The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture (EOA), a project of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System, seeks an intern for the summer semester 2018. The EOA is a comprehensive, Web-based resource on all aspects of Arkansas’s history and culture. This internship is open to upper-level undergraduate students and to graduate students and will consist of working closely with the staff historian to research and vet encyclopedia content. Interns are expected to work eight hours per week, primarily at the EOA’s Little Rock office. A $500 stipend will be paid. The names of all interns will be permanently listed on the Encyclopedia of Arkansas website.

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New collections available

Here’s a list of collections we’ve recently processed at the Butler Center. 

MSS.08.52 Ladies Aid Society, Winfield Memorial Church collection

This collection consists of a ledger containing membership and financial records of the Ladies Aid Society of Winfield Memorial Church, Little Rock, Ark.

http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-0852

MSS.09.03 Womble, Arkansas, collection

This collection contains a small photograph album of scenes from the town of Womble, now Norman, Ark.

http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-0903

MSS.10.12 Helen Doris Dyer collection

This collection contains letters written by eleven-year-old Helen Doris Dyer to her family at Clarendon, Ark., as well as correspondence and hospital records pertaining to her time as a patient at Shriners' Hospital for Crippled Children, Shreveport, Louisiana.

http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-10-12

MSS.10.33 Carnall and Wheeler ledgers and letter books
This collection consists of three ledgers and two letter books containing records for the Fort Smith and Sebastian County, Ark., businesses of John Carnall individually, and for two of his real estate partnerships, one with John Foster Wheeler, and one with William W. Wheeler.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-1033

MSS.10.34 William H. Engels account book
This collection consists of a ledger book used by William H. Engels of Farmington, Ark., in his grist and sawmill business and his farm, along with miscellaneous receipts. The book contains mainly business records from 1866 to 1867, with a few pages of entries dated from 1857 to 1864. The first twenty pages of the volume were used by Engels as an arithmetic exercise book while he was a student in Fayetteville.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-1034

MSS.11.73 Charles E. Wade Worthen Bank collection
This collection contains documents, photographs, and memorabilia collected by Charles E. Wade during his tenure with Worthen Bank and Trust Company. The bulk of the collection consists of photographs accumulated during the time of the company's expansion to include first drive-through teller windows and then branch banks. A number of photographs record the involvement of the Central Little Rock Urban Renewal Project in clearing downtown property which was then acquired by Worthen Bank for the construction of a new headquarters building at 200 West Capitol Avenue.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-1173

MSS.12.37 Abraham Block research collection
This collection contains notes and photocopies of material related to the Abraham and Fanny Block family as well as contextual material related to Jewish history.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-1237

MSS.12.49 Griffin-Wylie family collection
This collection contains photographs, genealogical information, and other materials related to the families of Lois Amelia Griffin and Richard Douglas Wylie.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-1249

MSS.13.45 Payton Kolb scrapbook
This scrapbook contains newspaper clippings and other memorabilia related to Kolb's high school and college training and performances as a musician as well as photographs related to his military service.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-1345

MSS.13.58 Thomas J. Rainey High School collection
This collection contains a scrapbook and other material related to the creation of the Thomas J. Raney High School.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-1358

MSS.13.75 Little Rock School District records
This collection primarily consists of meeting minutes from the LRSD Board of Directors covering the period of 1877-1972. There are additional meeting minutes from the Womans [sic.] Teachers Association of LRSD, Parents and Teachers Association of LRSD, and Dunbar Junior College. A scrapbook of newspaper clippings about education in Little Rock from the 1870s to 1890s, as well as yearbooks from Hall High School and Little Rock Central High School are also included in the collection.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-1375

MSS.13.77 J.H. James Civil War letters
This collection contains three letters written by J. H. James of Company D, Sixth Arkansas Cavalry Battalion, to his mother, Sarah B. James, of Lake Providence, Louisiana.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-1377

MSS.14.42 David O. Dodd Extension Homemakers Club collection
The David O. Dodd Extension Homemakers Club collection contains organizational records consisting of scrapbooks and pamphlets. The scrapbooks were created and maintained by club secretaries and cover most years between 1930 and 2013. The bulk of the pamphlets are club yearbooks and secretary's record books and cover the same time period.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-1442

MSS.14.55 Consolidated White River Academy Stockholder’s Association minutes book
This collection consists of a book recording the annual meeting minutes of the stockholders' association which supported and oversaw the work of the Consolidated White River Academy, Brinkley, Ark.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-1455

