In May of 1958, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the due process protection against coerced confessions in the pivotal court case, Payne vs. Arkansas, which originated from a court case in Pine Bluff.

In 1986, Edward J. Perkins became the first black ambassador assigned to the Republic of South Africa, where he was an ardent opponent of apartheid. Throughout his 24 year career, he also served as a U.S. foreign ambassador to Ghana, Liberia, the United Nations, and Australia.

Katherine Stinson was a trailblazing stunt pilot, flight instructor, skilled mechanic, Postal Service airmail pilot, World War I Red Cross worker, and accomplished Pueblo-style architect. She was the fourth woman in U.S history to become a licensed pilot, the first woman to master the loop-the-loop flying maneuver, and the first person to skywrite at night.

Pine Bluff boasts a rich history of numerous film and television shows created, starred in, developed and/or inspired by Pine Bluff...

Pine Bluff native, Dr. George Edmund Haynes  was a pioneering sociologist, social worker, educator, policy expert, and co-founder and...

In 1937, Dr. John Brown Watson, the first president of Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical and Normal College (now known as the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff), donated 100 acres of land southwest of Pine Bluff for the first public African American state park in the South.

Willie Roaf is a former professional football player who played for nine seasons with the New Orleans Saints and four seasons with the...

During his time in Hollywood, script writer John Donley worked with industry superstars like Bill Cosby, Sinbad, and Curtis Mayfield. In...

Ena Hartman was an African American model and actress from Arkansas known for small roles in film and television during the 1960s....

On September 7 1960, with the support of her parents, her community and the NAACP, six year old Deloris Jean York became the first...

Monte Coleman is a former professional football player who played for sixteen seasons with the Washington Redskins. He also led the UAPB...

In the 1950s and 1960s, The Browns, a country music trio made up of siblings Jim Ed, Maxine, and Bonnie Brown, who grew up near Pine...

In 1895, Jeremiah Haralson was a former politician, powerful orator, and debater who served in the Alabama House of Representatives and...

During his 11-year career with the Green Bay Packers, Donald Hutson revolutionized the NFL. He was one of the first players to use pass...

On June 21, 1902, Father John Henry Dorsey became the second African American educated and ordained priest in the United States.  From...

In the late 19th century, Pine Bluff’s proximity to the Arkansas River made it an early port city and cotton center, rich with steamboats...

On April 26, 2025, Basil Shabazz was one of the six initial inductees and All-Time Greats chosen by the Bill Carr Museum & Jefferson...

Even beyond slavery, fighting for the Union in the American Civil War, and sharecropping on the plantation where he was formerly...

Bill Carr, a two time Olympic gold medalist from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, never lost a single race during his collegiate and Olympic career. 

During his nineteen-year career, Pine Bluff native Torii Hunter was considered one of Major League Baseball’s biggest stars. His 353...