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South Arkansas Historical Journal
VOLUME 5 FALL 2005
Published by the South Arkansas Historical Society
Editors
Ken Bridges
Bart Reed
Editorial Staff
Phil Ballard
Dorathy Boulden
Ben Johnson
Francis Kuykendall
John G. Ragsdale
Contributors
The Honorable Edwin
B. Alderson, Jr.
Bill Crumpler
Joan Hershberger
Carolyn Kent
Kitty Sloan
Acknowledgments
John B. Abbott
Arkansas Chapter,
Trail of Tears Association
Arkansas Museum of
Natural Resources
Chris Elia Printing
El
Dorado News-Times
South Arkansas
Historical Foundation
South Arkansas Historical Society
South Arkansas Historical Journal
VOLUME 5 FALL 2005
Published by the South Arkansas Historical Society
From the Editors:
We
like to look at history as a matter of milestones, of humanity progressing from
one stage to the next highest achievement.
With this issue, the South Arkansas Historical Journal can boast its
own milestone with our fifth anniversary.
This anniversary issue is the biggest edition of the Journal yet
with several special articles and features.
For the fifth edition, we remember
the milestones, tragic and heroic, bitter and heartwarming, that have shaped our
community. Phil Ballard reports on the
centennial celebration of a historic El Dorado education landmark, the 1905
Junior College Building. Joan
Hershberger tells the tale an organization that holds a special place in the
hearts and taste buds of South Arkansas, Spudnuts. Judge Edwin Alderson remembers a remarkable
local woman and colorful character, Blanche Parnell Wade. Kitty Sloan reports on the tragedy of the
Trail of Tears as the Choctaws came through southern Arkansas on their exodus
from their homes to the Indian Territory.
With the passing of all but a handful of World War I veterans, a chapter
in history is nearly at a close. Before
that chapter is closed, Bart Reed salutes the courage and sacrifice of a local
World War I soldier, Frank L. Reed.
Award-winning writer Caroline Kent commemorates one of the facilities
that made the Allied victory in the Second World War possible with the story of
El Dorado’s Ozark Ordnance Plant.
For an
artistic perspective, Bill Crumpler provides us with a poem on the oil
boom. We welcome you to share the
recollection of these unique events in the shaping of a unique community. And we thank you for making these five years
of sharing the past possible.
Ken Bridges
Bart Reed
The South Arkansas Historical Journal, established in 2001, is an annual publication of the South Arkansas Historical Society made possible through the generous support of members and the South Arkansas Historical Foundation.
South Arkansas Historical Journal
VOLUME 5 FALL 2005
Contents
Editorial Note…………………………………………………………...…..….2
Contents…………………………………………………………………...........3
Uncle Sam Needs Your Resources: A
History of the Ozark Ordnance
Works
By
Carolyn Kent……………………………….……………………4
100 Years of Public Service: The 1905
Junior College Building in El
Dorado,
By
Phillip Ballard…………………………………………...…...…21
Spudnuts: A South Arkansas Breakfast
Legend
By
Joan Hershberger……………………………………….……....26
An Uncommon Woman:
Remembering Blanche Parnell Wade
By Judge Edwin Alderson…………………………………...……...…29
“Wildcat: Over There: A Union County
Doughboy in the 81st “Wildcat”
Division,
1917-1919
By
Bart Reed……………………………………………..…...…..…33
The Choctaw Trail of
Tears Across
By Kitty Sloan………………………………...…………………….….44
The Bringing in of
“Busey One”
A Poem By Bill Crumpler…………………………………………..…47
South Arkansas
Historical Notes ……………………………………….…...49
South Arkansas Historical Society…………………………………………..50
Writers’ Guidelines……………………………………………………….......52
UNCLE
SAM NEEDS YOUR RESOURCES:
A
HISTORY OF THE OZARK ORDNANCE WORKS
By Carolyn Kent
The war in Europe that started in 1939 continued to accelerate and Uncle Sam began to get ready to defend the United States if necessary and to help his allies in Europe defend themselves. He needed places with natural resources and available manpower. He needed suitable land where war industries could be built. In 1941 members of the Arkansas congressional delegation and other interested Arkansas businessmen were in Washington to point out the benefits of locating war plants in Arkansas. Governor Homer Adkins announced to the public that “We are not only seeking defense industries for the period of national emergency; we are endeavoring to make them permanent.” He further reported that the “sour gas” of South Arkansas would have a place as a valuable fuel.[i]
On October 9, 1941, the War Department in Washington notified US Representative Oren Harris of El Dorado that a $23,000,000 plant to produce anhydrous ammonia and ammonium nitrate had been approved.[ii] The plant would be located near El Dorado and would be called the Ozark Ordnance Works. Harris stated that Colonel T. H. Barton, president of Lion Oil Refining Company, US Senators Hattie Caraway and George Lloyd Spencer and other Arkansas people had worked on obtaining the project. The anhydrous ammonia and ammonium nitrate produced would be sent to other plants to be used in the manufacture of explosives. The OOW was to be government owned and would be operated by Lion Oil Refining Company.[iii]
Col. Barton had grown up in modest beginnings and had built up his company through the oil boom that sprung up in El Dorado in the 1920s. He was a veteran of World War I and had gained the rank of colonel while in the Texas National Guard.[iv] The natural gas reserves of South Arkansas would furnish the material needed to produce the anhydrous ammonia and ammonium nitrate. Barton in an interview in 1947 stated, “When we were negotiating for this plant (OOW) during the war, the War Department told us flatly we couldn’t produce ammonia with natural gas. They didn’t know us Southerners. It took a lot of talk and argument, but we finally won out.”[v]
Barton knew that the eleven
combined oil and natural gas pools that were discovered in South Arkansas
between 1937 and 1941 would be resources for the natural gas needed for the
OOW. The natural gas in these pools was described as “sour gas” because it
contained excessive amounts of hydrogen sulfide and was lethal and toxic. The
practice of extracting the crude oil and gasoline distillate from the sour gas
and letting the sour gas be vented to the air and burned was started. The sour
gas was highly toxic and at least two deaths were caused from the practice. Several
animals and birds were also found dead near where the sour gas was vented.
