Our 46th Year
FOR THE MEETING TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2010
Meets Fourth Tuesday; January-November
Founded March 1964
Second Presbyterian Church
600 Pleasant Valley Drive
Little Rock
Program at 7 p.m.
Online: www.civilwarbuff.org
Jan Sarna, President
Rick Meadows, Editor
RMeadows@aaamissouri.com / arcivilwarbuff@gmail.com
Dues $20 Per Year
VISITORS WELCOME!
VISIT THE BATTLEFIELDS WHEN YOU CAN...
WHILE YOU CAN
Ten Mile House
With
David O. Dodd and Tom Ezell
Please note
that for this month only our meeting location has
changed! We
have been invited to hold our April meeting at the
historic Ten Mile House on Stagecoach Road (Hwy 5)
in Little Rock.
At the time of
its construction in the 1820’s, the house was
located about 10
miles south
of Little Rock. The home has also been called the
McHenry House named after its first owner and the
Stagecoach House since it served as a stop for the
old Butterfield Stagecoach Line. Located along the
old Southwest Trail, travelers heading to Texas past
by her front gate. After Little Rock fell to the
Federals in September 1863, the Ten Mile House
served as a military outpost. David O. Dodd was held
in the brick smokehouse behind the main house before
being transferred to Little Rock.
Tom Ezell, a
long time member of our Roundtable, will bring a
program on David O. Dodd. Ezell works for the
Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality. A
Civil War re-enactor, Ezell spends his spare time
riding his bicycle on endurance rides up to 100
kilometers. (that’s over 60 miles!)
We will begin at 6:00 with a social hour at the Ten
Mile House. Refreshments and snacks will be served
and the program with Ezell will begin at 7:00. You
will not want to miss the special opportunity to see
history. Directions are below.
Directions to Ten Mile House
-
Take
Stagecoach Road Exit off I-430, heading
northeast toward Little Rock
-
Go ½
mile, you will pass the “Last Stand” Civil War
Marker on the left and you will cross two small
concrete bridges
-
Turn
right into property thru Barn Gate
-
House
and property are located on the south side of
the road.
Main
entrance to Ten Mile House is 100 yards past Barn
Gate. Do Not Entry Here! There are not enough
parking places at this entrance.
Ten Mile
House
Stagecoach
Road, Hwy 5
Little Rock
Update on Reed’s Bridge in Jacksonville
Two replica
cannons have been purchased and are being placed at
the battlefield. One cannon will be at the main site
on the south side of Bayou Meto where Confederate
forces repulsed Federals troops attempting to take
the bridge on August 27, 1863. The second cannon is
being placed ¼ mile north of the bridge at the site
of one of the Federal artillery positions during the
battle.
Work has begun
on a log kitchen to compliment the barn and log
cabin completed last fall. A larger log house is
planned for the property. As funds are received, a
stone house across Hwy 161 will be remodeled to
serve as a visitor center. There is an urgent need
of a new roof for the dwelling. Donations for the
cost of building materials can be sent to:
Reed’s Bridge
Battlefield Preservation Society
100 Veterans
Circle
Jacksonville,
AR 72076
A re-enactment
of the Battle of Reed’s Bridge will be held
September 10 - 12.
The RBBPS is a
501 (c) 3 organization
Arkansas Register of Historic Places
Courtesy Arkansas Ties
Battle of Little Rock
The Fourche
Bayou Battlefield was listed on the Arkansas
Register of Historic Places on April 7, 2010. The
Civil War Roundtable of Arkansas monitors and
maintains this site. It is located east of the
Little Rock airport at the corner of East Roosevelt
Road and Fourche Dam Pike. Additional photos of this
historic site can be found at our web site: www.civilwarbuff.org
Go to Places,
then Pulaski,
then Bayou
Fourche.
Charles Olin Durnett Award
The Arkansas
Civil War Heritage Trails Foundation voted at its
annual meeting in February to fund a prize for the
best paper on the Civil War in Arkansas in memory of
Chuck Durnett. A long time member of our Roundtable
and Chair of the Central Arkansas Civil War Heritage
Trail, Durnett was also a member of the Arkansas
Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission at the time of
his death on July 4, 2008. A cash prize of at least
$250 will be awarded each year during the
sesquicentennial beginning in 2011. Presentation of
the award will he administered by the Arkansas
Historical Association. Our Roundtable contributed
an additional $100 to increase the first year award
to $350.
