ARKANSAS HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION Little Rock Seventy
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ARKANSAS HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION Seventy-Fifth Annual Conference Little Rock April 21-23, 2016 On February 22, 1941, one hundred people, including some of Arkansas’s most prominent citizens and leading scholars, assembled at the Hotel Marion in Little Rock to establish the Arkansas Historical Association, intended “to promote interest in the history of Arkansas, to locate, collect, and preserve historical material, and to publish scarce and important source material, and also historical articles, news, and notes.” Since then, the AHA has pursued that mission chiefly through its annual conferences and publication of the Arkansas Historical Quarterly. Our conferences, held every year since 1946, allow people from all walks of life to engage in freewheeling exchanges of information and ideas, and also honor the best in teaching, research, and local study of Arkansas history. The Arkansas Historical Quarterly, published since 1942, has established itself as the primary venue for scholarly study of every aspect of Arkansas life from earliest human settlement to the present day. In addition to promoting greater understanding of Arkansas, the AHA has shaped the study of American history more broadly, being, for example, one of the first southern state historical groups to sponsor scholarship on the civil rights movement and contributing much to our knowledge of the Civil War in the Trans-Mississippi. For most of the AHA’s life, its business offices and its journal have been housed at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and its operations supported by the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. But the association could not survive without the contributions of members across the state and nation, the work of other colleges and universities, libraries, museums, and local historical societies, and the aid of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, and the Arkansas Humanities Council. Cover: Hotel Marion in downtown Little Rock, circa 1949, site of the inaugural meeting of the Arkansas Historical Association in 1941. Courtesy Arkansas Municipal League The Conference in Brief Thursday, April 21 6:00-7:30 p.m. Reception, Stella Boyle Smith Atrium, Historic Arkansas Museum Friday, April 22 Sessions, luncheon, reception, and banquet at Albert Pike Memorial Temple. Session rooms are on the second floor; reception and dining rooms are on the first floor. 7:30 a.m. Registration opens 8:00 a.m. Welcome, Auditorium 8:20–9:30 a.m. Session I-A, Auditorium Session I-B, Lodge of Perfection 9:30–9:50 a.m. Break 9:50–11:00 a.m. Session II-A, Auditorium Session II-B, Lodge of Perfection 11:10 a.m.–12:20 p.m. Session III, Auditorium 12:30–1:50 p.m. Luncheon and Business Meeting, Dining Hall 2:30–4:30 p.m. Tours 6:00–7:00 p.m. Reception 7:00 p.m. Awards Banquet Saturday, April 23 Sessions and luncheon at Christ Episcopal Church. 8:30–9:40 a.m. Session IV-A, Church Sanctuary Session IV-B, Bowen Hall 9:50–11:00 a.m. Session V-A, Church Sanctuary Session V-B, Bowen Hall 11:10 a.m.–12:20 p.m. Session VI-A, Church Sanctuary Session VI-B, Bowen Hall 12:30–1:30 p.m. Luncheon, Bowen Hall ARKANSAS SINCE 1941 Celebrating Seventy-Five Years of the AHA General Information The seventy-fifth Arkansas Historical Association annual conference will be held in Little Rock, April 21–23. To mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Arkansas Historical Association, conference sessions and activities will highlight people and events that helped shape Arkansas’s history during the last seventy-five years. The Friday sessions, business luncheon, evening reception, and awards banquet will take place at the Albert Pike Memorial Temple, 712 Scott Street. A public parking deck is located nearby at the corner of 6th and Scott Street. Please note: this parking deck is cash only. Rates are one hour, $1.10; two hours, $2.15; three hours, $3.20; maximum, $4.30. For the Friday night reception and banquet, a free shuttle bus will run from the Hampton Inn at 5:45 p.m. to the Albert Pike Temple, returning to the Hampton Inn at 9:00 p.m. Saturday sessions and the luncheon will take place at Christ Episcopal Church, 509 Scott Street, with parking in the church parking lot. A conference map is available online at https://goo.gl/NOFppn. The annual conference committee members are Rachel Silva (local arrangements chair), Arkansas Historic Preservation Program; Susan Young (program chair), Shiloh Museum of Ozark History; and David Sesser, Henderson State University. Registration Complete the enclosed registration form and send it with check or money order to the Arkansas Historical Association, Department of History, Old Main 416, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701. You may also register online at www.arkansashistoricalassociation.org. The registration fee is $10. Deadline for registration is April 5. Name tags may be picked up at the Thursday evening reception or at the AHA registration table during the conference. Meals Friday’s luncheon and annual awards banquet will be held at the Albert Pike Memorial Temple. Saturday’s luncheon takes place in Christ Episcopal Church’s Bowen Hall. All meals require reservations, which must be made by April 5 using the enclosed registration form. Meal prices include tax and gratuity. Lodging Hampton Inn and Suites (320 River Market Avenue) is the host hotel for the conference. A block of 50 rooms will be offered until March 22 at a special nightly rate of $101, plus $7 per day for parking. Call 501-244-0600 to make reservations; mention the Arkansas Historical Association conference to receive the discount room rate. You can also make reservations online at http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/en/hp/ groups/personalized/L/LITDTHX-AHA-20160421/index.jhtml?WT. mc_id=POG. Other nearby lodging options: Capital Hotel 111 West Markham 501-374-7474; www.capitalhotel.com Courtyard by Marriott Downtown 521 President Clinton Avenue 501-975-9800; www.courtyardlittlerock.com DoubleTree Hotel 424 West Markham 501-372-4371; www.doubletreelr.com Holiday Inn Presidential 600 Interstate 30 501-375-2100; www.hipresidential.com La Quinta Inn & Suites Downtown 617 South Broadway 501-374-9000; www.2010.lq.com Little Rock Marriott 3 Statehouse Plaza 501-906-4000; www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/litpb-little-rock- marriott/ Thursday Reception Stella Boyle Smith Atrium, Historic Arkansas Museum, 200 E. Third Street 6:00–7:30 p.m. With soaring thirty-foot ceilings and timber-frame architecture, the Stella Boyle Smith Atrium at Historic Arkansas Museum offers a lovely backdrop for our opening reception. Enjoy beer, wine, and hors d’oeuvres, compliments of our sponsors: Gold Sponsors Historic Arkansas Museum Pulaski County Historical Society UAMS Library Historical Research Center There is no cost for the reception, but please indicate on the registration form that you will attend this event. Friday Afternoon Tours, 2:30–4:30 p.m. Limited space available; pre-registration required. Note on your conference registration form that you want to sign up for one of the tours. Slots will be filled in the order that registrations are received. Mid-Century Modern Architecture Bus Tour Join Mason Toms, exterior design consultant and preservation specialist with Main Street Arkansas, on an exploration of some of the earliest and most influential mid-century modern buildings in downtown Little Rock. The tour will depart from and return to the Albert Pike Temple, 712 Scott Street. Historic Neighborhoods Bicycle Tour This guided bicycle tour takes participants off the beaten path, exploring the people, figures, and neighborhoods that have shaped Little Rock and Arkansas history. Highlights include the Clinton Library, Heifer International, the MacArthur Park and Governor’s Mansion historic districts, Central High School, the State Capitol, the Old State House, and the River Market. All ages and fitness levels will enjoy! This is a private tour for conference participants only. You will have a small window of time between lunch and the tour to change clothes if you wish. The tour will begin and end at Bobby’s Bike Hike in the River Market, 400 President Clinton Avenue. Transportation between the Albert Pike Temple and Bobby’s Bike Hike is your responsibility. SoMa (South Main) Walking Tour Samantha Evans, assistant director of Main Street Arkansas, will lead a walking tour highlighting Little Rock’s vibrant SoMa neighborhood, a redeveloped historic district that has been transformed into a “live-walk- shop” community. Included in the tour are talks at the Bernice Garden (Anita Davis), studioMAIN ( James Meyer), the Green Corner Store (Shelley Green), and the Esse Purse Museum & Store (Anita Davis). This is an easy walking tour. These sites are located within a block and a half of each other. The tour will begin and end at the Bernice Garden, 1401 S. Main Street. A free parking lot is located on the corner of 13th and Main, one block north of the Bernice Garden. Transportation between the Albert Pike Temple and the Bernice Garden is your responsibility. Friday Reception and Awards Banquet Albert Pike Memorial Temple Dining Hall, 712 Scott Street A free shuttle bus will run from the Hampton Inn at 5:45 p.m. to the Albert Pike Temple, returning to the Hampton Inn at 9:00 p.m. Reception, 6:00–7:00 p.m. Enjoy a pre-awards banquet reception with beer, wine, and hors d’oeuvres, compliments of our sponsors: Gold Sponsor Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, Central Arkansas Library System Silver Sponsors UALR Center for Arkansas History and Culture UALR College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences UALR Department of History UALR Institute on Race and Ethnicity Please indicate on the registration form that you will attend the reception.