People in Arkansas were very distressed over the situation and over the waste
of this fuel source. The Lion Oil Refining company was a pioneer in developing
a desulphurization plant in September 1941 to “sweeten” the sour gas and make
the gas usable. The “sweetened” natural gas was then piped to a pumping station
near El Dorado where it could be distributed. [vi]
This gas would be used by the OOW when the plant became operational.[vii]
Two days after the announcement about the plant appeared in the newspapers a group of El Dorado businessmen who owned businesses that sold building supplies ran a full page ad in the El Dorado Daily News. The ad stated that with a huge defense plant assured, El Dorado would be facing a dire need for additional housing. People were encouraged to build, repair, remodel and report houses and rental units. The ad said 2,000 workers were expected for the construction phase and 450 to 500 would be on the permanent payroll.[viii] The Chemical Construction Company of New York was named the architect engineer on October 29, 1941.[ix] On November 4, 1941, Representative Harris said the site for the plant would be about two and a half miles north of El Dorado. He stated that a representative of the Army Ordnance Department had toured the site and contracts would soon be signed.[x] Captain William C. Campbell, project engineer, announced on November 6, that the property of 84 land owners would be involved. On November 8, offices of the army engineers were established in the post office building in El Dorado. The estimates of the number of workers for the initial stages were 300 to 400 men and 3000 to 4000 required in later stages. On November 26, Campbell stated that the site appraisers were in town. The first items of construction were to clear the grounds and build a road. Local men would be given first choice. Applicants should apply at the United States Employment Services office.[xi] The construction of the OOW was to be supervised by Campbell of the Army Corps of Engineers out of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Campbell was joined by six other officers to make up the army contingent. Thirteen civilians were employed to complete Campbell’s staff. The civilians included: George Eckelkamp, R. Leon Day, Miss Florentine Gammill, Mrs. Malfred J. Patterson, Mrs. Katherine G. Pyron, Miss Francis C. Gunn, Miss Dorothy H. Bounds, Thoral D. Broadus, Henry E. Muller, Carl Simpson, John S. Brooks, Mrs. Mary H. Lane, and Miss Helen V. Nugent. While the army engineers were getting settled in, Barton made arrangements to incorporate the Lion Chemical Corporation to operate the OOW. Barton would be president of the chemical corporation. T. M. Martin would be vice-president and C. N. Barton, Barton’s son, would be assistant secretary. Jeff Davis, an El Dorado lawyer, was named as agent for the new corporation. The news of incorporation was carried in the Gazette, November 14, 1941.[xii] The Lion Chemical company signed the contact to operate the plant on November 18, 1941. The amount of production expected of the plant was increased two times between November 18, 1941 and March 5, 1942. Those changes would double the size of the plant. The contracted output of the plant was set at 300 tons of ammonia to be converted to 300 tons of ammonium nitrate solution per day.[xiii]
At first the atmosphere was casual and the officers and their staff wore street clothes. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, security became tight and the Army officers wore their uniforms and the civilian employees wore blue uniforms with the Ordnance insignia on them.[xiv]
On December 10, 1941 a petition was filed with the United States district court, El Dorado division, civil action 134, condemning 3,250.41 acres of land situated in Union County, Arkansas, naming J. P. Pickering, et al. as land owners. That petition was heard by the court on December 29, 1941, and the United States of America was given possession of the land. The deed books at the Union County Court House, El Dorado, contain the names of the land owners that were required to sell their land to the government for the OOW.[xv] (Appendix A)
families that should be in the area in the next six months. On February 20, El Dorado was to be included in the Federal Housing Authority housing plan. March 21 brought news that 100 homes were to be built at the Parkview addition on the Smackover Highway. April 29 brought the news that rent control was going to be established and might be set as low as April 1, 1941, levels.[xvi]
On March 22, 1942, the announcement was made that construction was to start in the next few days. Dirt moving equipment was to arrive. The contract for surveying of a spur railroad line to join the main Missouri-Pacific Railroad was signed. H. B. Deal Co. had signed the contract for construction and had set up offices in the Jones Building on Washington Street. [xvii]
Hank Weiland, who was to be production superintendent for Lion Chemical, was given the task of recruiting young engineering graduates as shift foreman. In March Weiland visited southern engineering schools and was able to hire 17 seniors from 6 universities. Starting salary was to be $233 per month which was almost too good to be true as most staring engineers were started out at $150 to $165 per month. One problem for the seniors was a training trip was scheduled to start April 15, 1942, to Canada. Some of the universities allowed the seniors to take their exams early and graduate in 1942 but some universities did not and those seniors had to finish their courses by correspondence and did not graduate until 1943.[xviii]
The 17 engineers were: Harry Backes, Bill Biggers, Fred Elliott, Bob Feser, Art Goodman, Stan Johnson, Matt Jones, Jess Little, Mac Lowe, Charles Mackey, Lonnie Payton, Ted Roden, Glen Rucker, Frank Simmons, Al Smith, Joe Walk and Jess Wilson.