MSS.14.74 Pleasant Lumpkin Tomlin Civil War letters
This collection contains photocopies and transcriptions of letters written by Pleasant Lumpkin Tomlin of Columbia County, Ark., just before and during his service with Johnson's 15th Arkansas Infantry Regiment.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-1474

MSS.15.07 Hiram H. Chamberlin Civil War letter
This collection consists of a letter written by Hiram Chamberlin while he was serving with Company L of the 2nd Wisconsin Cavalry at Helena, Ark.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-1507

MSS.15.08 W. Lewis Civil War letter
This collection contains a letter written in November 1864 by W. Lewis, then stationed at DeValls, Bluff, Ark. The author is believed to be Walter Lewis of Company F of the 20th Iowa Infantry.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-1508

MSS.15.09 James Hook Civil War report
This collection contains an informal report by James Hook of Terre Haute, Indiana, on the expedition sent by the Indiana Sanitary Commission to provide relief to the troops fighting in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas in the summer of 1863. The report was written over a period of a few days and reports events both on the steamer and in the towns and camps they visited.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-1509

MSS.17.41 Excelsior, Arkansas, collection
This collection contains documents and correspondence relating to the town of Excelsior established along the route of the Midland Valley Railroad in Sebastian County, Ark., as well as a plat map of the town of Excelsior.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-1741

MSS.17.44 Terrence Roberts papers
The Terrence Roberts papers contain the professional and personal records of psychologist, writer and speaker, and Little Rock Nine member, Terrence Roberts. The bulk of the collection consists of research, notes, correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, and audiovisual material related to the Little Rock Central High School Desegregation Crisis and Crisis commemoration events. Research, writings, correspondence, and records pertaining to Roberts' psychology career are included in the collection as well. Also in the collection is personal correspondence, newspaper clippings, speeches and writings, personal records, photographs, awards, and artwork.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-1744

MSS.17.45 Colony Herald newspapers
This collection contains two editions of The Colony Herald, a newspaper published by the Dyess Colony in Mississippi County, Ark., from May 1936 to November 1937.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-1745

MSS.17.63 Curtis Jones World War I collection addendum
This collection contains correspondence between Curtis Jones and his wife Jessie as well as some correspondence to and from other members of his family and friends during Jones's military service during World War I. It also contains ephemera and a few photographs.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-1763

CP.02.03.02 Bill Clinton Gubernatorial record group; Education series; Gloria Cabe subseries

This collection contains working papers from Gloria Cabe, Senior Advisor on Education and Liaison to National Education Organizations for Governor Bill Clinton from 1988 to 1990, and Chief of Staff to the governor in 1991. It includes documents related to the National Governors Association (NGA)’s Educational Summit, held in September 1989, Arkansas’s Restructuring program in 1990, which sought to improve the organizational structure of schools and school districts, and Cabe’s work in the General Assembly. The collection also holds many documents from organizations that interacted with the governor’s office between 1988 and 1991, including U.S. government agencies, large organizations such as the Education Commission of the States (ECS), and many other national, state, and local entities.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/cp-020302

CP.02.03.03 Bill Clinton Gubernatorial record group; Education series; Paul Root subseries
This collection contains working papers of Paul Root, a special advisor to Governor Bill Clinton on education, aging, and religion from January 1983 to August 1987. It includes correspondence with constituents, inter-office memoranda and reports, and education-related materials received by mail for the governor and his staff.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/cp-020303

CP.02.03.06 Bill Clinton Gubernatorial record group; Education series; Education Team subseries
This collection contains papers and other items from Governor Bill Clinton’s staff. The Education Team was formed in 1989 and continued to function until Clinton was elected president of the United States at the end of 1992. The collection includes briefing papers for Governor Clinton, correspondence with constituents, inter-office memoranda and reports, and education-related materials received by mail for the governor and his staff.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/cp-020306

CP.02.03.07 Bill Clinton Gubernatorial record group; Education series; Ann Kamps subseries
This collection contains the working papers of Ann Kamps, who served on Governor Clinton’s staff as Special Assistant to Arkansas's First Lady and as Special Assistant for Early Childhood Programs from 1985 through 1992. Her work covered special programs and events the First Lady organized and attended and most notably the development of the Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY).
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/cp-020307

CP.04.03.01 Bill Clinton Multimedia record group; audio/video series; audio subseries
This subseries contains audio recordings relating to Bill Clinton’s gubernatorial campaigns and career as governor of Arkansas (1978-1992). Also included are recordings from Clinton’s presidential campaign (1991-1992), and early years following his second term as president of the United States (2001-2004).
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/cp-040301

