Walker Park Mural

About the Mural

Dating back to the early 1800’s, the mural portrays the life and times of South Fayetteville, . Represented are numerous people, places and events that reflect the diverse history of the South Fayetteville Community.

Located off of 15th Street in Walker Park, the mural is painted on the exterior walls of the handball court. The idea was to use the drab gray concrete walls of the court as a canvas to create a pictorial history of South Fayetteville. The mural is a community project; it depicts community and was created by and for the community.

The entire project was facilitated by Jo Ann Kaminsky, Artist in Education and Art Facilitator, with the assistance of Eugene Sargent, Artist. Students from School-Within-A-School at Fayetteville High researched, documented and designed the mural. Art work and painting was completed by School-Within-A-School students and art facilitators, Jefferson Elementary students, Academy at Fayetteville High School and anyone who walked by and picked up a brush. The mural made artists of many. The process was finished in the fall of 2005, taking three years to complete.

The Mural is a collective effort of numerous Fayetteville citizens, organizations and businesses. Funding was provided by The Arkansas Arts Council, the City of Fayetteville, The Happy Hollow Foundation, Ozark Dermatology Clinic and The Bank of Fayetteville. Historical data was provided by Washington County Historical Society, Fayetteville Public Library and KUAF radio. Stories and ideas came from folks at the Fayetteville Senior Activity and Wellness Center and students from Jefferson Elementary School and Willow Heights Head Start. Unwavering encouragement came from School-Within-A-School faculty and the students’ moms who gave many hours of hard work and provided welcomed lunches at the mural.

Special recognition goes to the following people who shared their stories, ideas and pieces of previously unrecorded Fayetteville history: Dr. James Mashburn, Ivory Conley, Jessie Bryant, Dorothy Lighton, Lance Fisher, Ralph Nesson, Stan Lancaster, Kit Williams, Elizabeth Reagan, Frankie Kelly, Jaqueline Froelich, Brian Manire, Frank Sharp, Tanya Childress, Joetta Walker, Cherry Brooks, Pastor Hawkins, Reverend Gary Lunsford, David McClinton, and the people represented on this mural whose voices live on in Fayetteville’s rich history. Numbers 1-10 correspond to the mural’s east wall.

1. Willis Pettigrew was a slave in the home of “Aunt” Sarah Pettigrew in Farmington for many years. He was often seen in Fayetteville driving his ox team, which was the last in the area. He remained in Fayetteville for some time after his liberation, working as a handy man for several families in the city. The mural picture is of a published photograph dated 1910. Mr. Pettigrew’s presence on the mural represents the last local freed slaves, each of whom contributed to the area in many ways. One member of this group, Squire Jahagen, founded St. James Baptist Church.

2. Mr. James Keeny lived in a mobile home park on 6th Street and often walked his dog near Bates Elementary School. His famous “spinning dog” entertained many passers-by on 6th Street. Mr. Keeny’s dog would spin in circles three times when certain cars passed, and it appeared that he only did it for every third car.

3. Frankie Kelly attended the “old” Jefferson School on Archibald Avenue in 1928, and then the “new” Jefferson Elementary School on South College Avenue. A son of an Italian immigrant, he lived with his sizeable family on the Kelly Farm located south of 15th Street. He recalls memories of being barefoot all summer, having the watermelon wagon visit the school during recess, and buying candy from the generous and loving Mrs. Hanna at the old Johnson’s Store located at the intersection of South College Avenue and 6th Street.

Frankie learned the stone masonry trade from his father. He worked with him on numerous projects including the Legion Hut on Archibald Yell Boulevard and the rock walls around the Archibald Yell Estate. Frankie created spiral brick pillars on the portico of his home in south Fayetteville.

Frankie learned to play classical violin at age five and traveled with his teacher to area schools to entertain. Growing up to be a recognized fiddle player, he played country music with many famous people. His many fiddling awards testify to his popularity. Several of his children and grandchildren have joined him in music making. Authentic violins and banjos adorned the fence surrounding his yard, exhibiting his accomplishments and passions.

