A pictorial history of Arkansas, from earliest times to the year 1890. A full and complete account, embracing the Indian tribes occupying the country; the early French and Spanish explorers and governors; the colonial period; the Louisiana purchase; the periods of the territory, the state, the civil war, and the subsequent period. Also, an extended history of each county in the order of formation, and of the principal cities and towns; together with biographical notices of distinguished and prominent citizens, Part 50

Author: Hempstead, Fay, 1847-1934
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: St. Louis and New York : N. D. Thompson Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1268

USA > Arkansas > A pictorial history of Arkansas, from earliest times to the year 1890. A full and complete account, embracing the Indian tribes occupying the country; the early French and Spanish explorers and governors; the colonial period; the Louisiana purchase; the periods of the territory, the state, the civil war, and the subsequent period. Also, an extended history of each county in the order of formation, and of the principal cities and towns; together with biographical notices of distinguished and prominent citizens > Part 50

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Rev. Cephas Washburn, whose arrival at the place (July 3d, 1820) has been mentioned, was on his way to the Cher- okee country to establish a Mission station there-subse- quently established at Dwight, Pope county. He stopped for the day on the other side of the river, at the house of a Mr. Martin, opposite the Rock. On the next morning he was waited on by a committee of gentlemen, among whom were

702

HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.

Dr. Cunningham and Colonel Austin, requesting him to preach a Fourth of July sermon at Little Rock. He accepted the invitation, and "preached in the aforesaid log cabin to an audience of fourteen men and no women. This," Mr. Washburn adds, "was the first sermon ever preached in Little Rock."*

A post-office was established at the place April 10th, 1820, and Amos Wheeler was appointed Postmaster. He served until October 17th, 1821, when Henry W. Conway was ap- pointed his successor.

When the land on which Little Rock is situated was lo- cated, there were two sets of claimants for it. William O'Hara, of St. Louis, who was buying lands extensively through the west, bought up several New Madrid certificates, among them the one issued to Eloi Dejarlois, which has been mentioned, and sold interests in them to Stephen F. Austin, of Potosi, Missouri, afterwards the Father of American Col- onization in Texas, and to James Bryan, of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, Austin's brother-in-law, and other parties also bought interests in it. O'Hara claimed to have located the certificates in the United States Land office at St. Louis, February 24th, 1819, on lands commencing at the Point of Rocks, and extending half a mile up the river and half a mile back, and he and Bryan proceeded some time before the month of October, 1820, to lay off a town on it, which they named Arkopolis, and sold lots in the town. Many convey- ances of about that date, express to be made at Arkopolis, and to persons of Arkopolis, among which is a conveyance dated March 9th, 1821, to Charles P. Bertrand, for lots in the town of Arkopolis.

At the same time, a certificate of pre-emption made in 1820, had been obtained from the Register and Receiver of the Law- rence Land District at Davidsonville, in behalf of Benjamin

(*) From Reminiscenses of the Indians, by Rev. Cephas Washburn.

703

FROM 1819 TO 1890.

Murphy, as Assignee of William Lewis, for the same lands, or most of them ; and William Russell had bought a half interest in it, and afterwards, in June, 1821, had bought the remain- ing half at execution sale against Murphy. After his purchase, Russell sold interests in the land to Henry W. Conway, Robert Crittenden, William Trimble, Robert C. Oden, Thomas P. Eskridge, and Joseph Hardin, and they proceeded to lay off the land into a town called Little Rock, by town plat and a bill of assurances, dated November 20th, 1821. The necessary survey for locating it and making it into lots and blocks was made by Allen Martin, a Surveyor, who lived just across the river from the place, and the plat and bill of assurances were filed of that date.

The name Little Rock evidently originated in contradis- tinction to Big Rock, a precipitous cliff some three miles higher up the river. The point of rocks which marks the town of Little Rock, is the first rock to be met with from the river's mouth. It now constitutes one of the abutments to the lower bridge in the eastern part of the city.

The town, as defined in the plat, commenced at the Quapaw line, as east of that line belonged to the Indians, and extended west to the present Arch street, eight blocks and a half. According to the plat, as now in existence and of record, but from which plat a portion showing the most westerly part has been torn off, its north boundary was the river bank, and it extended southward one block beyond Caroline street, now Tenth street. The names of the streets were as follows : Commencing at the river and running South, the first street was North street, commencing at Arch street, and running west a half a block to the city limits ; next Water street ; then Markham; Cherry, now Second street; Mul- berry, now Third street; Walnut, now Fourth Street; Orange, now Fifth street; Elizabeth, now Sixth street ; Chestnut, now Seventh street; Holly, now Eighth street ;

704

HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.