VWP.20 Frank V. Meeks Jr. Vietnam War collection
This collection contains an oral history interview with Frank V. Meeks Jr. from October 2017, as well as documents and photographs related to his military service.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-vwp-20

VWP.22 James E. Mitchell Vietnam War collection
This collection contains written and recorded correspondence from Captain James E. Mitchell to his family during his deployment to Vietnam, as well as other personal and family correspondence, and related documents.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-vwp-22


New material added to:

MSS.09.06 Ira McL. Barton collection
This collection contains documents and correspondence related to the service of Lieutenant Ira McL. Barton who was a quartermaster with the Fourth Military District at Pine Bluff, Ark., following the Civil War, as well as additional miscellaneous military documents.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-0906

MSS.11.95 Robert Ward Johnson letters
This collection contains three letters written by Robert Ward Johnson, one while he was in the United States Congress, and two while he represented Arkansas in the Confederate Senate.
http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-1195

MSS.11.147 G. Thomas Eisele papers

This collection contains documents, pamphlets, journals, and photographs related to G. Thomas Eisele, his career, and family.

http://purl.oclc.org/arstudies/bc-mss-11147

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Radio CALS - December 6, 2017

Radio CALS airs on KABF 88.3 FM in Little Rock from 6-6:30 p.m. every Wednesday. It may be streamed live at www.kabf.org (click "Listen Live") or anytime at www.soundcloud.com/radiocals.

Today's broadcast of Radio CALS (12/6/2017):

Vietnam War veteran Eddie Odle talks to the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies Research Services Division Manager Brian Robertson. Mr. Odle discusses his service as a rifleman in the Marines, including a year spent near the Demilitarized Zone.

Upcoming Events 

Legacies & Lunch

Diane Gleason Discusses Dardanelle and the Bottoms
TODAY Wednesday, December 6 • Noon • Free
CALS Main Library Darragh Center, 100 Rock St.
Based on materials from her recently released book, Dardanelle and the Bottoms: Environment, Agriculture, and Economy in an Arkansas River Community, 1819-1970, Gleason will discuss life in the town of Dardanelle and the adjacent rural area known as the Dardanelle Bottoms. She will show period photographs of residents as well as historical maps of the area. Legacies & Lunch is sponsored in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert are provided.


Butler Center Galleries

On Exhibit:
Arkansas Pastel Society: Reflections in Pastel, West Gallery
The Arkansas Pastel Society creates a supportive community of pastel artists that promotes the pastel medium through workshops and exhibitions. Reflections in Pastel opens November 10, 2017, and runs through February 24, 2018.


Jim Nelson: Abstraction and Color, Underground Gallery
This survey of new and older works by Jim Nelson combines elements of abstract painting and low-relief carving to create colorful and dynamic artworks in a variety of soft and hard woods. Exhibition runs through December 30.

Bret Aaker, Art of Conatus, Loft Gallery
These new assemblages by Bret Aaker explore the idea of conatus, which in early philosophical thinking about psychology and metaphysics meant the innate drive of something to continue to exist and enhance itself. Through January 28, 2018

The Art of Injustice, Concordia Hall
Assembled by guest curator Dr. Sarah Wilkerson Freeman, history professor at Arkansas State University, The Art of Injustice features photographs taken by Paul Faris during his visit to the Rohwer incarceration center in 1945. His captivating black-and-white photographs capture the community created by Japanese Americans during their incarceration in Arkansas during World War II. This project was funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program. Exhibition runs through December 30.

2nd Friday Art Night

Friday, December 8 • 5-8 p.m. • Free
Butler Center Galleries
401 President Clinton Ave.
Paint & Take Holiday Edition -- Enjoy a fun, guided art-making experience to paint sensational seasonal symbols. We’ll be picking up our brushes at 5 p.m. and painting a series of winter-themed pieces that will make perfect one-of-a-kind gifts. Materials provided. No experience necessary.

Arkansas Sounds:

The Bob Boyd Sounds
Friday, December 8 • 8-9 p.m. • Doors open at 7 p.m. • Free
CALS Ron Robinson Theater, 100 River Market Avenue
After 2nd Friday Art Night, join us for a free one-hour holiday concert featuring Arkansas band the Bob Boyd Sounds. Four band members will perform a variety of holiday favorites and original compositions from their Sounds Like Christmas album.


For more information about Butler Center programming, contact Glenn Whaley at (501) 320-5741 or gwhaley@cals.org.

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