The group arrived in El Dorado in April and then departed for training. Roden was sent to the Chemical Construction Company in New York. About half the group went to Calgary, Alberta, while the others to Welland, Ontario, for training.[xix] Walk’s notes from the training in Canada on the reforming of natural gas describe the complicated process of producing ammonia from natural gas, using air and water to complete the process. Details of a foremanship training course the group attended were also included in Walk’s notebook.[xx] After returning to El Dorado from Canada, the 17 men decided to form a formal club. Jones said he had been looking up a word in the dictionary and had seen the word “onager” meaning “a wild ass.” The name seemed appropriate and so the Onager Club was formed.[xxi]
While the Onagers were in training, the construction of OOW was progressing. Temporary administration buildings were completed and on June 14, 1942, the area engineer and his staff as well the Deal Company staff were moved to the site. The access road from Highway 7 was to be paved in the next few days. The spur railroad was completed to the site and work to build the tracks inside the area was to be started. The communication building was nearing completion and a telephone switch board was installed. Work was progressing on the sanitary and sewage systems. Mrs. Lydia Whitehead of El Dorado was awarded a contract for food concessions and would serve
box lunches, sandwiches, plate lunches and cold drinks from stands and wagons. A night shift was added and a call went out for more carpenters and labors. A public address system was installed. Stores in town started staying open to 8 p. m. to serve the workers. On July 5 the construction workers were honored for their participation in buying war bonds. The peak number of workers was attained on July 15 when more than 4,500 construction workers were employed on the site.[xxii]
By July 10 the housing shortage was acute. An emergency housing bureau was established. It was reported that in the last three months 212 apartments, 107 houses and even several bedrooms had been rented. On July 19 the lumber freeze was lifted to allow for the building of another 75 houses. On September 1, rent control was set as of March 1, 1942.[xxiii] Trailer camps began to spring up around town. Many of the workers came bringing their trailers behind them. These were the construction workers that came from all over the country to wherever there was defense construction to be done.[xxiv]
July 12, 1942, brought the announcement that Major W. B. Tulley had been named commanding officer. Lt. Col. John J. Breen had been commanding officer and had had the responsibility of both the OOW and the Louisiana Ordnance Works. At that time there were thirty five employees of Lion Chemical Corp. and ten civilians and eight officers in the Army’s contingent at the plant in addition to the construction staff and crews. The railroad spur was in full operation. The barb wire fence was almost complete.[xxv]
In September the gas generator engines began to arrive and presented some problems to move them into place because of their size. Two cranes could not lift the 50 ton engines and they had to be moved from the railroad cars on rollers.[xxvi] The gas engines filled a building the size of two football fields and would be used to generate the electrical power needed to run the OOW.[xxvii] Because of the equipment needed to produce the anhydrous ammonia and ammonia nitrate the OOW was a bigger construction task than any of the other ordnance plants in Arkansas. Safety was a major concern and a first aid station had been set up and two ambulances served the site. A fire station equipped with an engine and firemen was on the site. The plant was described as being 45 percent completed. Estimated cost of the project has been changed to 36,000,000. Mud was described as being the biggest enemy of the project as every time it rained the site became a sea of mud.[xxviii]
Although much of what was going on at the OOW site was shrouded in secrecy for national security, by January, 1943 a city began to spring up. A small hospital was completed and first aid stations were at other location on the grounds. Wells were dug for water and a purification plant was installed. Before that time drinking water was provided by trucks. A complete sewer system with waste disposal system was built. The cafeteria opened on January 2, 1943. 200 people could be served at one time and with staggered lunch hours all the workers could be served. A security force of guards protected the facility.[xxix]
In January, 1943, recognition was given to Congressman Harris for his assistance in obtaining the OOW for El Dorado. It was noted that he had worked hand in hand with Col. Barton to introduce the resources of Arkansas and the ability of Arkansas people to get the job done.[xxx] Harris was a native born Arkansan and during his life time he served 25 years in the legislative branch of government and 25 years in the judicial. He was
elected to congress from El Dorado in 1940 and served from 1941 to February 1966 in congress. He resigned at that time to become a U. S. district judge.[xxxi]
