, and Rector Emeritus W. P. Witsell. (While he had been Rector, Dr. Witsell had garnered national attention by issuing an Easter blessing to Gen. MacArthur as he had been evacuating the Philippines at the height of World War II.) In order to gain admittance to the church that morning, church members and guests had to have tickets.

Following the worship service, the General and his party went to three events in the park named in his honor. The first was a tour of the Museum of Natural History (now the Museum of Discovery and located in the River Market; the current tenant of the building is the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History), which was located in the building in which the General had been born. After the tour, he spoke at a dedication of a small rose garden adjacent to the museum. It was sponsored by the Little Rock City Beautiful Commission and the Garden Clubs of Greater Little Rock.

Though every stop of the General’s visit had featured crowds, the largest was at the third location in MacArthur Park. A crowd of several thousand greeted the General as he spoke from the Foster Bandshell in the park’s southwest corner. Chamber of Commerce president Richard C. Butler (brother-in-law of Mayor Remmel) was the master of ceremonies. Following an invocation by Methodist Bishop Paul Martin, the only other speaker was the General. In his remarks he spoke of his Southern heritage and of his appreciation for the support of the citizens of Little Rock over the years.

Several gifts were bestowed upon the MacArthurs at the ceremony. The City of Little Rock presented Mrs. MacArthur with an engraved silver serving tray.

Following the events in MacArthur Park, the family retired for a brief respite to the Hotel Marion. They then attended a luncheon buffet in their honor at the home of Howard and Elsie Stebbins on Edgehill Road. The General and Mrs. MacArthur circulated through the house greeting guests and then eschewed a special table in favor of balancing their plates on their laps and sitting in wingback chairs. Meanwhile Arthur MacArthur stayed upstairs and discussed stamp collecting and other hobbies with the Stebbins’ two teenage sons.

Following the luncheon, the MacArthur party went back to the airport and by 4:00pm, the plane was in the air.

Though this visit was coming at the end of a whirlwind of activities, by all accounts, the General and Mrs. MacArthur were very gracious and accommodating. The General was being mentioned as a potential GOP candidate for President, but purposefully steered clear of any political comments in his remarks. He and Mrs. MacArthur dutifully posed for photos not only for the media but also for amateur photographers. At lunch, the General even asked a Gazettephotographer to take a photo of him with his Little Rock Police motorcycle escorts so that they could have a souvenir of the visit.

Organ recital tonight in downtown

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The Central Arkansas Chapter of the American Guild of Organists welcomes Dr Judith Hancock for a recital this evening.  It begins at 8pm at Christ Episcopal Church. 

Judith Hancock, Senior Lecturer in Organ and Sacred Music, was the Associate Organist of Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue in New York.

She has also held positions of Organist and Choirmaster at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, Cincinnati, and at churches in Bronxville, New York, and in Durham, North Carolina.

Dr. Hancock has played many recitals throughout the United States, including several appearances at conventions of The American Guild of Organists. 

Dr. Hancock established an on-going series of solo organ recitals at St. Thomas Church, performing organ works of various composers. Recent series have included music for trumpet and organ, music for viola and organ, music for cello and organ, “Two Organists at One Keyboard” (performed with Gerre Hancock), “The Great German Tradition,” emphasizing works of Bach, Mendelssohn, Hindemith and Reger, and “The Great French Tradition” featuring works of Tournemire, Vierne and Duruflé and Dupré.