4. Roberta Fulbright was considered “the best known woman in Northwest Arkansas.” She was a journalist, businesswoman and political force. Raised in southern , she attended the at a time when it was unusual for women to pursue a college education. In 1906 Mrs. Fulbright and her husband moved to Fayetteville. Mr. Fulbright established several successful businesses including the local newspaper. During this time Mrs. Fulbright raised her family of four girls and two boys. When her husband died suddenly, she stepped in to successfully manage the family businesses. She had a special fondness for the family-owned newspaper, The Fayetteville Daily Democrat (known as The Northwest Arkansas Times), where she published her regular column called “As I See It.” The column expressed her independent political views, gaining her prominence both locally and statewide. Her legacy continued with her son, J.W. Fulbright, who became President of the in 1939 at the age of 34. Eventually he served as a United States Senator, becoming a powerful voice in the country and the world.

5. The Black Diamond Serenaders were a group of musicians who lived in the valley behind the Washington County Courthouse. They played ragtime music locally in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. The band was mentioned in writings by the Fayetteville saxophone player Bill Luther stating the group would rove around town entertaining people by playing music, sometimes stopping to perform at his house. During the thirties, Bill Luther taught music at the University of Arkansas while playing his saxophone at local hotels and clubs.

6. The Walker/Knerr/Williams home is on the National Register of Historic Places. Circuit Judge David Walker, who served as Chairman of the Secession Convention, had this house built in 1872 for his daughter and son-in-law, who later served as a United States Senator. The Knerrs moved to Fayetteville in 1910 after reading Mr. Lighton’s publication about the beauty of the town. The Knerrs and their eldest daughter, Nina, lived there for 50 years before their granddaughter Betty and her husband Franklin Williams purchased the home in 1960. Greatgrandson Kit Williams grew up in the house. Their children, Aaron and Ashley, are the fifth generation of the Knerr/Williams family to call this house their home.

Kit and his grandparents, great aunts, parents and brother Jeff were all married in the bay window of the home’s library. The “Curse of the Bay Window” is that all the family marriages conducted in the bay window endured forever while other family marriages held elsewhere floundered and failed. The house has four chimneys and eight fireplaces, but no central heat or air conditioning. The house is surrounded by thirty acres of family-owned woods known as “Ghost Hollow.”

7. In 1949, Walker Park was the second park added to the city park system. Fifty years later, a group of skateboarders approached the City to request a safe and fun place to skateboard. A location for the new concrete skate park was selected in April of 2000 and, since its completion in 2003, has remained a popular place for skaters.

8. The Fayetteville Confederate Cemetery is located on East Mountain Street. The Southern Memorial Association of Washington County established the cemetery in 1872. The Association paid to have the remains of the Confederate casualties at Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove Battlefields removed and buried in the cemetery. The cemetery was often the scene of social gatherings. Many people recall playing there as children, when the caretaker would make piles of leaves for them to jump and play in.

Some of the graves depicted here come from an area south of the Fayetteville National Cemetery, established in 1867, located on Government Street. These graves were found outside the fence south of the main cemetery. They were rumored to be slave graves, although documentation has not been found to back up the story. The grave markers were extremely simple, sometimes only a single upright stone.

9. Archibald Yell was the Governor of the State of Arkansas from 1840 until 1844. He was also a member of the United States House of Representatives and a General in the US Army during the Mexican War. He was born in North Carolina and grew up in Tennessee where he became a lawyer. Mr. Yell was a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives and received several appointments during the Andrew Jackson administration. He served in the Army with Jackson in 1812 and under him in 1813 and 1814. In 1835 he was appointed the Arkansas Territorial Judge. He was a personal friend of President James K. Polk. As Governor he focused on internal improvements and better control of banks as well as public education. Yell also formed the first Masonic Lodge in Arkansas at Fayetteville. Archibald Yell Boulevard was named in his honor by the City of Fayetteville.

10. Located on the corner of 6th Street and South College Avenue, the school depicted here was once called the “new” Jefferson Elementary School. Built in 1935, it held classrooms for pre-kindergarten through 6th grade. The school assisted children from the Peace at Home Shelter, the Salvation Army Shelter and several low income housing developments. Due to the needs of the low-income population served, the school was a recipient of many beneficial programs offered by the community. The staff was dedicated to the well being and education of the children until it closed in the spring of 2006. Now called the Jefferson Center, the building continues to be used by the community as the Continuing Education Center.

Numbers 11-21 correspond to the mural’s north wall.

