Featured Manuscript Collection

City of Little Rock Collection
MSS.07.51
Finding Aid

Box 22, File 26: Housing Authority, Urban Progress Association, Inc., Sneak Preview of Central Little Rock Urban Renewal Project, ca. 1965
The City of Little Rock Collection currently contains 29 ledger and record books, which hold city ordinance publication records, financial records, including those dealing with taxes and bond issuance, as well as the day to day transactions of the City of Little Rock, Arkansas. The collection also includes reports from the Mayor and other city officers and information about planning and maintenance of the various city parks and facilities.

Boxes 1-13 contain the financial records, boxes 14-16 contain property tax assessments, and boxes 17- 18 contain records of the Board of Public Affairs and the Board of Health, respectively. Boxes 19-21 contain record books of city ordinance proofs of publication, and box 22 contains the reports from the mayor and city officers, city planning information, and parks and recreation department reports.

Ordinances passed by the city government were posted in the local newspapers. These postings were recorded in record books with a clipping of the posted ordinance from the newspaper, sometimes accompanied by a certified document with the city seal and mayor’s signature.

Two books contain the records of two city boards, the Board of Public Affairs and the Board of Health. The Board of Public Affairs dealt with taking bids for city projects, from paving to construction, and the care and feeding of city service animals. Information about the existence and location of various landmarks of the time, when particular streets might have been paved and who would have done the work can be found in this record. The Board of Health Record records actions taken to address unsanitary conditions and outbreaks of disease in the city.

Box 17, File 1: Record Book, Board of Public Affairs, January 3, 1898-September 15, 1911
Various day to day financial transactions are recorded in some of the ledgers showing the routine business of the city--some include expense records, others include tax collection records from various individuals and businesses.

Records for the sale and maturity dates of various bonds are recorded in many of the various ledger books available in the collection. Many of these were for special projects, such as the construction of Robinson Auditorium, the airport, parks, and other city maintenance and improvement.

Box 3, File 1: Ledger Book, Bonds, various accounts, June 30, 1924-May 1940
While the majority of the collection is in the form of large ledger and record books, there are also smaller items, such as pamphlets and booklets. Most of these are reports from the Mayor and other city officials to the City Board or Reports of the Parks and Recreation Department. Other materials deal with the planning and development, or redevelopment, of the city. Some of these plans are evident today, and some, like a planned sports arena complex on the riverfront at Markham and Main, never made it past the planning stages.

Box 22, File 26: Housing Authority, Urban Progress Association, Inc., Sneak Preview of Central Little Rock Urban Renewal Project, ca. 1965
This collection is currently available and open to the public in the research room of the Arkansas Studies Institute and will be added to from time to time as additional related materials are accessioned and processed.

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Advertising in the Arkansas Democrat

Contract for Worthen Bank advertising space in the Arkansas Democrat newspaper, August 3, 1923.
For a rate of $0.70 net per inch, Worthen Bank agreed to take the minimum required advertising space in the Arkansas Democrat for one year. Specifically, Worthen Bank was committed to a 4 inch double column on Wednesdays and Sundays or a total of 16 inches each week.

Location of this document: MSS 08-06 Worthen Bank Collection, Series I, Box 1, File 17.

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From the photograph collection:

Little Rock Public Library, Seventh and Louisiana Sts., Little Rock, Pulaski County, Ark., 1960.
Clifton Hull Photograph Collection
PHO 37-A-22

Little Rock Public Library, Seventh and Louisiana Sts., Little Rock, Pulaski County, Ark., 1960.
Clifton Hull Photograph Collection
PHO 37-A-23

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Women's Educational Aid Society (Little Rock, Ark)

The Women’s Educational Aid Society was organized in Little Rock in 1887. According to the organization’s constitution, the “object of this Society is to assist worthy young unmarried women to obtain an education.”


Membership was limited to fifty, with a waiting list of three women and annual dues of $2 each. Women whose father, husband, or brother was "connected with the liquor traffic” were not eligible for membership.


From October to June, the Society met every other Wednesday for business and a program. Below are some examples of the types of programs at club meetings taken from the 1924-1925 Society yearbook. Click on the images to view a larger version.




This item can be found in MSS 00-22, Women's Educational Aid Society Materials. Box 1, File 4.

This first appeared on the blog in November 2009.

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Keller Music School recital program

Keller Music School recital program, undated

Arkansas Small Manuscripts Materials, File 383

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Wanted!

