View source for Talk:Clark County, Arkansas

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==Untitled==
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The [[Wikipedia:WikiProject U.S. counties|WikiProject U.S. Counties]] standards might<!-- Template:Unsigned --><small class="autosigned">—&nbsp;Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[User:Rambot|Rambot]] ([[User talk:Rambot#top|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Rambot|contribs]]) 21:06, 26 July 2003 (UTC)</small>

==On Lynchings==

Unless anyone can provide more information, in three days I will remove the phrase "which were common in 19th century Clark County" from the sentence about lynchings. I am a resident of Clark County, and my own survey of the relevant research indicates only(!) two lynchings in Clark County: one in 1892 and one in 1903. Two despicable incidents simply do not constitute a 'common' practice. This unsourced statement appears to represent slanderous hearsay.
[[User:Tallil2long |Tallil2long]] ([[User talk:Tallil2long|talk]]) 09:01, 13 April 2008 (UTC)

== 11 March 2016 ==
=== External Links ===
==== [[User:Elaenia]] (‎External links: keep external links to a minimum + rm spam) ====
* Jane Ross - Businesswoman and philanthropist.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=1203|title=Jane Ross (1920–1999)|work=Christin Northern, Ouachita Baptist University, The Central Arkansas Library System - EncyclopediaOfArkansas.net|access-date=March 10, 2016}}</ref>
* [http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=848 Clark County] at the [[Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture]]

==== References ====
{{reflist}}

: Note {{Ping|User:Elaenia}} I'm placing the content that you deleted on this Articles Talk Page. Please consider editing Articles and their content instead of only using the delete key. [[User:Curley Wolf|Curley Wolf]] ([[User talk:Curley Wolf|talk]]) 05:04, 11 March 2016 (UTC)
::{{Reply to|Curley Wolf}} 2 of the removed links are dead links removed per [[Wikipedia:External_links#What_can_be_done_with_a_dead_external_link|policy]] and the remaining ones don't add anything to the reader's understanding of the article because there's already [[Jane Ross]] (which is linked from the page and has its own section on the article) and demographic/elevation data is already present in the article and on the side. [[WP:ELNO]] would be relevant, specifically the lines which states "Any site that does not provide a unique resource beyond what the article would contain if it became a featured article." [[User:Elaenia|Elaenia]] ([[User talk:Elaenia|talk]]) 05:30, 11 March 2016 (UTC)
:::{{Reply to|Elaenia}}, the two articles you noted were not restored for the reason you mentioned. However, I believe that the Clark County Article should be marked for [[linkrot]], so I wouldn't be in a hurry to remove the citation by the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. It's one of the few citations that covers several subjects within the Article, and it may help other editors to see a 'semi-proper' citation style.
:::Also, the Ross Article is in dire need of [[inline citations]], which both of the recovered citations could help to provide.
:::It seems that few editors take the time to add to or correct an Article, choosing instead to simply delete content, regardless of it's usability. So, I'm asking that they attempt corrections, or at least move semi-usable content to the Talk Page. Because, the citations are often ridiculously difficult to find. [[User:Curley Wolf|Curley Wolf]] ([[User talk:Curley Wolf|talk]]) 06:09, 11 March 2016 (UTC)
::::{{Reply to|Curley Wolf}} The links removed aren't citations or references. They're external links found in the external links section, which is governed by a [[WP:ELNO|separate set of rules]]. The actual citation for the Encyclopedia of Arkansas actually remains and was never removed (it's reference #12) in the [[Clark_County,_Arkansas#References|references]] section ([https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Clark_County,_Arkansas&oldid=709464585 permalink]). So really, external links being removed doesn't equal citations being removed, but if we're going to get specific regarding the removal of potentially useful references - nothing was really removed because it's still being used as a reference and listed in the references. Hope that clears some things up. [[User:Elaenia|Elaenia]] ([[User talk:Elaenia|talk]]) 06:56, 11 March 2016 (UTC)
:::::{{Reply to|Elaenia}} I asked that you please consider editing Articles instead of only deleting their contents and my reasons were explained. The decision to edit or delete can be justified in many ways and the choice is, of course, yours to make. [[User:Curley Wolf|Curley Wolf]] ([[User talk:Curley Wolf|talk]]) 01:26, 12 March 2016 (UTC)

== Questionable entries ==
During a quick review of other counties in Arkansas, the following entries appear to be out of place, and some of these entries border on being not only offensive, but intentionally slanderous and divisive. Though some of these entries are true, they would probably fit better in a separate article(s) because they are more about the Civil War, crime, and negative aspects of history and do little to provide a [[WP:NPOV]]. For these reasons, I have moved the entries here.

