What's New In Special Collections - University of Arkansas Libraries

The Billy James Hargis Papers are now opened. Hargis is considered one of the founders of the conservative political movement and the Religious Right. MORE...

Fay Jones Papers

The Fay Jones Collection (MC 1373) was opened for researchers on April 4th, 2009, in a ceremony celebrating the renaming of the UA School of Architecture in his honor.

The Fay Jones Collection was donated by Euine Fay Jones and his wife, Mary Elizabeth Jones, in multiple accessions between 1997 and 2005.

Acquisition and processing of the material was made possible by adonation from Don and Ellen Edmondson of Forrest City, Arkansas. Another donation from the Edmondsons produced four crafted display tables for the models, as well as a brass emblem for the archives door, Room 126 in Special Collections.

New Book Chronicles the History of Dickson Street Once Upon Dickson Street Book Jacket

Ask anyone in the region, and they will most likely have a story to tell about Dickson Street in Fayetteville. A new book by Anthony J. Wappel, Once upon Dickson: An Illustrated History, 1868-2000, describes the evolution of this vibrant, historic thoroughfare. To celebrate the publication, Jose’s Restaurant, 324 W. Dickson Street, will host an autograph party from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 17.

Wappel’s book is the result of years of work. He worked for several years in the special collections department at the University of Arkansas and is now Washington County Archivist and Records Manager, with an office in the historic Washington County Courthouse on College Avenue.

While at the university, Wappel researched yearbooks, student and university publications, and other local print sources from the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as images in the special collections department’s manuscript holdings and extensive picture collections. He also investigated the photograph collections of the Washington County Historical Society, now housed at the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History in Springdale.

The book also includes some notable images from private owners and more contemporary photographs taken by Wappel himself to document how the character of the street was changing during the construction of the Walton Arts Center.

The book documents how the location of the University of Arkansas at what would eventually become the western end of Dickson stimulated the establishment of shops and services catering to the university community. When passenger train service came to Dickson Street in 1881, so did rooming houses and eating places for travelers. The book reproduces advertisements for hotels, barbershops, dry cleaners and eating places that have existed along Dickson, as well as bars and music venues. Many of these eventually left Dickson and were replaced by other businesses more oriented to entertainment. Wappel’s book documents and preserves the energy and diversity that continue to make Dickson Street a focal point of Fayetteville business and culture.

Once upon Dickson tells the story of the street from east to west, decade by decade. The book contains more than 400 pages in hard covers, with nearly 370 images and a color dust jacket. Maps and diagrams help to locate the houses and businesses described in the text. An appendix contains a comprehensive inventory of businesses and residents at every address along the entire length of the street. An index also makes the volume more useful.

The price of the book is $22.50. It can be bought at local bookstores and online at http://onceupondickson.com/. Phoenix International, a Fayetteville publisher distributed by the University of Arkansas Press, brought out the book in cooperation with the special collections department of the University Libraries. The Advertising and Promotion Commission of the city of Fayetteville, the Bank of Fayetteville, the Lighton Family Foundation, Frank and Sara Sharp, and an anonymous donor provided additional financial support. Profits from sale of the book go to the special collections department of the University of Arkansas Libraries. For more information, visit http://onceupondickson.com/ or telephone (479) 521-2204.

Index Arkansas adds Newspaper Coverage

Researchers seeking newspaper articles about historic Arkansas events and people now have an easier task. Arkansas newspaper indexing has recently been added to Index Arkansas, an online database for publications dealing with Arkansas topics. Sponsored by the special collections department of the University of Arkansas Libraries, the index now contains nearly 30,000 citations from Arkansas statewide and regional newspapers, joining more than 60,000 citations from other historical and biographical sources.

Index Arkansas is an important resource for students and scholars, containing a total of 90,913 citations from Arkansas newspapers, periodicals and books. Tom W. Dillard, head of the special collections department, said, "The development of Index Arkansas is a transforming event in the study of our state. For so long researchers have labored without a good index to state literature, but now we have one. And, we fully expect to expand it substantially in the years to come."
The newly available newspaper citations began as records kept in an old-fashioned card file of 40 drawers. The records were carefully computerized and are now easily searchable by author, title, keyword, and subject. Coverage is mostly from the early 1930s through 1985, with scattered entries from the 1830s through the 1920s.

In development for many years, Index Arkansas was initiated by the late Georgia Clark and expanded by Elizabeth McKee and Andrea Cantrell of the University of Arkansas Libraries. Joan Watkins, current manager and senior editor of Index Arkansas, said, “I am profoundly grateful for what they have accomplished. It is rare to find such a level of dedication as shown by these individuals and the University Libraries.”

Index Arkansas is unique. While other states and universities have undertaken similar projects, Index Arkansas stands apart from them because of the large number of publications covered and its availability online. In addition to newspapers, 43 Arkansas periodicals, 30 county history journals and 80 books with historical and biographical content are indexed. Researchers might find citations to newspaper articles ranging from an 1838 article about a Washington County dinner honoring Judge Archibald Yell, to articles from the 1930s about drought in Arkansas during the dust bowl era, and articles concerning the Cuban refugee crisis at Fort Chaffee in the early 1980s.

Dillard said, “Index Arkansas is a new bridge to our heritage. It will help Arkansans discover that, yes, we do have a heritage – and it is worth studying. I hope researchers will make great use of it.” After finding citations to newspaper articles on their topics, researchers can obtain copies of the articles through their local library or its interlibrary loan service. Index Arkansas is available online at http://arkindex.uark.edu/. Use of the index is free of charge and available to everyone.

Last modified: 05/05/2009