The Lion Chemical Corp continued to put in place the people to take care of operations when the construction was complete. J. J. Allison was named as vice president in charge of operations. He had the same position with the Lion Oil organization. James M. Wadsworth was named as works manager and Milton Sprague was the assistant manager. These later two men would be in charge of all aspects of production but would work under the superintendence of the commanding officer, Major Tulley.[xxxii]
Construction continued at full pitch during the spring and in Walk’s words “the first smell of ammonia was made on May 13, 1943, only 18 months after the operating contract was signed.” Walk added that “today (1999) it would take that long to get an environment impact study completed and approved.”[xxxiii]
The first plant newsletter was published June 1943. The issue was unnamed and a contest to name the “baby newsletter” was announced. The newsletter described some of the facilities for the comfort of the employees. There were three change houses, two large and one small one where employees could get a shower. Towels were furnished to the men and a janitor was on duty at shift change to give out towels and clean up. Lockers were provided in the change houses. The small change house was for the guards. There was a male staff house where men could rent a single bedroom. In the staff house was a large living room for the use of all the occupants. The manager had an apartment on the first floor and some rooms were set aside for men on official visits to the plant.[xxxiv]
The next newsletter named the Ozark Lion was published July 1943. There were two employees that both submitted the name Ozark Lion, each was given a $10 prize. One suggestion for a name was “‘The Bawh Cat’ pronounced ‘Bear Cat.’ It contains the first letter of the names of all the important men connected with obtaining, building and maintaining OOW, B for Col. Barton, A for Allison, W for Wadsworth, H for Representative Harris, C for Major Campbell, A for Governor Adkins, and T for Major Tulley.” The photograph on the newsletter cover was named “Day’s End” and was dedicated to the men of the construction phase and of their earning of the Army/Navy “E” flag “for high achievement in war construction.” The flag had been presented to the construction staff at a ceremony at the plant on June 26, 1943.[xxxv]
By the spring of 1944 other TNT plants in the United States had been built and the ammonium nitrate operations were being phased out. The Onagers began to scatter. Six of the men went into the Navy. Pat Willis came to the plant from the Manhattan Project to recruit engineers. Willis said he could not tell the remaining Onagers what they would be doing but it was critical to the war effort. Willis cinched the deal by tell the Onagers that they could either transfer as civilians or be drafter and assigned to the project. The seven men that transferred to the new project did not know when they transferred that they would be working on the problem of producing pure hydrogen to be used in atomic bombs.[xxxvi]
On May 5, 1944, the OOW was awarded the Army/Navy “E” flag for production. It was with great pride that this award had been received in less than a year of operation. The plant would be allowed to fly the “E” flag and the employees would receive pins to ware. A message was sent from the president of the United States to the operating staff.
“An Army-Navy Production Award emblem is a symbol of outstanding service in the greatest production force in the world today-a united and free army of American workers. Franklin D. Roosevelt.”[xxxvii] A second “E” award added a star to the flag in October 1944. The plant was also able to fly the treasury “T’ flag. That “T” flag was a symbol that at least 90 percent of the employees had at least 10 percent of their wages deducted for war bonds each pay day.[xxxviii] The third Army/Navy “E” award added a second star to the “E” flag on April 14, 1945.[xxxix]
During war operations, about 700 employees were needed to staff the facility. Some of the employees were paid by the ordnance department and the rest by Lion Chemical Corp. A secretary was paid .55 cents per hour. To get to work many of the employees had to car pool. [xl] Transportation was a major issue. A bus had run for about two months but the owner got drafted and services ended. People got to work the best they could, some came in Model A fords they had reconditioned and some in old school busses.[xli] Ralph Freeman stated service was established to run a trolley/tram that provided transportation to the plant over the rail lines.[xlii] In the fall of 1942 hiring of the operators began, first class operators received $1.20, second class $1.10, and helpers $.90 per hour. Most of the workers had never worked in an industrial plant before and had to be completely trained.[xliii]
On August 16, 1945, the Gazette, carried the news that many workers in war plants would be loosing their jobs. The newspaper announced that Major E. A. Moore the current commanding officer at OOW said the plant would be kept in production and no workers would lose their jobs.[xliv] In February 1946 the OOW was still producing ammonia for the ordnance department but people in El Dorado wondered how long the U. S. government would keep the plant in production.[xlv] The citizens of El Dorado did not have long to wait for the news. On March 15, 1946, the War Assets Corporation announced that the OOW was surplus to the government needs and would be offered for sale or lease. By April 2, 1946, the Lion Chemical Corp was granted a lease of OOW with options to purchase and would be manufacturing nitrogen fertilizer for commercial use. By May 16, 1946, Lion Chemical had taken over all operations at the plant.[xlvi]