Realizing the value of these entries; however, I invite others to move these sections where they would be more appropriate and to help in making them more concise and impartial. [[User:Curley Wolf|Curley Wolf]] ([[User talk:Curley Wolf|talk]]) 03:05, 14 March 2016 (UTC)

:I won't edit this directly, since I guess it's an archive of past material. But, FWIW, Pitner and Trickett were entered into the [[Confederate Roll of Honor]]. There was no [[Confederate Medal of Honor]] until 1977, when the SCV created one. [[User:Mobi Ditch|Mobi Ditch]] ([[User talk:Mobi Ditch|talk]]) 22:07, 22 January 2019 (UTC)

===Civil War era===

Clark County was very active in its support of the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], both in its maintaining an [[arsenal]] to manufacture arms, as well as large numbers of Clark County men going off to serve in the army. At the outbreak of the war, in May, 1861, the [[artillery battery]], [[2nd Arkansas Light Artillery]], was organized for service in the [[Confederate Army]]. Recruited for and organized in Arkadelphia by local watch maker Franklin Roberts, who would serve as the battery's [[Captain (OF-2)|captain]], the battery would later be commanded by Captain Jannedens H. Wiggins, and would see considerable action while under the command of [[General]] [[Nathan Bedford Forrest]]. Of the more than 160 men who served in the battery, most of whom were from Clark County, only 11 remained at the time of its surrender on April 19, 1865, the rest having been killed, wounded or captured.

Most of the Clark County men who joined the Confederate Army enlisted into the [[1st Arkansas Infantry]], which served under [[Brigadier General]] [[P.G.T. Beauregard]], as a part of the [[Army of Tennessee]]. The state of Arkansas formed some 48 infantry regiments during the war, along with several cavalry units, with the most famous being the [[3rd Arkansas]] of the [[Army of Northern Virginia]]. With the exception of the 3rd Arkansas, no other regiment from the state served for the duration of the war in the "eastern theater", but instead were assigned in the "western theater", which was the case with the 1st Arkansas. Of the 48 infantry regiments formed by Arkansas, the most active was the 3rd Arkansas and the 1st Arkansas, followed by the [[1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles]] and the [[4th Arkansas Infantry|4th Arkansas]]. The 1st Arkansas fought in the [[Battle of Shiloh]], [[Battle of Murfreesboro]], [[Battle of Chickamauga]], [[Chattanooga Campaign|Battle of Chattanooga]], [[Battle of Franklin II|Battle of Franklin]], [[Battle of Perryville]] and the [[Battle of Bentonville]] in [[North Carolina]], along with several other minor battles.

Most of the men of Clark County served in "B Company", commanded by county residents [[Captain (OF-2)|Captain]] Charles S. Stark, [[1st Lieutenant]] George W. McIntosh, and [[2nd Lieutenant]]s Frederick M. Greene and William E. Lindsey. Two Clark County men, both serving in "B Company", were awarded the [[Confederate Medal of Honor]]. Both medals were awarded for bravery in action during the Battle of Chickamauga. They were [[Lieutenant]] Andrew J. Pitner, who was [[killed in action]] and whose medal was [[Posthumous recognition|posthumous]], and Private Charles Trickett, who survived the battle, dying in 1939.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313035747/http://www.thedonovan.com/historystuff/ConfederateMedalWinners.pdf|title=Confederate Medal of Honor Winners|work=Clemmer, Gregg S., Valor in Gray - The  Recipients of the Confederate Medal of Honor, The Hearthside Publishing Company, Staunton, VA. 1998, pg. 447-476.|access-date=March 13, 2016}}</ref> The regiment was with the Army of Tennessee when it surrendered in [[Greensboro, North Carolina|Greensboro]], [[North Carolina]] on April 26, 1865.