11. Dr. James Mashburn was a local medical doctor well known for the countless babies he delivered in the Fayetteville area. He grew up in South Fayetteville and attended Jefferson Elementary School in 1936. As a youngster, he earned income by delivering papers to local residents on his bicycle that he purchased at Lewis Hardware for $1 per week. He was pleased he had established credit at an early age with his paper route. He enjoyed spending time in the Walker’s pasture, before it was Walker Park. When he was in school, many of the children hid their lunches in the field to retrieve them at lunch. Being the smallest boy, he often fell in the stream while playing follow-the-leader, returning to school wet. He said the children wore tall boots in the winter with a pocket for their pocketknives. In the spring and fall, they wore tennis shoes, and in summer they were barefooted. As an adult, he would often visit Jefferson Elementary School to share his stories with the children. His memories are represented in the blue swirl on the mural.

12. Betty Lighton grew up in a log cabin her father built on Happy Hollow Farm in southeast Fayetteville. It was here where her family entertained visitors to the University of Arkansas Music Department. Betty was instrumental in supporting the Humane Society, The Historic Society, Headquarters House, and Ridgeway House, as well as organizing mental health care services including founding the Ozark Guidance Center. Though she made significant contributions for many community services, she chose to be remembered on the mural as a 10 year-old girl driving the family’s model T car or sitting on the blocks of ice as the family returned home from town in the buggy. Betty’s father wrote extensively about the Ozarks in the 1920’s, influencing many people in their choice to move to the area. The Happy Hollow Foundation carries on her legacy of kindness and generosity by funding local community projects, such as this mural. Her memories are represented in the rose colored swirl.

13. This majestic old Catalpa tree was located in Buddy Hayes Park at the corner of Rock Street and Mill Avenue along the Spout Springs Branch. The people pictured are students from School-Within-A- School, an alternative learning environment at Fayetteville High School, that were part of the design and research team for this mural. At risk students are provided with opportunities to study at their own pace from alternate sources other than traditional methods. Students also have occasion to participate in community-based projects, such as the Walker Park Mural Project. Pictured from left are Avalon Jay, Ashley Finnochi, Dane LaBorn, Annette Curry, Ryan Higgins, Caleb Quinn, Lucas Taylor, Stephanie Olson, Brian St. Clair, Linkkin McClelland and Artist-in-Education Project Facilitator, Jo Ann Kaminsky. Not pictured are Jon Jackson, Danny Khoddabondeh, and Artist, Eugene Sargent.

14. This picture depicts Johnson’s Store, a favorite candy store located in a house across the street from Jefferson Elementary School. Many generations of children spent small change for treats. The store was mentioned in the stories told by Frankie Kelly.

15. Research for the Walker Park Mural Project included interviewing and seeking ideas from Jefferson Elementary School fifth graders. They enjoyed the session, offering fun and creative suggestions. The most popular choices to be represented on the mural were dragons, Pegasus, and ghosts.

16. Henry Walker, farmer and stockman, served as Sheriff of Washington County from 1927 to 1932. He was also Circuit Clerk in 1933 and 1937. He and his family owned the Archibald Yell Estate. Walker Park was named in his honor when he and his wife donated the land; first to the Boys Club of Fayetteville, then to the City of Fayetteville for use as a park. Henry Walker served as Sheriff during prohibition. During his tenure he was photographed on the steps of the Washington County Courthouse with a hatchet in hand, preparing to break a local moonshine still that his deputies had discovered.

17. Jessie Bryant has been a very powerful influence in the community surrounding Walker Park. Growing up on Rock Street, Jessie attended Lincoln Elementary School, which was located on the land that Willow Heights now occupies at the corner of Center and Willow Streets. She went to high school at Pine Bluff, Arkansas before Fayetteville became integrated. She remembers playing in the field next to Lincoln School where Mr. Otis Parker brought a horse on Sundays for children to ride. She spent many hours at the St. James Methodist Church where celebrations and get-togethers were held. Mrs. Bryant initiated the Free Health Clinic at the church. Memories of growing up in Fayetteville were put in these words: “You never worried about kids getting into trouble… there was the community, the church, and the Youth Center. Something was always going on.”

Mrs. Bryant became a Justice of the Peace and a member of the Washington County Quorum Court. Locally she has been very active in promoting her community as an important and valid part of Fayetteville. She has been active in the Southeast Fayetteville Community Action Group, which helped others in the community improve their homes to a higher standard. Mrs. Bryant takes pride in knowing her family is in possession of the “Modern Priscilla” quilt, depicted on the mural. In a September 27, 1999 Morning News interview she summed up her feelings concerning the integration process in Fayetteville Schools by saying “These were things that went on yesterday, they were not your fault or my fault. We can’t change yesterday, but we can do our part to make tomorrow better.” And so she has.