Hazle, now Ninth street ; and Caroline, now Tenth street- then one block to the town limits.

Commencing at the East and counting to the West, the names of the streets were : East street, commencing at Hazle street, and running south to the town limits, two blocks, then Rock, Cumberland, Scott, East Main-now simply Main street, Louisiana, Center, Spring, West Main-now called Broadway, and Arch, then a half a block to the limits on · the West.

The derivation of several of these names can easily be traced. The North street and the East street, which latter has now disappeared, were evidently so-called because they were respectively the most Northern and Eastern streets, if their abbreviated extent entitled them to be called streets at all. Chester street was evidently so-called for Chester Ashley ; and Scott street for Judge Andrew Scott. Louisiana after the great Province out of which the Territory had been formed; Center, although at that time far to the West, because it was hoped that it would eventually prove to be the central street in the spread of the town, while Walnut, Chestnut and Hazle, evidently came in imitation of names of Philadelphia streets, from which place Dr. Cunningham had originally come, and were probably due to his influence or suggestion.

The town was not laid out to correspond with the Quapaw line, which is a due North and South line, but was laid out on a variation of the magnetic needle.

In the meantime, Chester Ashley had become a part owner in the New Madrid Certificate of O'Hara, and being attorney for the other owners, so sharp a contest was made against the pre-emption claim of Murphy or Russell, that partly to settle all questions of title, and partly to secure the establishment of the seat of Government at Little Rock, a compromise was effected in November, 1821, whereby a half interest was conveyed to Ashley in a large portion of the lands covered by

LINCOLN AVENUE, LITTLE ROCK.

706

HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.

both claims, and a guaranty was taken from him against the New Madrid claim, as to other property embraced in the pre-emption not conveyed to him. Russell paid for his land in the land office, in January, 1825, and also, on April 10th, 1838, obtained from Benjamin Murphy a quit-claim deed for the lands. Thus all questions of title seemed to be settled, and although no patent had been issued for the land, people bought property under these titles with fancied security. A whole town, the capital of an advancing Territory, was grow- ing up on the lands, and there were thousands of titles flowing from them. Great consternation therefore arose on the subject, when Attorney-General William Wirt, in an opinion delivered October 10th, 1825, put a point on the case not under- stood before, by ruling that the New Madrid Relief Act applied only to lands in the Territory, which were subject to sale at the date of the Act, and not at the date of the location of the certificate, as had been previously understood and considered ; and hence, inasmuch as the land on which Little Rock was situated was not owned by the United States at the date of the Act-February 17th, 1815-but was in possession of the Quapaw Indians, their title not having been extinguished until August 24th, 1818; that the same was not subject to sale, and hence was not locatable under a New Madrid certificate ; and this decision being adopted as their rule and guide in such cases by the Land Department, the O'Hara certificate became void. The title was still further shaken by an opinion of Attorney-General Benjamin F. Butler, of date, May 3d, 1836, in which he considered and ruled that "none of the lands ceded by the Quapaw treaty of August 24th, 1818, are, or ever have been, subject to pre-emption claims, under the fifth section of the Act of April 12th, 1814." Under this state of the case, with both of the titles invalidated, Dr. Matthew Cunningham sought to locate a pre-emption on 160 acres in the very heart of the town, and eventually suc- ceeded in obtaining one on eighty acres. In May, 1838,

707

FROM 1819 TO 1890.

Roswell Beebe, formerly of New Orleans, a partner of Chester Ashley, purchased a pre-emption "float" as it was called, for 160 acres, from Jackson Crain and Joel Crain, and one for eighty acres from George Harris, and on the 6th of June of that year located them in the name of the Crains and Harris, on the lands comprising the town, and on the 9th of June, 1838, obtained from them deeds for the lands located. On these floats thus located, patents were issued by the United States to Beebe, as the Assignee of the Crains and Harris, of date September 29th, 1839. In these patents Ashley ac- quired an equal interest. Before receiving the patents, Beebe executed and placed on record an instrument in writing, wherein he obligated himself upon obtaining the title, to convey to the State, the city and to all individuals, the same property and rights which they had before owned, and this agreement he faithfully kept.