In March 1948, Lion purchased the plant out right. Lion made improvements and additions at a cost of over $10 million in the 1940s and diversified the products. Nine 30-ton anhydrous ammonia tanks were added to replace the smaller tanks is use during the war years. An ammonium prilling plant was built and placed in operation in 1947. This was the first nitrate prilling plant in the USA. In 1955, Lion merged with Monsanto Chemical Company and operated the plant under the Inorganic Chemical Division. The plant operated under Monsanto until July 29, 1983. At that time the plant was sold to the El Dorado Chemical Company with assistance from LSB Industries. On November 28, 1984, LSB Industries bought the El Dorado chemical operation. In 2005 the plant continues to operate under the name of El Dorado Chemical Company with LSB financing.[xlvii]
Although the plant ceased as a service to the government in 1946, the OOW had one more job to do for Uncle Sam. In the 1950s, a 16mm movie of the plant was used as
a training film for military air intelligence interpreters. Worth Camp, who was in the Naval Air Intelligence School in Washington, DC, remembers the film. He noted that the film opened with the L-I-O-N name appearing on the four tall square reformer furnace towers. One letter of Lion appeared on each tower. The film moved from ground level outside to all the various parts of the plant. The trainees learned to spot the features on the roofs, outlying buildings, storage containers, and piping to identify which chemical industry they saw from 20,000 feet in the air.[xlviii]
Several of the Onagers that had left for military service returned after the war to work at the plant. At first the group that went to the Manhattan project was not eligible for rehire as the returning service men had first choice. At least one of the Manhattan project group did return to work at the plant in later years. The OOW had special meaning to the Onagers it was their first job and seven of the men married female employees of the project. Gladys Biggers, Margaret Johnson, and Corrine Walk worked in the laboratory. Frieda Elliott, Floy Feser, Gene Lowe, Irene Smith, and Carolyn Smalling worked in the office. Frances Cofer worked at the Lion office.[xlix]
A tour of the plant in May 2005 reveals that many of the buildings are still in use 62 years after the first ammonia was produced. The administration building continues to serve the operating managers and their staff. The tall square towers of the reforming furnaces still stand and two continued to be used. The fire station and laboratory buildings are still is use. The railroad repair shop maintains the plant’s railroad engine. The railroad system is in continued use both inside the site and to send and receive goods over the spur line to the main track. A pipeline brings natural gas under pressure onto the site and a vast network of pipes transfers the products to the various buildings for processing.[l] Governor Adkins hope for permanent industries has certainly been fulfilled in regard to the continued production at the former OOW.
Kent has been a researcher and writer on Arkansas history
since the 1960s. Her credits include a history of Jacksonville, Arkansas,
and two previous articles published in
the Pulaski County Historical Quarterly, one of which won the Hampton Roy award for
the best article for 1984.
Appendix A
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, PETITIONER,
VS. Civil Action No. 134 In
the district court of the
Western
District of
3,250.41 Acres of land, more or El Dorado Division
less, situated in Union County,
Arkansas: and J. P. Pickering, et al. Defendants.
Judgment Vesting
Title in the
Of America upon Filing Declaration of taking
On Portion of Land Herein.
On this the 29 day of December, 1941, this cause comes on for the hearing upon the Petition and other documents and pleadings filed herein, the petitioner being represented by Clinton E. Barry, United States attorney, and John E. Harris, assistant United States Attorney, and from all of which the court finds:
That this cause of action was filed in this court on December 10, 1941 seeking to condemn, with other land, certain lands hereinafter described for the use and benefit of the United States of America under the acts of Congress set out in the original petition herein: …
(b) The public uses for which said lands are taken are as follows: The said lands are necessary adequately to provide for a site for an ordnance munitions plant, and for other military purposes incident thereto. The said lands have been elected by me for the acquisition by the United States for the use in connection with the establishment of the Ozark Ordnance Works, El Dorado, Arkansas, and for such others uses as may be authorized by Congress or by executive Order, and are required for immediate use. …
Henry L. Stimson
Secretary
of War of the
Extracted from Union County records Deed Book 443 pp 576-582
Names of the land owners included in the petition Deed Book 443 pp. 576-582
J. P. and N. E. Pickering
Heirs of T. J. Head;
Mrs. Chaddie T. Head
J. D. Head
R. T. Head
Virginia
and D.