The Confederacy employed the use of numerous arsenals during the war. One of those was located in Arkadelphia. That arsenal manufactured large quantities of ammunition and rifles, as well as a newer version of previous [[muzzle loader|muzzle loaded rifles]]. This newer version of rifle, called the "Arkadelphia Rifle", came toward the end of the war, and was initially believed to be superior to previous versions. However, in its limited use, it proved to be no more reliable than any previous versions, and in some cases was reported to be insufficient. One of these "Arkadelphia Rifle"s is on display at the Civil War Museum in [[Washington, Arkansas|Washington]], [[Arkansas]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313042758/http://www.collectableweapons.com/listings.php?id=121|title=Arkadelphia Arkansas Mfg Confederate Rifle|work=Deason's Antique Weapons and Collectibles - CollectableWeapons.com|access-date=March 13, 2016}}</ref>

There were numerous pro-Confederate [[guerrilla]] bands operating in Clark County, and Union forces moved though Clark County during the [[Camden Expedition]]. The [[Elkin's Ferry Battleground]], is listed in the [[National Register of Historic Places]] as a [[National Historic Landmark]].

===1865 and later===
Following the war, the local economy was devastated, as it was in most of the south. From 1859 through 1868 the county had been home to [[Arkansas School for the Blind|Arkansas Institute for the Blind]], one of the few education centers to remain open during the war.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=2442|title=Arkansas School for the Blind (ASB)|work=Amy Craig, Brent McGehee, Joshua Nichols, Jessica Wilson, Leon Tidwell, Ann Moore, and Sharon Berry, Arkansas School for the Blind, The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture - EncyclopediaOfArkansas.net}}</ref> In 1873 the ''Cairo and Fulton'' railroad (now [[Union Pacific]]) connected Arkadelphia and [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]]. This helped to revive the local economy, and bolster the logging industry. The nearby towns of [[Amity, Arkansas|Amity]], [[Graysonia, Arkansas|Graysonia]], and [[Gurdon, Arkansas|Gurdon]] became thriving [[mill town]]s.

In 1889, James H. Abraham was appointed [[Sheriff]] by Arkansas [[Governor]] [[Simon Pollard Hughes, Jr.]], following the death of former Sheriff Joseph Hulsey. Abraham would hold that position through regular election for the next 25 years, the longest sheriffs term in Clark County history. It would be Abraham who investigated and ultimately arrested Benjamin Standford for the 1893 murder of Hans Sellars, despite Standford's claim of [[self defense]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/STANFIELD/1999-09/0937488943|title=A Most Deplorable Killing|work=Southern Standard, Arkadelphia, Clark Co., AR, March 3, 1893|access-date=March 13, 2016}}</ref> Of the five men who were sentenced to death in Clark County that actually had their death sentences carried out, four would be during Abraham's tenure, and the fifth during the year of his death.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091016075522/http://users.bestweb.net/~rg/execution/ARKANSAS.htm|title=Executions In Arkansas|work=Rob Gallagher, condensed from "Executions in the United States, 1608-1987: The ESPY File"|access-date=October 16, 2009}}</ref>

Education was segregated during this period, with two colleges ([[Henderson State University|Arkadelphia Methodist College]] and [[Ouachita Baptist University|Ouachita Baptist College]]) opening for white people, and two secondary schools (Bethel AME, and Presbyterian Industrial School) opening for [[African-American]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912103925/http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=7644|title=Arkadelphia Presbyterian Academy|work=Nancy Snell Griffith, Clinton, South Carolina, The Central Arkansas Library System - EncyclopediaOfArkansas.net|access-date=March 3, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918223530/http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=6548|title=Cotton Plant Academy|work=Nancy Snell Griffith, Presbyterian College, The Central Arkansas Library System - EncyclopediaOfArkansas.net|access-date=March 3, 2016}}</ref>

As in most of the south, segregation presented a cultural change for blacks and whites in Clark County. Those changes caused tensions that did not immediately resolve in the years following the end of the Civil War, and they continued into the early and mid-20th century. In late January 1879, an African-American named Ben Daniels, and two of his sons; who were accused of robbery, arson, and assault, fell victim to insurrection and were [[Lynching|lynch]]ed in Arkadelphia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313162732/http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=9242|title=Arkadelphia Lynching of 1879, aka: Lynching of Daniels Family|work=Brent E. Riffel, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, The Central Arkansas Library System - EncyclopediaOfArkansas.net|access-date=March 13, 2016}}</ref> On November 20, 1891, another African-American, Nat Hadley, was accused of murder and was lynched in Gurdon.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313170715/https://books.google.com/books?id=Uj06AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA48|title=Thirty Years of Lynching in the United States, 1889-1918|work=National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, 1919 - p.48|access-date=March 13, 2016}}</ref> And, on December 21, 1900, an Unknown African-American man, having been accused of rape, was also lynched in Arkadelphia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313153005/http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/lessons/mockingbird/blood.html|title=To Kill a Mockingbird: A Historical Perspective|work=John Edward Bruce, Library of Congress - LOC.Gov|access-date=March 13, 2016}}</ref>