The Little Rock Police Department offered a $100 reward for the arrest and detention of W. Price Davis, alias W. L. Davies, an Arkansas State Penitentiary escapee, circa 1917.

According to the poster, "Davis is a check worker whose favorite method is to secure employment with, or learn the name of some prominent automobile dealer, using his name as reference in getting his checks cashed. He had served two months of a sixteen-year sentence for four cases of forgery and uttering in Little Rock, Ark."

 Arkansas Small Manuscript Materials, Item #287

*The Arkansas Small Manuscripts Materials (SMM) is a large collection containing miscellaneous documents pertaining to Arkansas. This collection is constantly expanding as new materials arrive at the Butler Center. This blog will be featuring items from the collection throughout the month of June. 

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Collecting rent at the Capital Hotel, 1940-1941

The following are statements showing rent collected from tenants of the Capital Hotel in Little Rock, Ark. These documents and others related to the Capital Hotel can be found in MSS 99-27 Capital Hotel Materials available in the Arkansas Studies Institute research room.

[Click on the images to enlarge]

December 25, 1940.

January 25, 1941.

February 25, 1941.

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Featured Manuscript Collection: March/April

Little Rock Fire Department Collection
MSS 11-120
Finding Aid
This collection contains records of the Little Rock Fire Department dating back to the 1860s. Multiple ledger books and photographs are the highlight of this collection.

The fire department in Little Rock started as an all-volunteer operation in 1839 with the formation of the city’s first fire company and purchase of a fire engine. This earliest fire company did not have an easy task. It was difficult to maintain the engine and get enough water to successfully fight the fires. In 1847, the Little Rock Fire Company was formed due to the unorganized and ineffectual original company. By 1867, four volunteer fire companies operated in Little Rock, including a hook and ladder company. It was also around this time that the city purchased its first steam engine and employed an engineer to operate it.

The first salaried position was officially added to the department in 1885, and in 1888, a salaried chief engineer position was also added. Finally, in 1892, the city passed an ordinance to create the fully-paid Little Rock Fire Department.

A detailed history of the Little Rock Fire Department can be found in Box 2, Item 1.

Group of firemen in front of the Old State House, Little Rock, Ark., 1920.
Box 5, Item 16

Members of the Ladies Auxiliary Drill Team holding in front of Central Station while preparing for a trip to the Arkansas State Firefighters Convention, Little Rock, Ark., 1933.
Box 5, Item 17

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"Your Message in Front of Everybody" Part IV

The 3rd and Marshall Streets Location:

The entire booklet with photographs can be found in MSS 08-06, the Worthen Bank Records, Series IV, Box 1, File 6. This series first appeared on the blog in April 2009.

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"Your Message in Front of Everybody" Part III

The Asher Avenue and Roosevelt Road Location:

The entire booklet with photographs can be found in MSS 08-06, the Worthen Bank Records, Series IV, Box 1, File 6. This series first appeared on the blog in April 2009.

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“Your Message in Front of Everybody”

This Baird, Inc. (formally John P. Baird) “Little Rock-North Little Rock Rotary Bulletin Plan” booklet shows us a little bit about the technical side of billboard advertising in the early 1960s. The Rotary Plan proposed the movement of a business’s advertisement to a new billboard location every sixty days in an effort to increase its exposure.

In these documents, you can see a description of the plan and a map with three billboard locations marked.

In the next couple of weeks the blog with feature entries on the three billboards shown on the above map. Each entry will include photographs of the billboard location and an information sheet showing description, size, circulation numbers, etc.

Coming up:
Main Street Bridge (North Little Rock side)
Asher Avenue and Roosevelt Road (Little Rock)
3rd and Marshall Streets (Little Rock)

Stay tuned!


The entire booklet with photographs can be found in MSS 08-06, the Worthen Bank Records, Series IV, Box 1, File 6. This series first appeared on the blog in April 2009.

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From the photograph collection:

Diamond Jubilee Session, Grand Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, Little Rock, Arkansas. December 4-6, 1950.

10 x 8, black and white.
Donated by Freddie Nixon, February 2001.
PHO 9-659

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From the photograph collection:

Fair Park Municipal Swimming Pool, Little Rock, Arkansas, undated.

5 1/2" x 3 1/2", color postcard.
PHO 2-A-16-2

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Featured Manuscript Collection: May/June

Quapaw Quarter Association Records
MSS 06-15
Finding Aid
The Quapaw Quarter Association Records, a comprehensive 196-box collection, is the product of many years of historic preservation efforts. It features research, documents, and 11,000+ images focused on the historic neighborhoods of Little Rock, the architects who designed many of the recognizable homes, and the well-known families who inhabited the area.