Leroy and Blanche Head
Josephine Head
Geneva Head
L. M. Calhoun Jr.
C. B. Sherrouse
Martin Allday
D. H. Allday
Sam Dorfman
J. C. Fevey
C. I. Bacon
Martha Head
J. C. Young
C. G. Scott
McVae Young
Ray Murphy
Arthur Faison Estate:
Edna Mae Faison Richard and Leroy Richard
Jimmie D. Faison
Robert Lee Faison
Bessie Mae Dumas and Mose Dumas
A. D. Murphy and Birdie G. Murphy
Lee Dickenson
R. A. Chiles
M. C. Clay
Ben T. Wright
Mrs. Mary Chiles
James H. Dugan
George M. LeCroy
L. H. Grey
Clyde Duck
F.A. Book
Samuel S. Alexander
James Willard Goodwin and Ruby Goodwin
Andrew McAnsh
W. B. and Wyna Lee Combs
John M. Dumas
W. H. Hanna
W. T. McKinnon
W. S. Sloan
J. F. Warren
Naddie Warren Roper and Marion Roper
Ida Warren Jackson and Aylmer Jackson
O. G. Warren and Nora Warren
C. S. Warren and Ada Warren
Nellie Warren Perry and Jack Perry
First National Bank,
Archie Mosley and Josie Mosley
Ernest Menser Estate:
Evelyn and Albert Massey
Julia Ann Menser
Lavelle Menser
Peter Menser
George Menser
Mattie Ford and Bob Ford
Oberta Menser
Willie Menser
Charlie Moore
Arlie Stokes and Ben Stokes
Olivia Moore
Sis
Elmer Moore
Clarence Moore
Julius Moore
Arel Moore
Cortez Menser Estate:
Addie Lee Menser
Buelah Moore
Additional Names extracted from Deed Books, Union County Court House.
H. L. and Letha Bailes
Malissa Mae and Abner Bailey
S. D. and Disteen
G. W. and Martha V. Chism
Mary and J. T. Coke
Peter Coke
J. J. and Mattie Cottrell
John L. Henry Cowan and Luceal Cowan
Lollie Dumas
Harry Jr. and Rose E. Ezell
Boyle T. and Anner Faison
Jennie Garlin
Letha Goodwin
Henry and Amy Lee Goodwin
Otis H. and Phyllis E. Goodwin
Sattie Virginia Goodwin
T. H. and Mabel Goodwin
T. O. and Pauline Goodwin
William and Susie Goodwin
Elnora and John Greenwood
J. A. and Ruth Haney
J. G. and Drucilla Johnston
Hardy H. and M. V. Leverette
J. R. and R. A. Leverette
Rebecca A. Leverette
F. M. and Pearline Massey
Frank Massey
Herbert and Viola Massey
Jimmie Dee and Mozelle Massey
Peter and Emily Massey
Francis and Montee Matthews
Mrs. Blanch and J. B. Murphy
Beatrice Peterson
L. R. and A. D. Pope
B. W. Jr.and Ida Ruth Reeves
H. B. and Helen M. Reeves
J. A. and Kate H. Reeves
Martha Reeves
W. H. and Lena Reeves
Mrs. Pat Riley
S. C. and Bonnie Mabel Rogers
Jacob and Alsina Shinks
A. E. Slaughter
Minnie Sheppard
Reeves and Addie Thompson
T. D. and Lena G. Trimble
Mary E. McGraw Warren and Will Warren
Ruthey and Garland Watson
Nancy Whatley
H. G. and Mozelle White
Sylesvester and Rosa Bell White
Margaret P. and T. F. Williams
Endnotes
I Arkansas Gazette, Little Rock, AR, September 21, 1941, p. 4.
ii Ibid. October 10, 1941, p. 1.
iii Ibid.
iv Col. T. H. Barton, Temporary Exhibit, visited by the author May 5, 2005, Museum of Natural Resources, Smackover, AR.
v The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN., February 2, 1947, Sec IV, p. 3.
vi Edgar B. Chesnutt, Progress-From Poison, Arkansas Gazette, July 18, 1943 Sunday Magazine, p. 1.
Arkansas Gazette, September 21, 1941, p. 24.
vii Ralph Freeman, Engineering Manager, El Dorado Chemical Company, interview by author and tour of the former OOW, May 6, 2005.
viii El Dorado Daily News, El Dorado, AR., October 12, 1941, p. 12.
ix Joe Walk, The Onager Story, December 1999, p. 1. Book supplied by Austin Bollen, El Dorado.
x Arkansas Gazette, November 4, 1941, p. 2.
xi El Dorado Daily News, November 6, 8, & 26, 1941
xii Arkansas Gazette, November 14, 1941, p. 1.
xiii Walk, The Onager Story, p. 1.
xiv El Dorado Daily News: Oil and Industries Edition, January 30, 1942.
xv Union County, Arkansas, deed books, starting with book 443, p. 576.
xvi El Dorado Daily News, January 31, February 6, March 21, April 29, 1942.
xvii Ibid. March 22, 1942.
xviii Walk, The Onager Story, p. 1.
xix Ibid. p. 1, 2.
xx Walk, Original training notebook, 1942, In possession of the Museum of Natural Resources.
xxi Walk, The Onager Story, p. 5.
xxii El Dorado Daily News, June 7, 14, 28, July 5, August 10, 1942.
xxiii Ibid. July 10, 19, September 1, 1942.