18. Head Start is a federal program for preschool children from low-income families. The Head Start program is operated by local non-profit organizations in almost every county in the country. Here, the Economic Opportunity Agency of Washington County provides services to hundreds of Head Start and Early Head Start children and families. Children who attend Head Start participate in a variety of educational activities. They also receive free medical and dental care, have healthy meals and snacks, and enjoy playing indoors and outdoors in a safe setting. Services are offered to meet the special needs of children with disabilities. The Walker Park Mural team visited the Willow Street Head Start to meet the children, draw them, and take photos for the mural. Their handprints appear, along with others, on the west side of the mural as blades of grass in front of the courthouse. Stylized portraits of several Head Start children appear on the northwest corner of the mural.

19. Because Lodene Deffebaugh was inspired by the life and teachings of Martin Luther King, she became active within her community in Fayetteville to strive for change and equality for African Americans. In 1963, she and her sister Rosetta were the first African Americans to attend the Ozark Theater. Around the same time she accompanied a group of African American children to attend the local roller skating rink. More importantly she was involved in the integration of Fayetteville Elementary Schools in 1965. Mrs. Deffebaugh attended Lincoln Elementary School, which was segregated, but moved to Atlanta, Texas for her high school education, since there were no education options in Fayetteville for African American teens at that time. In the 1960’s, when Mrs. Deffebaugh was a retired Practical Nurse, mother of five and grandmother of six, she began to be active in the Fayetteville Community Relations Association, an integrationist group comprised of University of Arkansas professors and their spouses and African American female leaders in the community. The group undertook the task of convincing the school board to integrate the Fayetteville Elementary Schools. This effort was supported by the League of Women Voters and was successful after Mrs. Deffebaugh threatened to “call Bobby Kennedy.” Mrs. Deffebaugh summarized her actions and attitude by these words: “I’m not high tempered but I just don’t like a lot of junk,” and “I look at Martin Luther King and he says that you’ve got to turn the other cheek, but that’s the hardest thing to do.”

20. Ruth Joiner Carr, along with other African American women of the community formed the Fayetteville chapter of the Modern Priscillas in the 1930’s. They gathered every Friday to share their views and lives while piecing together beautiful quilts. More than just a quilting club, they were very active in their predominantly African American community of the Walker Park area. The butterfly quilt depicted here was part of a Fourth of July Parade and represents a classic Ozark pattern.

21. First Night is a nation-wide community arts celebration that was brought to Fayetteville by Toby Kaufman. The community event is designed to be a safe, family friendly New Year’s Eve celebration. A highlight of the evening is the Starlight Procession, a parade featuring huge puppets that come to life on as many as 100 participants from the community as they proceed around the square. The bigger-than-life puppets are created by art centers around the community, including the Art Experience and Teen Art Explosion, who work together with children of all ages. The puppets featured on the mural are the Sun God and Mother Earth, made by Jo Ann Kaminsky and Janice Micklea. The puppeteers are Jesse Kaminsky and Keefe Jackson.

Numbers 22-33 correspond to the mural’s west wall.

22. This church represents the important role religion has held in the life of the community. It is also a nod to the St. James Baptist Church because it includes the angel window, similar to the stained glass window found in St. James Baptist Church. The church was originally founded by Squire Jahagen, a freed slave from Africa. The late Pastor Hawkins of St. James was pleased by the idea of including many ethnicities on the mural representing the rich diversity of the neighborhood. He enjoyed the idea of people coming together to work for the community. St. James Baptist Church, as well as other Fayetteville churches, continues to play a vital role in the community.

23. When long time residents from South Fayetteville were asked what images they felt would best represent the area on the mural, the most popular suggestions were a tractor and a child playing marbles. South Fayetteville was traditionally a farming community and many people would ride their tractors to town. Also many youth would pass the time by playing marbles.

24. George Ballard was a poet who was born in 1882 in Cincinnati, Arkansas near Indian Territory. He moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas after marrying Rosetta Dart in 1902. The couple lived in a small board house on East Mountain Street. They had no children. He worked doing odd jobs, filling his spare time with reading and writing. When Lessie Stringfellow Read became the editor of the Fayetteville Daily Democrat, which would later become the Northwest Arkansas Times, she published Ballard’s poems. Later she edited and published the collection as Ozark Ballards. Ballard died in 1952. He was buried in an unmarked grave in Oaks Cemetery. Since his death, his poetry has been featured in Professor Gordon Morgan’s Black Hillbillies and One Hundred Years of Fayetteville by Will Campbell.

