Washington
()
About this ebook
Read more from Joshua Williams
Hope Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsW.com: A Zimbell House Anthology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYou Are Not The Samaritan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Washington
Related ebooks
Slavery and Secession in Arkansas: A Documentary History Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Barnwell County Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStruggle for the Street: Social Networks and the Struggle for Civil Rights in Pittsburgh Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPatriots, Pistols, and Petticoats: "Poor Sinful Charles Town" during the American Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Washington Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlbion and Noble County Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSebastian and Crawford Counties Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOld Fort Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWashington County Chronicles: Historic Tales from Southwestern Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCowtown Wichita and the Wild, Wicked West Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDigging for History at Old Washington Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDuring Wind and Rain: The Jones Family Farm in the Arkansas Delta 1848-2006 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Pine Bluff Project Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Arkansas Civil War Heritage: A Legacy of Honor Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDowagiac Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jane Means Appleton Pierce: U.S. First Lady (1853-1857): Her Family, Life and Times Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe South As It Is: 1865–1866 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNegro Education in Alabama: A Study in Cotton and Steel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Arkansas Race Riot (1920) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStriving for Justice: A Black Sheriff in the Deep South Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMakers and Romance of Alabama History Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEducating the Masses: The Unfolding History of Black School Administrators in Arkansas, 1900-2000 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Forgotten Abolitionist: John A.J. Creswell of Maryland Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States. From Interviews with Former Slaves / Maryland Narratives Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings1865 Alabama: From Civil War to Uncivil Peace Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSouthern Cultures: The Memory Issue: Fall 2011 Issue Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInside Lincoln’s Cabinet; The Civil War Diaries Of Salmon P. Chase Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Hancock County Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Town In-Between: Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and the Early Mid-Atlantic Interior Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Travel For You
Spanish Verbs - Conjugations Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFodor's Bucket List USA: From the Epic to the Eccentric, 500+ Ultimate Experiences Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLonely Planet Japan Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lonely Planet The Solo Travel Handbook Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lonely Planet Mexico Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Fodor's The Complete Guide to the National Parks of the West: with the Best Scenic Road Trips Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel: Questions, Answers, and Reflections Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lonely Planet The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Drives of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Most Spectacular Trips Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Spotting Danger Before It Spots You: Build Situational Awareness To Stay Safe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fodor's Bucket List Europe: From the Epic to the Eccentric, 500+ Ultimate Experiences Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFodor's Best Road Trips in the USA: 50 Epic Trips Across All 50 States Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fodor's New Orleans Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Inside the Apple: A Streetwise History of New York City Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/550 Great American Places: Essential Historic Sites Across the U.S. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fodor's Seattle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFodor’s Alaska Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'll Never Be French (no matter what I do): Living in a Small Village in Brittany Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5RV Hacks: 400+ Ways to Make Life on the Road Easier, Safer, and More Fun! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStar Wars: Galaxy's Edge: Traveler's Guide to Batuu Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tales from the Haunted South: Dark Tourism and Memories of Slavery from the Civil War Era Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Travel Agent Secrets - How to Plan Your Vacation Like a Pro Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Footsteps of the Cherokees: A Guide to the Eastern Homelands of the Cherokee Nation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Vagabonding on a Budget: The New Art of World Travel and True Freedom: Live on Your Own Terms Without Being Rich Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLonely Planet The Lonely Planet Travel Anthology: True stories from the world's best writers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Washington
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Washington - Joshua Williams
(SARA).
INTRODUCTION
In Arkansas and Texas history circles many people have heard of the town of Washington, Arkansas, and its role in 19th-century America. Some know the town because of its connection with the famous knife belonging to James Bowie. If they are Civil War enthusiasts, they know of the town because of its role in the war, particularly as the Arkansas Confederate state capital for the last half of the war. Outside of these, most know very little more about the town of Washington and its people.
