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The Presence of the Ku Klux Klan in Pine Bluff
During the 1920s, Pine Bluff, like many other Southern cities, experienced a surge in the number of white residents joining the Ku Klux...
Aug 13, 20254 min read


Jennie Lee Gorton & D. Gorton: The Art of Recording History in the South
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...
Aug 6, 20253 min read


Pine Bluff During the American Civil War
Despite the Confederate army’s repeated attempts to weaken Union strongholds and regain control of cities along the Arkansas River, Pine...
Jul 30, 20253 min read


Longley Park & African American Leisure During Segregation
During the Jim Crow era, African Americans could unwind, connect, and enjoy community at the Longley Park grounds at minstrels shows,...
Jul 23, 20253 min read


Fred "Deacon" Johnson
Pine Bluff native, Fred “Deacon” Johnson was an African American entertainer and music contractor who established the Deacon Johnson...
Jul 16, 20253 min read


Pine Bluff’s Cakewalk Dances
The cakewalk was a mid-19th century dance originally performed at get-togethers by the enslaved on Southern plantations. During this...
Jul 9, 20253 min read


The Pine Bluff Judges and the 1930 Cotton States League Championship
In 1930, after more than 20 years, professional baseball found its way back to Pine Bluff with the Pine Bluff Judges who won the Cotton...
Jul 2, 20252 min read


Louis Guida and the 1976 Blues Field Recordings
In the spring of 1976, former Pine Bluff Commercial writer Louis Guida recorded blues artists all across Arkansas to produce the 1983 blues album Keep It to Yourself, Arkansas Blues Volume 1: Solo Performances. 33 years later, he utilized the 1976 recordings, producing Meet Me in the Bottom: Arkansas Blues, Volume 2 - The Bands.
Jun 25, 20254 min read


Jefferson County’s Landmark U.S. Supreme Court Case
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.
Jun 19, 20254 min read


The Heroism of Korean War Veteran James L. Stone
Pine Bluff native, James Lamar Stone, received some of the U.S. Army’s highest honors which include a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, and a Purple Heart. He also received a Medal of Honor for defending a vital military outpost during the Korean War.
Jun 11, 20254 min read


Ambassador Edward J. Perkins
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.
Jun 4, 20253 min read


Katherine Stinson: Trailblazing Pilot
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.
May 28, 20254 min read


Jerry Louis Jones
Arkansas native Jerry Louis Jones was an actor, screenwriter, and playwright best known for his collaboration with fellow Arkansan Rudy...
May 21, 20253 min read


Pine Bluff’s Cinematic Legacy
Pine Bluff boasts a rich history of numerous film and television shows created, starred in, developed and/or inspired by Pine Bluff...
May 14, 20258 min read


Dr. George Edmund Haynes
Pine Bluff native, Dr. George Edmund Haynes was a pioneering sociologist, social worker, educator, policy expert, and co-founder and...
May 7, 20253 min read


Watson State Park
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.
Apr 30, 20253 min read


Willie Roaf
Willie Roaf is a former professional football player who played for nine seasons with the New Orleans Saints and four seasons with the...
Apr 23, 20254 min read


John Donley
During his time in Hollywood, script writer John Donley worked with industry superstars like Bill Cosby, Sinbad, and Curtis Mayfield. In...
Apr 16, 20253 min read


Ena Hartman
Ena Hartman was an African American model and actress from Arkansas known for small roles in film and television during the 1960s....
Apr 9, 20253 min read


Deloris Jean York
On September 7 1960, with the support of her parents, her community and the NAACP, six year old Deloris Jean York became the first...
Apr 2, 20253 min read
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