Coming Alive from the Pages of History

101 N Caraway Road,Jonesboro AR 72401

07 August, 2021

Description

Coming Alive from the Pages of History: Noteworthy Personalities from Lawrence County The Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives (NEARA) will hold its annual symposium, Coming Alive from the Pages of History: Noteworthy Personalities from Lawrence County," from 9:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 7, at Arkansas State University in the auditorium on the third floor of the Reng Student Union. The Symposium also will be livestreamed. This year’s topic is inspired by the understanding that the past is full of personalities – men and women, young and old who come alive from the pages of history because of a curious episode in their lives, character traits, or inspiring life stories that capture the attention of dedicated researchers. These personalities are often ordinary people who have left a personal diary, have been captured in historical records or have engaged in deeds that left an imprint in history – whether one of notoriety or inspiration. It is important to shine light on such accidental makers of history because their stories are often the most interesting and inspiring to read, especially in local history. The symposium will focus on stories from Lawrence County.  Lunch will be served. The event is free, but seating is limited. Please make reservations by Aug. 1, 2021. Attendees can earn three professional development credits by attending. For more information about the symposium, contact Dr. Fatme Myuhtar-May, archival manager, at 870-878-6521 or [email protected]. Speakers will be: Dr. Blake Perkins, history department chair at Williams Baptist University Dr. Rodney Harris, assistant professor of history at Williams Baptist University Taylor Harbin, archival assistant at the Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives Each presentation will be 45 minutes with 15 minutes for a question-and-answer session. Dr. Blake Perkins will present “White Businessman Peter Halderman, the Black Washingtons, and the ‘Irrepressible Conflict’ in 1850s Lawrence County.” Peter Halderman was a veteran of the War of 1812 and a prominent St. Louis merchant who came to Arkansas in 1828. He established a thriving mercantile on the bank of the Strawberry River and eventually helped found the Lawrence County seat in Smithville in 1837. Halderman was an enslaver when he arrived in Arkansas, but he emancipated his slaves and became a known friend of local African Americans by the 1840s. Although he was a successful merchant and respected citizen in Lawrence County for more than two decades, Halderman’s white neighbors became increasingly suspect of him as regional and national tensions over slavery and race escalated in the 1850s. Halderman and several free Black people fled Arkansas for Illinois after two explosive court cases in 1857 and 1858 that involved dubious accusations against George Washington, a free Black man, and after the passing of the Negro Expulsion Act of 1859 by the Arkansas legislature.  Dr. Rodney Harris will present "H.E. Williams: Tenacity, Faith, and Education."  Hubert Ethridge Williams, commonly known as H.E., left an unmistakable impact on Northeast Arkansas and Lawrence County. Williams was pastor of First Baptist Church in Pocahontas in 1941. Arkansas Baptists had played a significant role in education in Northeastern Arkansas, but those efforts had been short lived. Two Baptist colleges had closed their doors in Jonesboro and the Maynard Baptist Academy had ceased operation. Williams sought to build a Baptist institution of higher learning in the region. With the help of alumni from Jonesboro Baptist College and Maynard Baptist Academy, along with broad community support – even from prominent Catholic leaders – Williams founded Southern Baptist College in Pocahontas in 1941. Williams served as the first president of the college. On Dec. 26, 1946, the college’s main building burned down, and the school had to quickly find a new home. With the help of prominent members of Congress, the school relocated to the decommissioned Walnut Ridge Army Flying School, where it remains today. Williams’s tenacity and determination nurtured what is today Williams Baptist University, which is a vibrant part of the educational fabric of Northeast Arkansas. Taylor Harbin will present “Arthur Shirey: The Man, The Murder, and the Mystery.” Arthur Shirey was among the wealthiest men in Lawrence County. He was also a hard creditor, a bootlegger, a Spiritualist and a womanizer. On March 8, 1910, he was shot dead in his own house in Minturn. The subsequent murder investigation and the legal battle for control of his fortune captivated Arkansans for the next eight months. Authorities singled out James Langston – a former depot employee — as a suspect because he was in love with Shirey’s young wife, Fairbell. Despite all the circumstantial evidence against him, Langston was acquitted by a jury. The crime remains unsolved to this day. The Arkansas State Archives is an agency of Arkansas Heritage, a division of the Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. The State Archives has been responsible for collecting and preserving the official records and historical materials for the state of Arkansas since 1905. The Arkansas State Archives continues its tradition of organizing and maintaining the history of Arkansas by collecting and preserving state, county, and federal records, manuscript materials, newspapers, military records, family histories, an extensive Arkansas history and genealogy library, and a collection of Arkansas art and artifacts. The state archives has two branches, the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives (SARA) in Washington, Hempstead County, Arkansas and the Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives (NEARA), in Powhatan, Lawrence County, Arkansas.