In addition to the interest which William O'Hara conveyed to Chester Ashley in this New Madrid Certificate, he also conveyed an undivided one-half interest to Nathaniel Phil- brook. Philbrook died intestate in 1824, and his interest descended to his son, Eliphalet Philbrook, who died in 1828, and devised the interest to Thomas H. Elison, and others of his grand-children and children. They conveyed to George V. Dietrich and Jabez C. Hurst, of Galesburg, Illinois, and John F. Cadler, of Troy, New York. On the 3Ist of Jan- uary, 1883, by direction of Attorney-General, Benjamin H. Brewster, the District Attorney of the United States Court, filed a bill in chancery in the United States Circuit Court at Little Rock, in the name of the United States against the Beebe heirs, to set aside the patents issued by the Government to Roswell Beebe in 1839. The Circuit Court decided that the claim was stale, and sustained a demurrer to it for want of equity, ordering it to be dismissed. The case was taken by appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States, and the decision of the Court was there sustained and affirmed, in an

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FROM 1819 TO 1890.

opinion delivered April 30th, 1888, by Justice L. Q. C. Lamar.

The following account of Little Rock as it was in 1820, is given by Judge Daniel T. Witter, who became a resident of the place at that date :

"In November, 1819, your humble servant, then living in St. Louis, Missouri, left there on his way to that point on the Arkansas river then known as the Little Rock. Meeting with a series of delays and misfortunes that clouded and changed the whole course and progress of his subsequent life, he finally reached the incipient city and anticipated State capital, in the month of May following. He found on his arrival the following named gentlemen, who comprised at that time the entire population of the future city : Amos Wheeler, Chester Ashley, Dr. Matthew Cunningham, Stephen F. Austin, James Bryan, Austin Elliott, Charles H. Pelham, Henry Sanford, and some three or four laborers and em- ployés. Upon the arrival of your correspondent, the name of Daniel T. Witter was added to the human muster roll, and who is now the sole survivor of those earliest citizens. He then scarcely dreamed that he would ever see those lofty pines and impenetrable jungles give place to refinement and roses, with all their hallowing and purifying influences. Such, however, is human life. Such is human progress. The only buildings then erected were a small one-story frame, about eighteen by thirty feet square, divided into two rooms, one of which was occupied as a store with a small remnant of dry goods, etc., and the other as a sort of general headquarters. This building was situated, I think, near where the Anthony House now stands, and was blown up with powder to keep it from falling into the possession of an adverse claimant. In addition to this building, there were three or four huts built with round pine logs, one of which was used as a cooking room and dining saloon, the other as sleeping apartments. No lots had at that time been disposed of, and the ground was in possession of the owners and the proprietors of the New Madrid claim that had been located thereon. About the first of June, Major Noah Lester, then late of the United States Army, who had come to the county with Governor Miller, reached here from the Post, and within a few days thereafter was taken sick, and in a few days died. His was the first death, and his the first burial in Little Rock. A few days later two keel boats, each containing a company of missionaries bound for the Indian country, and under the direction of the Rev. Messrs. Vail and Chapman, and numbering in all some thirty or forty persons, reached here. They were suffering very much from sickness contracted on the river, and I think one or more of their number had died before they reached here, and prob- ably one or two shortly after. Having determined to remain here till autumn, they unloaded their boats and pitched their camps near the place where the late Robert Crittenden afterwards erected his residence. The arrival of those mis- sionary families added much to the tone and material of our society. There were several well educated and intelligent ladies and gentlemen in the company, who did all they could to render themselves pleasant and useful to us in our secluded and lonely condition. We had Divine service every Sabbath, and could once more feel that we were again in a Christian country. There was a Dr. Palmer, a finely educated and accomplished young physician, who was very

PARK' OF THE U. S. BARRACKS, LITTLE ROCK.

71I

FROM 1819 TO 1890.

kind and attentive to our sick in the absence of our Dr. Cunningham, generously supplying us with such articles of medicine as could not be elsewhere obtained in the country, and to whom all of us felt under great and lasting obligations. Sometime in early summer, Colonel Moses Austin, of Potosi, Missouri, reached the Rock on his way to the City of Mexico. Meeting here with his son, Stephen F. Austin, and his son-in-law, James Bryan, he concluded to remain until autumn, and then resume his journey. He did so. Colonel Austin had in early life settled in Missouri under the Government of old Spain, before the cession of the Louisianas to the United States. He had been exten- sively and successfully engaged in the lead mining business in Potosi, but meet- ing with pecuniary reverses, he had determined, though late in life, to try his fortunes again under the Government of His Most Catholic Majesty, the King of Spain. During the summer Governor Miller, on his return from the Osage country, where he had been to hold a council with the Osages, accompanied by Colonel McRae and Major Archer, both of the United States Army, spent a day or two with us, and was highly pleased with our town site, and pronounced it the unquestionable seat of Government, not only for the present Territory, but for the future State."