Education in Clark County was integrated in 1969, allowing students to share educational resources, strive for unity, and work together though the difficulties that remain.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313173147/http://www.hsu.edu/academicforum/2002-2003/2002-3AFHistory%20of%20Integration.pdf|title=History of Integration of Black Students at Henderson State University: 1955-1975|work=Lisa Huang, Academic Forum - HSU.edu|access-date=March 13, 2016}}</ref>

On December 18, 1914 [[Arthur Hodges]] became the first person in Clark County to be executed by use of the [[electric chair]]. Prior to that, the primary way of execution was either by [[hanging]] or [[firing squad]]. It was the 314th documented [[capital punishment|execution]] in Arkansas history, the fourth by [[electric chair|electrocution]]. He was executed for the 1913 murder of Clark County [[Constable]] Morgan Garner. The execution was the subject of an article by ''[[The Kansas City Star]]'' entitled "Eight to die in Arkansas", making reference to eight men being executed in Arkansas over a sixteen-day period.{{citation needed|reason=No such article was found.|date=March 2016}}

Although Clark County has sentenced many to death in its history, only five, including Hodges, were executed, four for the crime of murder and one for the crime of rape. The other four were Louie McBryde, Willis Green, Anderson Mitchell, and Daniel Jones, the latter three being hanged together on March 15, 1889, for the murder of local [[preacher]] Arthur Horton. These statistics do not include public insurrection, nor does it include firing squad executions during the Civil War.

Clark County Constable Morgan Garner was the second police officer in a two-year time frame to be killed in Clark County, the other being the 1912 murder of Gurdon Town [[Marshal]] I.Y. Nash. Nash was killed by his own deputy, Sam Arnott, after the two became involved in an argument which escalated into a physical altercation, which resulted in a brief shootout during which Nash was shot twice and killed. That altercation was a result of Marshal Nash demanding the resignation of Arnott. Both murders took place during Sheriff Abraham's tenure as sheriff.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://opinions.aoc.arkansas.gov/weblink8/0/doc/197550/Page2.aspx|title=Arnott v. State. Opinion delivered October 6, 1913.|work=Arkansas Judiciary - Opinions.AOC.Arkansas.Gov}}</ref>

===Great Depression===

The discovery of [[cinnabar]] in the foothills of the [[Ouachita Mountains]], mostly south of Amity, sparked the 1931 [[Quicksilver Rush]]. This sparked a boost in employment opportunities, which was badly needed due to the [[Great Depression]]. However, it was short-lived, as cinnabar became more readily accessible from other sources. By 1940 any significant mining had ended. However, with the outbreak of [[World War II]], large numbers of Clark County men went off to the military for service. In 1943, the county conducted a [[local option]] election pursuant to Initiated Act No. 1 of 1942,<ref>{{cite act |title=Initiated Act No. 1 of 1942 |type=Act |date=1 January 1943 |article=Ark. Code Ann. § 3-8-201 et seq. |articletype= |ref=LocalOptionLaw }}</ref> and the electorate voted to ban the retail sale of alcohol in the county.

In 1966, wealthy businesswoman and [[philanthropist]] [[Jane Ross (businesswoman)|Jane Ross]] and her mother Esther Clark Ross founded the "Ross Foundation", a foundation concentrating primarily on educational assistance. To date that organization has contributed in excess of $10,000,000 to local charities and educational programs, in addition to other projects. In 1972 she also helped found the "Clark County [[Historical Association]]". The county has thirty seven locations listed with the [[National Register of Historic Places]], to include the [[Clark County Courthouse (Arkansas)|Clark County Courthouse]], [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Clark County, Arkansas|Magnolia Manor]], and the [[Captain Charles C. Henderson House]]. [[U.S. Route 67 (Arkansas)|U.S. Route 67]] was a main highway leading through Clark County, bolstering hotels and businesses along that route. In the mid-1960s [[Interstate 30 (Arkansas)|I-30]] was completed, dooming the small businesses who were by that time dependent on the constant US 67 traffic. However, with the interstate came other business, and the city of Arkadelphia began to thrive. [[DeGray Lake]] was completed by 1972, giving the county a small tourist industry in that realm.<ref>[http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=848 Encyclopediaofarkansas.net]</ref>