Shoppach House Historic Park
Eddie
Landreth with the Shoppach House Historic Park has
announced that the Saline County Quilters Guild will
host their Fourth Annual Quilt Show on Saturday, May
8th from
9-3. Quilts will be displayed in the Pilgrims Rest
Church which was established in 1833. The Shoppach
House, located at the park, will be open for
touring. It is the oldest house in Benton, built in
1833. During the Civil War it served as housing for
Union officers who were stationed in Benton on the
Military Road after the fall of Little Rock. The
event is free. The Shoppach House Historic Park is
located on the corner of Military Road and Main
Street in downtown Benton.
Each year
during the Sesquicentennial, a theme will be portrayed.
The list is as follows:
-
“Why
Commemorate the Civil War?”
-
“A
Divided Arkansas”
-
“Big
War, Little War”
-
“Under
Two Governments”
-
“Emancipation and Reconstruction”
For
events and how to learn more about the Civil War in
Arkansas, visit the web site for the Arkansas Civil
War Sesquicentennial Commission. There is also an
excellent data base of units that served in Arkansas
during the war.
www.arkansascivilwar150.com
Virginia Legislature Formalizes State Battlefield
Preservation Program
In the current
issue of Hallowed
Ground, published
by the Civil War Preservation Trust, it has been
announced that both houses of the Virginia
legislature unanimously passed bills this spring to
permanently establish a state matching grant program
for Civil War battlefield preservation.
“The
legislation formally codifies the Virginia Civil War
Sites Historic Preservation Fund. First created in
2006, this program has, to date, utilized special
appropriations made by the Virginia General Assembly
to help in battlefield preservation projects. Most
recently, it was the mechanism that provided $5.2
million in state funds to assist in the preservation
of threatened battlefield properties. The fund is
an excellent example of public-private partnership
as it requires a private match for state funds to be
expended. The program provides funding for
fee-simple acquisitions and conservation easements.”
Should the State of Arkansas consider this too? What
do you think?
Historic Preservation Alliance Conference
Have you heard
of the good news in Helena? The Historic
Preservation Alliance of Arkansas hosted a three day
conference in Helena, April 15-17. Your editor was
able to attend part of the conference.
On Friday
afternoon, Phil Thomason of Tennessee led a workshop
entitled Battlefield
and Landscape Preservation. He referenced
efforts at Appomattox Station and Saltville in
Virginia, Reed’s Bridge in Arkansas, and The Battle
of Franklin in Tennessee. Heritage tourism was a
central theme in all projects. Discussion included
cultural resources, battlefield enhancements, use of
visual arts, photographs, and the use of old and
current maps to help determine the purpose of a
local project. Building support for battlefield
preservation in the community is critical.
Later in the
afternoon, Joseph Brent and Maria Campbell Brent of Mudpuppy
& Waterdog, Inc, gave
an update on the Helena Battlefield Plan. This
summer some of the Wayside Signs will be installed.
27 locations in Helena will be interpreted. Some
will have free standing waysides while others will
feature a kiosk. Many sites have been lost over
time, including Fort Curtis. However, I am happy to
report that work has begun clearing a lot south of
the original location between Columbia and Beech
Streets where a replica of the Fort will be
constructed.
Moore-Hornor House before
Restoration
After
Restoration
Saturday
morning attendees met Mark Christ at the
restored Moore-Hornor House, which was built in
1859. According to a brochure produced by the
Delta Cultural Center, “During the War, the
residence was home to Union officers and is
believed to be the headquarters of Union General
Salomon during the Battle of Helena in 1863.
Graveyard Hill, the site of the bloodiest
confrontation during the battle, is located
directly behind the house and slopes down to
join the yard. Two holes in one of the parlor
doors are attributed to shots fired through a
back window.” The house is now owned by the
state.
After
hearing Mark’s lecture on The Battle of Helena,
we enjoyed a driving tour that included Battery
D, Battery C, and Maple Hill Cemetery.Now
hear this exciting news: following
a fire last month of the kudzu that has
surrounded at Battery C over the years, pristine
Federal rifle pits were revealed! The best
preserved rifle pits face the north and west
facing Parson’s and McRae’s troops of Price’s
Infantry Division. These are perhaps the best
preserved rifle pits in the entire state! Now
that is good news! Are you excited?
Hope to
see you Tuesday at the Ten Mile House with David O. Dodd Don’t
go to the Second Presbyterian Church, we will not be
there!