xxiv Ibid January 31, 1943.
xxv Ibid. July 12, 1942.
xxvi El Dorado Daily News, Oil and Industries Edition, January 31, 1943.
xxvii Freeman interview, May 6, 2005.
xxviii The Arkansas Democrat, Little Rock, AR., September 6, 1942, p. 17.
xxix El Dorado Daily News, January 31, 1943.
xxx Ibid.
xxxi http://thomas.loc.gov Accessed
xxxii
xxxiii Walk, The Onager Story p. 6.
xxxiv Unnamed OOW newsletter, June 1943 copy supplied by Richard Milliken, El Dorado.
xxxv Ozark Lion, El Dorado, Arkansas, July 1943. Copy supplied by Ralph Freeman.
xxxvi Walk, The Onager Story, p. 10.
xxxvii Ibid. p. 10, 11.
xxxviii El Dorado Daily News, Oil and Industry Edition, February 18, 1945.
xxxix WW II folder, Museum of Natural Resources.
xl Ibid.
xli El Dorado Daily News, January 31, 1943.
xlii Freeman interview May 6, 2005.
xliii Walk, The Onager Story, p. 7.
xliv Arkansas Gazette, August 16, 1945.
xlv El Dorado Daily News, February 24, 1946.
xlvi Ibid. March 16, April 2, May 16, 1946.
xlvii El Dorado News Times, El Dorado, Arkansas, Progress Edition, March 23, 2005, p. 2.
xlviii Worth Camp, El Dorado, e-mail to author June 16, 2004.
xlix Walk, The Onager Story pp. 7, 8, 9, 10.
l Freeman tour, May 6, 2005.
100 YEARS OF PUBLIC SERVICE: THE 1905 JUNIOR COLLEGE
BUILDING IN EL DORADO, ARKANSAS
by
Phillip Ballard
According to John Ruskin, “The Art of Building [is] the strongest, proudest, most orderly [and] most enduring of the arts of man. The art is associated with all civic pride and sacred principle; with which men record their power, satisfy their enthusiasm, make sure their defense, [and] define and make dear their habitation” (qtd. in Butcher-Younghans 3). One local building that exemplifies the “civic pride and principle” of which Ruskin wrote stands at 300 South West Avenue, and this year those who know it best celebrate the one hundredth birthday of what has become known as the 1905 Junior College Building. Early in their history, the people of El Dorado were committed to providing a good education for the youth of the community. The construction of the Junior College Building, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, proved this commitment in a tangible, enduring way. It was built on Lot 98 of the Newton Subdivision, which originally contained 160 acres. Lot 98 had already been used for educational purposes as early as the 1850s. Albert Rust had acquired this land on “January 5, 1852, for $3,000 and a $520.83 mortgage on a 17-year-old slave girl” (Arnold and Wilson 8). On May 7, 1858, the trustees of the El Dorado Female Institute—James W. Adams, Argrove Ammons, Hezekiah Bussy, William R. Clowser, Robert Goodwin, Hugh P. Marr, and Hamilton P. Smead—paid Rust $250 for five acres on which to build a school for young women. This first school building constructed on the site is described in the National Register nomination form as “a two story, eight room, frame structure with a long assembly hall in the rear” (Hammond). After the female academy closed in 1860, the Confederate Army used this building as a hospital during the Civil War, but its original educational purpose was restored when El Dorado’s first public school was created on October 12, 1869, with the formation of the El Dorado Special School District #15. “A ten months term was ordered for 1870 and school opened . . . on the site of the present Junior College quarters” (Whitten). In 1895, when grades nine through twelve were added to the public school system, the Chancery Court deeded the property to the El Dorado Special School District, who had been using the property for 20 years. The first class graduated from the newly formed public high school in June of 1896 (Hammond), effectively replacing the private academies that had served the community in previous years.
As the local population grew, additional space was
needed; and in 1903, the School Board appointed a committee, with B. W. Reeves
its chair, to begin planning the construction of a new brick school building.
At its
The new (1925)
served both the high school and the college, but the majority
of the lecture classes [for the junior college] were held in the
older (1905)
Board minutes often refer to the 1905 building as the Junior
College Building, though that was never its official name. The
high school administrators also served as administrative
officers of the college and the El Dorado School Board served
as the Board for the college. The majority of the college’s
faculty was specifically recruited to teach in the college, but
some college and high school faculty members served in both
institutions. Apparently, no student enrollment data exist, but
recollections of students who attended the college would
indicate that the largest enrollment was probably less than
250 students.2 The college operated until the beginning of the
Second World War. The minutes of the
Board do not reflect exactly when the college closed; however,
in August, 1942, Superintendent McClerkin’s reporting to the
Board that all equipment had been returned from the Junior
College to the High School would indicate that the college no longer existed. (4)
According to
Now serving as the
administration building for
Wide wooden moldings decorate the eaves on the third floor, and two large brick chimneys — that provided ventilation for the furnaces located in the basement — jut high into the air above the building. Originally, a decorative balustrade that matched those above the front and back entrances ran along the roof line on the east and west facades but were removed when they became a maintenance problem (Abbott).