Today, Washington is an incorporated town and is home to a state park that receives around 75,000 visitors a year. Some of its buildings are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and the town is classified as a National Historic District. The state park takes care of and interprets over 15 structures that predate 1900. Many are residential Greek Revival homes built prior to the Civil War that were owned by middle-class Americans. The history of the town of Washington reflects the story of America in all its aspects, from its founding to its present state today.
Washington is truly an American town. It is named after the first president of the United States, and its streets are named after various American heroes such as Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and Capt. James Lawrence of the War of 1812. Another street is named after Charles Carroll, the oldest living signer of the Declaration of Independence, who was still alive when the town was platted in 1824.
In that year, Washington was founded on a sandy hill in southwest Arkansas. It has been called in recent times the Hill of the Five Trails
because of the five major trails that came through the area before European settlement. One of these was later dubbed the Southwest Trail connecting St. Louis, Missouri, to the Red River near the modern-day Arkansas and Texas state line. It ran diagonally northeast-to-southwest across the state, with Washington being one of the last major towns outside of Fulton where travelers could stop before leaving the United States and entering Texas. The area was earlier the location of a religious campground for the local Methodist community of Mound Prairie before becoming a town with the establishment of a local tavern by Elijah Stuart at the top of the hill.
After 1824, Washington, like the rest of Arkansas, began to see a large amount of growth. Many newcomers from the eastern United States came down the trail and settled in southwest Arkansas, which provided fertile land for farming with good water sources. One of the first merchants in the town was Abraham Block, who is known as the first documented Jewish settler in Arkansas. He began a thriving business and provided goods imported from Europe via New Orleans. Around 1831, a local blacksmith by the name of James Black had started to become well known for his skills. James Bowie, who was involved in land speculation and had come through the region at different times, learned of Black’s skill as a bladesmith and asked him to make a knife. According to Black, he made a knife for Bowie that became known as the bowie knife.
In the 1830s, the town witnessed the removal of what were known as the Five Civilized Tribes from the east. The Choctaw and Chickasaw came through the town on their way to settle in the southern half of present-day Oklahoma. Several residents of the town and Hempstead County became wealthy through contracts with the US government to provide supplies and food to the tribes as they came through.
From 1840 to the beginning of the Civil War, Washington saw enormous development and growth, as did most of Arkansas. After 1836, Arkansas had become the 25th state in the Union. Many newcomers from the east began to move out west and settle in the community. In 1840 the town had its first newspaper, the Washington Telegraph, established by a man from Pennsylvania named William H. Etter. Greek Revival wood-framed houses began to be built in the vicinity and housed people of different occupations, from doctors and lawyers to artisans and farmers. The community saw the effects of the Mexican-American War, with many of its residents volunteering and the town becoming a muster location for volunteers. Afterwards, the national interest in gold in California hit the town. By 1860 the community had over 1,000 residents, boasted two private seminaries for girls and boys, and was located in one of the most prosperous counties in the state.
The year 1861 saw Washington directly involved in the Civil War. As in the rest of Arkansas, many of Washington’s residents were against secession. When Abraham Lincoln called for troops to bring the seceding states back into the Union, however, the community decided to support the Confederate cause. Three men from the town went on to represent Arkansas in the Confederate Congress in Richmond. The town and county sent at least 19 documented companies to fight in the war. After the fall of Little Rock in September 1863, Washington became the capital for the Confederate government of Arkansas, and military supplies and stores were located there to help supply the Confederate army west of the Mississippi River. With the end of the Civil War, the town, like many across the United States, faced new changes with the loss of many of its residents and the abolition of slavery.
After the Civil War, many antebellum communities were bypassed by new railroads. Business and commerce had tried to continue in Washington, but suffered a blow when the Cairo & Fulton Railroad bypassed the town and formed the new community of Hope in 1875. Two major fires hit the business district of Washington in 1875 and 1883, causing some of the businesses to move to the rising town of Hope. Washington remained the county seat, building a two-story brick courthouse