* * * *

* * *

"Another small building, with two or three rooms, was put up by the pro- prietor during the summer, situated near where the Christian church now stands, and which was temporarily used as a public house, and was kept by Sam. Collins; standing near the line of the land which was then in litigation between the proprietors then in possession and William Russell, claiming that possession. This building was moved across that line previous to William Russell getting possession of the land on which it was erected. Being at the residence of Governor Fulton, at Little Rock, some ten or twelve years later, the Governor told me that this building formed a portion of his then residence .*

"That, with the buildings heretofore named, constituted the entire buildings of the city at the time your narrator left there, in the fall of 1820, after which date he was there no more until October, 1825."

It only remains for me to say a few words in regard to those early comrades of mine, whose names I have heretofore men- tioned as the pioneer settlers of our State capital. Captain Amos Wheeler, our proprietary chief, went to St. Louis dur- ing the ensuing winter and married Miss Charless, daughter of Joseph Charless, the founder of the "Missouri Republican" and its Editor at that time. He lived but a few days after his marriage.

Dr. M. Cunningham was at that time the only married man of our company. He came to Little Rock in February, 1820, leaving his family at Herculaneum, Missouri, until he

(*) This residence of Governor Fulton still stands on Scott street, a low, one-story frame building, between Third and Fourth streets, east side.

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GAZETTEL

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FROM 1819 TO 1890.

could make suitable arrangements for their removal, and hav- ing made such arrangements, Mrs. Cunningham and family joined him there in September following. This was the first family, and Mrs. Cunningham the first lady that had a perma- nent residence in Little Rock. The doctor and his worthy lady lived many years after their removal-acquired a com- petency-raised a large and interesting family of children, and died some years since, beloved and respected by their friends and neighbors.

Chester Ashley went also to Missouri a year or two later and married Miss Mary Elliott, and with her returned to Little Rock, where in happiness, peace and prosperity they spent the remainder of their days. I do not presume to become the biographer of Mr. Ashley, but permit me to say that Chester Ashley knew no peer in Arkansas. He died at Washington City in 1848, a Senator in Congress from our State. From 1844 to 1848 our State was represented in the Senate of the United States by Ambrose H. Sevier and Chester Ash- ley. The former, Mr. Sevier, occupying the high position of Chairman of the "Committee on Foreign Relations," a position politically next to that of the president; and the latter, Mr. Ashley, the distinguished position of Chairman of the "Judiciary Committee" of the Senate, and each considered equal to any duty or emergency that might devolve upon them . Stephen F. Austin, during the sum- mer was appointed Judge of the Circuit Court, and held the summer term of court. The Legislature, at their adjourned term in October, 1820, having abolished that system of courts, Mr. Austin visited Missouri, his native State, and went from there to the City of Mexico, where grants and franchises made by the Viceroy to his father were confirmed to him by the Gov- ernment that succeeded the viceroyalty. Under the provisions of that grant, Mr. Austin first introduced Anglo-Saxon settlers into the Republic of Mexico. Mr. Austin continued to exert a controlling influence over the affairs of Texas until his death,

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FROM 1819 TO 1890.

several years ago. Mr. James Bryan, a son-in-law of Moses Austin, returned in the fall of 1820 to Missouri, and died the following winter. E. Austin Elliott returned to Missouri, and died in 1821 or 1822, one of the kindest-hearted of men and an old bachelor. Charles H. Pelham married and settled in

MEDICAL DEPARTMENT STATE UNIVERSITY, LITTLE ROCK.

Independence county in this State; was a member of our Legislature one or more terms, and died several years since. Henry Sanford went to Cape Girardeau county, Missouri, in 1821 or 1822; was Clerk of that county for several years and died some years since.

716

HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.

By the close of 1820 the houses at Little Rock did not number a dozen, and were mere huts. The most easterly one was Moses Austin's house, at the point of rocks, and extending west they were scattered at intervals along the river bank to where the Red Mill now is, where there was a hut, in which lived John Core with his family. To the south, the furthest house was a log house at the northeast corner of Scott and Fourth streets, which Major Isaac Watkins occupied after he came, in March, 1821. About 1825 Major Watkins built a two-story frame house on the next block east and south, which was long known as the old Stevenson place-his widow, Mrs. Maria Watkins married Rev. W. W. Stephenson-and which stood until 1880, when it was pulled down after a divi- sion of the estate.

About 1824 David G. Eller built a frame house at the southwest corner of Louisiana and Second streets, which he used for a residence. It stood until April 18th or 20th, 1888, when it was pulled down, and to make way for a brick struc- ture. At that date it was the oldest house in town, with one exception. When torn apart, the rafters and sleepers to the rooms proved to be often of unhewn oak logs.