Inside, each above-ground floor is bisected by a central corridor from which classrooms and offices are accessible. The original 12-foot ceilings were decorated with pressed-tin panels and molding, much of which is still in place, and the rooms off the central corridors were connected through doors that measure three feet in width and almost eight feet in height. These large doors are decorated with six panels and topped with transom windows to allow air circulation. Aside from the fire escapes on the north and side sides of the building, two open, steep staircases provided the only access to the upper floors for many years; the first step of each staircase was set six feet from the front and back entrances to the first floor. In 1989, an elevator was installed in the center of the building; and in 1996, concrete ramps and steel banisters were built at both entrances and automatic doors were added, making the building handicapped accessible.
In 1999, South Arkansas Community College sought grant funding from the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council to begin restoration work on the aging building. The ANCRC saw the value in preserving this historic building and provided $995,000 for the work Among other improvements, the structure was reinforced, the walls were repainted in colors appropriate to the period, the staircases were restored to their original appearance, the tin ceilings were exposed and repainted in several areas, and the wood floors were uncovered and refinished on the third floor. Local citizens were invited to donate period furniture, old photographs, and other memorabilia to decorate the lobby and corridors of the building, and many responded. On September 30, 2002, Gov. Mike Huckabee rededicated the newly restored property in a well-attended ceremony.
Presently, an additional ANCRC grant is funding restoration work on the outside of the building, including tuck pointing the mortar joint of the brick exterior, replacing the windows to duplicate the original design, and burying the utility lines. As the outside is restored, the inside still serves the educational needs of area students. Specifically, it houses most of SouthArk’s administrative offices, the Board Room, various faculty offices, and two classrooms — one for music and another for art. The staircases still creak with age as students and faculty come and go, and the general atmosphere evokes memories of a time in local history when public education was considered the cornerstone of the Republic and a steppingstone for personal success. After 100 years, this sturdy monument continues to serve the community and to remind all who use it of the importance of public education in a free society.
Phillip Ballard, a Hope native and currently an El Dorado resident, has taught in Arkansas schools since 1972. He has served as an English instructor at South Arkansas Community College since 1987.
End Notes
1
According to John B. Abbott, local architect, “pressed” bricks—made by putting a
dry clay mixture into molds and mechanically pressing them into a hard,
consistent shape—were used. This made it possible to “butter” these extra
durable bricks with only a thin layer of mortar.
2
According to its annual bulletin, the El Dorado Junior College grew from an
enrollment of 22 in 1925 to 132 students in 1933-34.
Works Consulted
Abbott, John B. Telephone interview. 27 June 2005. Mr. Abbott was born across Block
Street from the Junior College Building and remembers first visiting the structure as a boy when his father was superintendent of schools. He recalls that the original means of heating the building was an air transfer system from coal-fueled furnaces located in the basement. He also points out that the State of Arkansas did not require architectural records at the time the JC Building was constructed, making it difficult to determine which architect, if any, designed it.
Arnold, George and Shea Hutchens
Wilson. Then and Now: A Guide to Historic
Union
County. El Dorado, Arkansas: News-Times Publishing Company, 1994.
Burrow, Diane. “Schools Advance
Since First Class in El Dorado in 1845.” El
Dorado
News-Times. 12 Jan. 1971: 6. This source claims that construction began in 1903 and was not completed until several weeks into the 1906 fall term of the school year, delaying the beginning of classes. This contradicts the School Board minutes, which show that the Board did not approve construction until 1904.
Butcher-Younghans, Sherry. Historic House Museums. New York: Oxford UP, 1993.
“Community College in Full Swing.” El Dorado (AR) News-Times. 28 Mar. 1976: 16B.
This source introduces the newly formed El Dorado Branch of Southern State College, the current college’s mother institution, to the community and chronicles the transition of the Junior College Building from a junior high school facility back to its former college status.
Deed and Certificate of Record. 301 Summit in El Dorado, Arkansas. Page 990792. 8
Aug. 1983.
El Dorado Junior College. Annual Bulletin. Information and Announcements 1933-34.
This is a brochure on file in the college president’s office that provides basic facts and figures of interest to prospective students. Annual tuition consisted of $100 plus lab fees, but valedictorians were enrolled tuition-free. Fifty courses are listed, including Composition and Rhetoric, General Psychology, Old Testament History, Advanced French and Spanish, Differential Calculus, and Zoology.
El Dorado School Board El Dorado,
Arkansas. Minutes of Regular and Special
Meetings. 6 June 1904. This hand-written source provides a concise record of the transactions leading up to the construction of the Junior College Building.
Hammond, J. Parks. Nomination Form National Register of Historic Places Inventory. El
Dorado Junior College Building. 4 April 1977. This source provides a detailed architectural description of the building along with diagrams and photographs.
South Arkansas Community College.