L. Hart Groceries & Feed
1023 W. Markham, Little Rock, Ark., mid-1880s
The collection is broken into seven series:

Series I: Address Research Files, 46 boxes. This series contains files on individual homes and businesses in the Quapaw Quarter and Little Rock metro area.

Series II: Arkansas, 23 boxes. This series contains subject files of general Arkansas history including local architects, clubs, neighborhoods and organizations, as well as miscellaneous historical documents and files related to specific families.

Series III: Quapaw Quarter Association, 4 boxes. This series contains files related to the operations of the Quapaw Quarter Association, including their popular historic home tours.

Series IV: How We Lived: Little Rock as an American City, 3 boxes. This series contains book/chapter proofs and research related to How We Lived: Little Rock as an American City by F. Hampton Roy and Charles Witsell, with Cheryl Griffith Nichols.

Series V: General Historic House and Preservation, 15 boxes. This series contains files related to general historic house and neighborhood rehabilitation and preservation.

Series VI: Photographs, 89 boxes. This series contains over 11,000 images. Boxes 1-60 contain images of Little Rock residences and business arranged by address. Boxes 61-62 contain images of North Little Rock residences and business arranged by address. Boxes 63-70 contain images of miscellaneous locations and items including two boxes of copy negatives for How We Lived. Boxes 71-75 contain images of people. Boxes 76-77contain images that belonged to the Davidson Family. Boxes 78-72 contain images that belonged to the Punch Family. Boxes 83-86 contain large photographs and albums. Boxes 87-89 contain slides, negatives and proofs.

Series VII: Oversized, 16 boxes. This series consists largely of maps and house plans.

Plunkett House (1719 Arch Street) restoration plans, February 1981

Little Rock Housing Authority, High Street Project
Land Use and Structure Map, 1960.

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Featured Manuscript Collection: March/April

Little Rock City Playground Collection
MSS 98-14
Finding Aid
The Little Rock City Playground Collection contains clippings, documents and photographs about programs and events held at playgrounds in Little Rock over a period of more than 40 years.

Flyer, 1927.
Location in collection: Series 1, Box 1, File 4
The Little Rock Playground Association was formed in the summer of 1920 by Mrs. Ed Cornish and began supervising playground activities in June 1921. Run independently at first, in 1923 the Association became part of the Community Chest.

The Little Rock Playground Association went out of existence in 1930, and was succeeded by the Little Rock Recreation Commission. This reflected the transfer of financial responsibility for running playgrounds from the volunteer nonprofit organization to the city budget, to be covered by taxes.

The Little Rock School Board also participated in running the playgrounds, as many of the summer programs were held on school playgrounds. Often teachers served as playground supervisors during the summers. In the 1940s the parks and playgrounds came under the Little Rock Parks and Recreation Department.

Winners of the Bathing Beauty Revue, June 29, 1941.
Location in Collection: Series III, Box 1, Item 20

King and Queen of Mitchell playground, August 1938.
Location in collection: Series III, Box 1, Item 19

Members of Parham School softball team, winners of the grade school championship, May 21, 1939.
Location in collection: Series III, Box 1, Item 18

Swim meet at West Side Jr. High pool, August 22, 1925.
Location in collection: Series III, Box 1, Item 16

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From the Arkansas Small Manuscripts Materials

A small selction from Arkansas Small Manuscript Materials, Box 15, File 169.





*The Arkansas Small Manuscripts Materials (SMM) is a large collection containing miscellaneous documents pertaining to Arkansas. This collection is constantly expanding as new materials arrive at the Butler Center.

Contributed by Stephanie Bayless, Manuscripts Department

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Women's Educational Aid Society (Little Rock, Ark)

The Women’s Educational Aid Society was organized in Little Rock in 1887. According to the organization’s constitution, the “object of this Society is to assist worthy young unmarried women to obtain an education.”


Membership was limited to fifty, with a waiting list of three women and annual dues of $2 each. Women whose father, husband, or brother was "connected with the liquor traffic” were not eligible for membership.


From October to June, the Society met every other Wednesday for business and a program. Below are some examples of the types of programs at club meetings taken from the 1924-1925 Society yearbook. Click on the images to view a larger version.




This item can be found in MSS 00-22, Women's Educational Aid Society Materials. Box 1, File 4.

Contributed by Stephanie Bayless, Manuscripts Department

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