Governor John Pope lived just east of this house, in the one- story brick building afterwards occupied by Charles J. Krebbs as a family residence. Governor Archibald Yell lived just north of Governor Pope's residence in a frame building oppo- site Mrs. Reider's, standing on the spot where a brick house, occupied by the Thomas W. Baird Machinery house now stands, built in 1888.

The first Sunday school in Little Rock was established about the year 1825, by Judge Thomas P. Eskridge.

About 1826 Christian Brumbach and- -Clements came from Pennsylvania and settled at Little Rock, engaging in the making of brick-the first brick yard to be established in the place.

717

FROM 1819 TO 1890.

Thomas Thorn also shortly afterwards engaged in the same business, and had a brick kiln at the place of the block between Main and Scott streets, on the north side of Markham street, and another one where the Allis Building now is, opposite the State-house.

Christian Brumbach was also a blacksmith, wagon maker, livery-stable keeper, dealer in stone, and afterwards a hotel- keeper. He kept the Eagle Hotel, at the northeast corner of Main and Second streets, where the Pacific Express Company is now; and, in the way of official position, was Colonel of a regiment in the Arkansas Militia.

In December, 1826, Hiram A. Whittington came to Little Rock, and worked with William E. Woodruff in the "Gazette" office until June, 1832, when he moved to Hot Springs. When he came to Little Rock he counted the houses in the town, and they numbered only forty.

In 1827 the first brick residence, and one of the first brick houses of any kind in the town, was erected. It was built by Robert Crittenden for a family mansion, and is the same which is generally known as the "Old Johnson Place," on Seventh street. This house is at present occupied as a family residence by Governor James P. Eagle. Judge Benjamin Johnson bought it from Mr. Crittenden in November, 1833. The house, when built, was far in advance of the territory, and Mr. Crittenden really impoverished himself to build it. There was a law office on the premises, which stood on the corner where Judge B. B. Battle's house now is, in which Thomas W. Newton studied law with Mr. Crittenden. The possession of this house by Mr. Crittenden was the sub- ject of many a gibe and squib at him by his political enemies, a certain writer for the "Gazette," who signed himself "Jaw- bone," was much given to making flings, in his articles, at "the Big House," with ungenerous allusions to "the cry of disappointed ambition around the Big House," etc. The house also played a prominent part in the action of the Legis-

718

HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.

lature of 1831, by their proposing to swap it for ten sections of land, granted by Congress to build a State-house, which has been mentioned in its proper place.

Hezekiah Jenkins, Asa G. Baker, Robert B. Starbuck and Ezra H. Owen all came about 1828.

Charles Fischer kept a hotel in 1828, called "Fischer's Hotel." It was situated on the bank of the river, at the northeast corner of Main and Water streets. It was kept, in 1829, by James W. Henderson, who called it the "Indian King Hotel."

About 1825 a row of log-houses was built on the block where the City Hall now stands, which served for lawyers' offices, etc. One of them, the one on the northwest corner of Main and Markham streets, stood until about 1868, when it was pulled down to make way for improvements, and on its site arose the building known as the Metropolitan Hotel, now called the Bowman Building. The rest of the row was torn down and replaced by one-story brick offices about 1830.

The Town Trustees of 1829 were John McLain, Robert C. Oden, David G. Eller, Matthew Cunningham and Dudley D. Mason.

In 1830 the population of the town was 450 souls, and it contained a number of valuable buildings. It had five dry- goods and grocery stores : McLain & Badgett; Monroe & Smith ; Jacob Reider ; James Debaun and R. C. Byrd ; one drug store : John T. Fulton ; two hotels : Major Peay's, and the Eagle Hotel; five private boarding houses; two black- smiths; Christian Brumbach and Burk Johnson; one gun- smith ; two tailors : J. Smith and J. H. Monroe ; one tinner : Nathan Cloyes; one firm of hatters: Asa G. Baker and Dudley D. Mason ; three shoemakers; one wagon maker : Christian Brumbach; two carpenters : David G. Eller and Joseph Thornhill; two brick-masons ; one baker; one meet- ing house, the Baptist, of which Rev. Silas T. Toncray had been in charge, but which at that date was without a minister ---

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Author: Hempstead, Fay, 1847-1934 Publication date: 1890 Publisher: St. Louis and New York : N. D. Thompson Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1268

Author: Hempstead, Fay, 1847-1934
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: St. Louis and New York : N. D. Thompson Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1268