On June 9, 1985, Extra 4835 North, a Cotton Belt freight train carrying toxic chemicals derailed about 3.3 miles southwest of Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The next morning, the burning wreckage sparked an explosion that “hurled debris hundreds of feet and shook buildings five miles away." Image Credit: www.nytimes.com On June 9, 1985, at 1:33 p.m., Extra 4835 North, the St. Louis Southwestern Railway Company (also known as the Cotton Belt Railway Company) freight train, derailed abo

General Richard Morris Knox was a Confederate veteran who became one of Pine Bluff’s wealthiest and most influential businessmen, establishing and running a major dry goods store for 34 years, and helping to found and manage the Citizens’ Bank. Image Credit: www.wikitree.com Richard Morris Knox was born in Milan, Tennessee, on April 25, 1838, to Sarah Higgins Knox and Absalom Knox. In 1947, his family moved to Sardis, Mississippi. At the age of 20, Knox moved back to Milan, w

Clayton Brothers, John M. Clayton and William H. H. Clayton went from serving in the Union Army to becoming policy-makers as Arkansas political leaders, active in the Senate, House of Representatives, and much more. Left to Right: John Middleton Clayton & William Henry Harrison Clayton Image Credit: www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net Twin brothers John Middleton Clayton and William Henry Harrison Clayton were born on October 13, 1840, to Ann Clarke Clayton and John Clayton in Del

Arkansas’ ninth governor, Powell Clayton, was a Union army commander who commanded Union troops during the Little Rock Campaign and the Battle of Pine Bluff. As governor he also suppressed Ku Klux Klan violence, created Arkansas first free public school system, established the precursor to the  Arkansas School for the Deaf, and much much more. Image Credit: www.wikipedia.com Powell Clayton was born in Bethel Township, Pennsylvania, on August 7, 1833, to Ann Clarke Clayton and

For almost fifty years, from the 1940s to 1986, “Fiddling Rufus” Brewer  played and sang at blues and country venues across Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee. He played at Gathright's Saturday Night Jamboree, the Louisiana Hayrides, and on radio shows across Arkansas. Image Credit: https://racquetball69.weebly.com M. A. “Fiddlin Rufus” Brewer was born on January 7, 1913, in Arkansas to Luther Brewer and Myrtle Davis. In the 1940s, Brewer began his professional music career a

Charles Brown, a blues singer and pianist recorded iconic hits like Merry Christmas Baby, Black Night, Hard Times, and Please Come Home For Christmas. Throughout the 1940s to 1960s, Brown’s signature soft-toned, slow-paced blues-club style influenced famous blues performances like Ray Charles and Sam Cooke.

In 1962, the teenage rockabilly band, The Playboys recorded a 45 record featuring their rockabilly crossover song , Baby Doll  with Vee-Eight Records in Nashville, Tennessee. Image Credit: www.psychofthesouth.com Jackie Hendrix founded The Playboys, a rockabilly-inspired garage band from Pine Bluff, Arkansas. After graduation, most of the members of The Playboys moved away, leaving Hendrix to find new members and reform the group.  Fortunately, a folk and pop singing group, m

Pine Bluff native Jeff Donaldson was a renowned African American visual artist and art educator who co-founded the AfriCOBRA (African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists) and partnered with 11 other artists to create Chicago’s famous Wall of Respect in the 1960’s which featured over 50 well-known African Americans known for their promotion of Black excellence.

In the 1930s, Pine Bluff native Janet Chandler starred in a number of Western films and melodramas like The Golden West, ​​ House of...

On the evening of March 21, 1860, the Arkansas Traveler,  a steamboat worth over $12,000 ( approximately $468,399.04  today) and insured...

Dorothy R. Leavell has been the publisher of the Chicago  and Gary Crusader newspapers, two historic, family-owned Black publications for...

During his career, Julius wrote more than 40 books, taught history college courses for over thirty years, and received some of the most acclaimed awards in both writing and education. Lester, a prolific writer, photographer, activist, and esteemed educator, had both Jewish roots and spent his childhood summers in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

On July 29, 1947, the Pike-Roane duel between Arkansas lawyers Albert Pike and John Roane took place in Indian Territory along the...

Pine Bluff native Benjamin J. Altheimer Sr. was a prominent lawyer and philanthropist who founded prominent law firms in Chicago. He also created the Ben J. Altheimer Foundation which utilized funding from agricultural innovation to create programs that benefit citizens and students in Jefferson County, Arkansas.

Effie Mae Martin known professionally as Rosie Lee Tompkins was a renowned African American quilt maker who changed the face of...

During the 1920s, Pine Bluff, like many other Southern cities, experienced a surge in the number of white residents joining the Ku Klux...

Jennie Lee Gorton and D. Gorton, mother and son artists, who used their crafts to record the history of the South. Jennie Lee Gorton was...

Despite the Confederate army’s repeated attempts to weaken Union strongholds and regain control of cities along the Arkansas River, Pine...

Pine Bluff native, Fred “Deacon” Johnson was an African American entertainer and music contractor who established  the Deacon Johnson...

The cakewalk was a mid-19th century dance originally performed at get-togethers by the enslaved on Southern plantations. During this...