25. The Webb House at 105 North Willow was built in 1893 by Reverend James W. Webb, Pastor of the St. James Baptist Church at the time. The house has two stories and a basement, which was no small feat considering it was built using rocks found along the nearby creek and surrounding hillside. Throughout its history, the home provided for the Webb family, housed a café and a community center, and rented rooms to university students. Occasionally, dances were held upstairs. The house later became the home of the Ricks family.

26. The first Washington County Courthouse was built in 1904 using hand-cut native stone carried by oxcarts. The lobby of the main floor contains one of Fayetteville’s largest and most important murals memorializing the World War I soldiers. Originally the entry steps exited to the east. To make room for widening Highway 71, the steps were repositioned to exit from both the north and the south. The historical courthouse is located at College Avenue and Center Street, providing a lovely view looking east from the downtown square.

27. The house shown represents Habitat for Humanity of Fayetteville. The organization is active in providing housing for low-income working families. Each family is required to dedicate 300 hours of sweat equity in the construction of their house while community professionals and residents donate the balance of the labor required to complete the construction. The homes are sold to participants with zero percent mortgages and monthly payments that do not exceed 25% of the family’s income. Habitat for Humanity creates opportunities for the community to provide assistance in a respectful and empowering way to families who need assistance building a home of their own.

28. Elizabeth Reagan and her husband moved to Fayetteville in 1955 with seven children. They had six more while living on their farm across the valley from Frankie Kelly. She remembers hearing his music drift across the fields to her house. She fulfilled her life’s dream of living on a farm with animals and a garden while raising her children. A friend of many in the community, she recalls elderly neighbors acting as grandparents to her children in the rural setting. Her porch is depicted on the mural because she fondly remembers folks sitting on their porches while children played in the yard.

29. Eleanor Lincoln Johnson was well-known for bringing joy and food to shut-ins in the area surrounding Walker Park during the 1970’s. Her picture on the mural represents women’s support of each other in the Fayetteville community, a cause she championed throughout her life.

30. Included with entry number 23.

31. St. James Methodist Church began at another location on Rock Street in 1862 before moving to Willow Street. It is said that the original church was destroyed by a tornado in 1881 which leveled the so-called “Botefuhr” district. After the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, freed slaves in Northwest Arkansas created their own community and a church congregation. However, the North and South rift in the Methodist Church at that time prevented them from having their own official church until after the Civil War. It is believed that the church building was built by members of the congregation using cast-off bricks from the University of Arkansas Old Main building. They received help from Fayetteville’s leading brick mason, Shepherd Blackmer, as well as builder Albert M. Byrnes. The representation of the church building on the mural is before the restoration of the bell tower which was completed in 2006. St. James has played a vital role in the African American community in Fayetteville, as well as being the first home for Head Start and Fayetteville Free Health Clinic.

32. Mr. Otis Parker and his wife Anna Berthina Parker moved to Fayetteville in 1920 to raise their 12 children and to improve life for their family. Otis was skilled at caring for sick animals, as well as blacksmithing and farming. He was famous for training horses and in demand as a veterinarian. Fayetteville resident John Lewis remembers seeing Otis riding his horse through town. Otis’s wife Anna was a pioneer school teacher. Because Otis wanted a good life for his children with better choices than what were available to him, the family worked hard to provide all 12 children the opportunity to attend college, which was an incredible accomplishment at the time. Due to minimal opportunities in the area, none of the children remained in Fayetteville. The African American community is very proud of the Otis family because of their accomplishments. Their career paths include a Colonel in the US Army, a school teacher, a policeman, and a nurse. The family home still stands at 226 East 6th Street where it is an example of the architectural heritage of the working people of Fayetteville.

33. Tilly Willy Bridge was built in the 1920’s as a dam when the White River was the primary water source for Fayetteville. Later, it was transformed into a narrow, one-lane concrete bridge. As one crossed the south Fayetteville bridge by car, only the creek was visible to each side of the car, giving a thrill to many children. Legend says that in the 1970’s a woman drove her car off the narrow bridge killing herself and her children who were in the back seat. In some versions of the story it is actually her crazed husband that drives them to their doom. Even today, some people claim to have seen a phantom car driving across, or a woman spinning in her white dress just across the bridge.