Adventures in Arkansas Blog Series: Post #6
On the second anniversary of my sister’s translocation from California to Fairfield Bay, Greers Ferry Lake, Arkansas, I finally set foot in “The Natural State” to pay her and the rest of the family a long-overdue visit. When it comes to its avian life, Arkansas is a state with a rich and diversified natural heritage. The state’s location in the south-central United States, along with its varied habitats, such as forests, fields, wetlands, and mountains, make it a hotspot for birdwatching and conservation.
Adventures in Arkansas is a Reflections of the Natural World Blog Post Series by Jim Gain
One Last Session with the Hartley Wildlife Sactuary
Before heading back south to Little Rock, we spent one last wonderful morning with our usual cup of coffee on the deck waiting for the morning sun. This time we were treated to a wet, rain-drenched atmosphere.
After our morning coffee and birds, we packed up and headed to Conroy for breakfast at the Cracker Barrell. After, that we were to join Dylan for a tour of the Little Rock Capitol Grounds. Dylan is in the IT department for the Secretary of State, John Thurston.
THE STATE CAPITOL – LITTLE ROCK’S POLITICAL CENTER
The Arkansas State Capitol was constructed between 1899 and 1915 on the site of the old state penitentiary using prison labor. Designed by architects George Mann and Cass Gilbert, the original construction cost was not to exceed $1 million.
Little Rock – Fading Shadows of Confederacy and Segregation
Arkansas Liberty Bell
In 1950, the Christoph Paccard Bell Foundry was selected by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to cast fifty-five full-size Liberty Bell replicas – one for each state plus U.S. territories, to place on the capitol grounds of each state. Foundry craftsmen measured each feature and dimension of the original Liberty Bell to create fifty-five authentic replicas for the U.S. Treasury Department. Cast only of bronze, Christoph Paccard Bell Foundry bells are composed of pure red copper and block tin. While the ratio of copper to tin is different depending on the size of the bell, most bells are approximately 78% copper and 22% tin.The original mold used for the Liberty Bell replicas is still used today in the crafting of our bells.
The Little Rock Nine
In 1954 the United States Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools were illegal. The case, Brown v. The Board of Education, has become iconic for Americans because it marked the formal beginning of the end of segregation. But the gears of change grind slowly. It wasn’t until September 1957 when nine teens would become symbols, much like the landmark decision we know as Brown v. The Board of Education, of all that was in store for our nation in the years to come.
The “Little Rock Nine,” as the nine teens came to be known, were to be the first African American students to enter Little Rock’s Central High School. Three years earlier, following the Supreme Court ruling, the Little Rock school board pledged to voluntarily desegregate its schools. This idea was explosive for the community and, like much of the South, it was fraught with anger and bitterness.
On September 2, 1957 the night prior to what was to be the teens’ first day in Central High classrooms, Arkansas governor Orval Faubus ordered the state’s National Guard to block their entrance. Faubus said it was for the safety of the nine students.
On September 4, just 24 hours after a federal judge ordered the Little Rock Nine to begin attending Central High immediately, a belligerent mob, along with the National Guard, again prevented the teens from entering the school.
Sixteen days later a federal judge ordered the National Guard removed. Once again on September 23, the Little Rock Nine attempted to enter the school. Though escorted by Little Rock police into a side door, another angry crowd gathered and tried to rush into Central High. Fearing for the lives of the nine students, school officials sent the teens home. They did, however, manage to attend classes for about three hours.
Finally, 52 years ago today, on September 25, 1957, following a plea from Little Rock’s mayor, Woodrow Mann, President Dwight Eisenhower federalized the National Guard and sent U.S. Army troops to the scene. Personally guarded by soldiers from the National Guard soldiers and the Army’s 101st Airborne, the Little Rock Nine began regular class attendance at Central High.
Monument to the Confederate Soldiers of Arkansas
The Arkansas Confederate Soldiers Monument, also known as Defense of the Flag, is located on the east side of the Arkansas State Capitol grounds in Little Rock, just off 4th Street. It is a five-tiered marble structure, topped by a bronze statue of an angel standing on a sphere, and a bronze Confederate Army soldier on the front of its fourth tier. It was built in 1904–05, with funding from a variety of sources, including the state, primarily through the efforts of a consortium of Confederate memorial groups. Originally located prominently near the main eastern entrance to the capitol building, it was later moved to its present location on the northeast lawn.
Previous Adventures in Arkansas Posts
Reflections of the Natural World 