===Tornado disaster of 1997===

On March 1, 1997, a [[tornado]] in the F-4 category ripped through Clark County in a north eastern direction, causing major damage to much of the county, including heavy damage to the downtown portion of Arkadelphia. The tornado also heavily damaged other parts of the state. By later media accounts, Arkadelphia was the hardest hit that day.<ref>[http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/reports/marchflooding/marchflooding.html NCDC.noaa.gov]</ref> The event was on such a scale that it prompted a visit and tour by [[US President]] [[Bill Clinton]] on March 4, 1997. That one tornado resulted in 6 people being killed and 113 injured in Clark County alone, with 25 deaths statewide. The local police and fire departments were commended for their quick response during and immediately following the tornado, and the [[Arkansas Army National Guard]] were deployed to assist in preventing [[looting]] and evacuate victims. The disaster prompted a recovery program that assisted with housing and medical support, with the [[American Red Cross]] and press agencies from across the country converging on the county seat.<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wmar01cl.htm USAtoday.com]</ref><ref>[http://www.weather.gov/om/assessments/pdfs/ark61.pdf Weather.gov]</ref><ref>[http://www.camiros.com/areasofpractice/communityplan/disaster/arkadelphia.html Camiros.com]</ref><ref>[http://www.ardemgaz.com/prev/torn397/Abstorm01.html Ardemaz.com]</ref>

The county formed the "2025 Commission", responsible for planning and organizing the recovery efforts. The commission included state Senator Percy Malone, who was later credited with having been a driving force behind the recovery efforts. A 40 block area of Arkadelphia had been destroyed, better than 60% of the downtown area alone, along with property damage totalling in the millions of dollars county wide.<ref>[http://www.drj.com/articles/sum97/pers.htm DRJ.com]</ref> Within a decade, the county and city of Arkadelphia were commended for their recovery efforts, having repaired or rebuilt almost every building affected by the storm, and with the downtown portion of Arkadelphia thriving beyond its former success.<ref>[http://www.planning.org/katrina/resources.htm Planning.org]</ref> Due to the tornado of March 1, 1997, Arkadelphia was the first community in Arkansas to participate in the "Project Impact" initiative of the [[Federal Emergency Management Agency]] (FEMA). Arkadelphia installed shatter proof windows in all its schools, purchased a 10-kilowatt generator, improved its drainage systems to help prevent flooding, and designed and built a "safe building" capable of holding 900 people at the Peake Elementary School.<ref>[http://www.news-leader.com/springfield/specialreports/tornadoes/tornado051102.html News-leader.com]</ref>

===Wet/Dry Ballot Initiative===

Clark County voted dry in 1943. In the mid-2000s, a group of local citizens began planning a [[local option]] petition drive for the 2006 election cycle but failed to make the ballot. In 2008, a committee having many of the same members succeeded in getting the issue on the ballot. However, the day before the general election, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled that some of the petition's signatures had been gathered improperly and directed the Clark County Clerk not to count the ballots.<ref>{{cite court |litigants=Mays v. Cole |vol=374 |reporter=Ark. |opinion=532 |court=Ark. |date=3 November 2008 |quote=To summarize, we hold that the circuit judge erred in construing the relevant provisions of the Arkansas Constitution and statutes to allow persons to sign the petition before they became registered voters. We, therefore, reverse the circuit court's ruling and set aside the certification of the question regarding the sale of alcoholic beverages in Clark County for placement on the November 4, 2008 ballot. We further direct that no votes cast on this question be counted.}}</ref> The committee was successful in getting the local option issue on the ballot in the 2010 general election, and the measure passed 56% to 44%.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Phelps|first1=Joe|title=County goes 'wet'|work=The Daily Siftings Herald|date=3 November 2010}}</ref>

===References===
 {{reflist}}

== External links modified ==

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