AHC-Winter-2014-Newsletter-with-cover

REFLECTIONS Vol 38, No Arkansas Humanities Council Winter 2014 What’s Inside Recently-funded Projects Learn about major grants we have awarded Page Launch of Ozark Literary Journal See report on and excerpts from Cave Region Review Page Chairman’s Report Mark Christ details ways you can help fortify the Arkansas Humanities Council Page Summer Seminar An AHC co-sponsored summer seminar for secondary teachers Page 10 UALR Creates Civil Rights Website A website dedicated to Arkansas’ Civil Rights Heritage Page 12 and more Confederate Sunset by Gerry Toler From the Cave Region Review Page 2- Reflections Winter 2014 Partnerships 2014 The Arkansas Humanities Council has great partners! Take a look at the projects that are highlighted in this issue and you’ll see that the success we have had promoting the public humanities in Arkansas is due in large part to partners that share our mission and vision Our most important partner is the National Endowment for the Humanities NEH provides the foundation for everything we through its support grants to state humanities councils We partner with the Department of Arkansas Heritage to offer Arkansas Heritage grants The Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation sponsors our REACH grant program for humanities projects in schools across Arkansas Through our partnership with the Central Arkansas Library System we cosponsor the Arkansas Literary Festival and the Butler Center’s Legacies & Lunch lecture series We sponsor History Day with the University of Central Arkansas and help support the Arkansas Historical Association’s annual conference As you peruse the aricles in this issue of Reflections, you will find that grantmaking and the organizations that receive the funds are at the heart of what we The next time you sharpen that Old Timer pocket knife your daddy gave you for Christmas 50 years ago, you will probably be using a whetstone from Arkansas See the article on page 14 to learn more about whetstones and the Arkansas Archeological Survey project funded in partnership with the Department of Arkansas Heritage As you are sitting by the fire this winter reading the poetry of Billy Collins or Seamus Heaney, why not pick up the current copy of Cave Region Review and enjoy the poetry of Arkansas State University’s Rick Lott? Cave Region Review is published by students at North Arkansas College in Harrison and funded by an AHC minigrant See page for a report on the project along with excerpts from the current issue Have you ever thought about what teachers outside the classroom, on their own time, to provide quality instruction for their students? The article on page 10 tells of the summer seminar for teachers that was co-sponsored by the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies and AHC AHC and the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation have partnered to offer schools in Arkansas the REACH (Raising Education Achievement and Competency in the Humanities) grant program Turn to page and read about the efforts of a teacher in Malvern that have brought national recognition to the school How about a day trip to Stuttgart to visit the Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie, where you can visit a pioneer dwelling from the 1800’s? See page 13 for an example of the Small Museum Minigrant program, funded in partnership with the Department of Arkansas Heritage and AHC Want to learn about Arkansas’ rich civil rights heritage? Visit the Arkansas Civil Rights Heritage Trail just launched by UALR’s Institute Paul S Austin, Executive Director of Race and Ethnicity The website for the trail was funded by AHC in partnership with the Department of Arkansas Heritage The article on page 12 tells about the kickoff of the project And look at what’s coming! Did you know that Major League Baseball’s first spring training was in Arkansas? The University of Arkansas has begun production on a documentary film on professional baseball teams that held pre-season training in Hot Springs Have you ever marveled at the beautiful old courthouses we have in Arkansas? AETN will produce a film about the cultural significance of the historic courthouses and the efforts to preserve them These two films are projects of the Arkansas Heritage Grant program This summer teachers from across Arkansas will attend the renowned Little Rock Writing Project The Battle of Jenkin’s Ferry will be the focus of a series of events Members of the Marshallese community in northwest Arkansas will begin the Marshallese Oral History project The founding of Lawrence County (the home county of Imboden); General William O Darby; Indian tribal records in Arkansas; the search for the battlefield at Wallace’s Ferry; the photographs of Hugo and Gayne Preller; the Brinkley Academy and Washington, AR during the Civil War are all humanities projects that will begin this year 2014 promises to be exciting! Winter 2014 Reflections- Page Board Awards $148,761 in Major Grants The Arkansas Humanities Council board of directors met Nov 15, 2013, to review major grant applications They awarded 13 grants for humanities projects throughout the state Major grant applications are accepted in February and September of each year Projects receiving grants on Nov 15 are listed below PUBLIC PROGRAMS $20,000 grant to conduct oral interviews The First Boys of Spring A $25,000 grant was awarded to the of members of the Marshallese community in Northwest Arkansas April L University of Arkansas at Fayetteville for the production of a film on professionBrown, project director al baseball teams that held pre-season training in Hot Springs Larry Foley, RESEARCH project director Arkansas Family History Information in 19th Century Indian OTHER MEDIA Tribal Records Gen William O Darby The Sequoyah National Research The Darby Foundation in Fort Smith Center in Little Rock was awarded a was awarded a $4,770 grant to produce $3,900 grant to locate and catalog docmedia on the early life and military cauments that will be used to create a reer of Brig Gen William O Darby searchable database on the Chickasaw, Emory S Dockery, project director Choctaw, Cherokee, Seminole and Muscogee (Creek) tribal records Daniel F Washington, Ark., and the American Littlefield, project director Civil War: A Traveling Exhibit Pioneer Washington Restoration Archeological Survey to Locate BattleFoundation in Washington, Ark., was field at Wallace’s Ferry The Arkansas Archeological Survey awarded a $6,000 grant to develop a in Fayetteville was awarded a $5,754 traveling exhibit about Washington grant to conduct field work at the site of during the Civil War Josh Williams, Wallace Ferry Civil War engagement project director 2014 Martin Luther King Jr Holiday Weeklong Commemoration The Arkansas Martin Luther King Commission was awarded a $5,411 grant to support its observance during the Martin Luther King Jr holiday week Activities included an empowerment summit at Old Jacksonville Elementary School and A Day of Service observance at the Pine Bluff Convention Center Gov Mike Beebe, Dr Carolyn Blakely and Dr Joel Anderson spoke during the week DuShun Scarbrough and Walter Carl Carlson-Drexler, project director Washington, project directors Battle of Jenkins Ferry A $3,447 grant was awarded to the Friends of Jenkins Ferry Battlefield Organization in Sheridan for a series of events recognizing the last Civil War battle fought on Arkansas soil Mary Baxley, project director Little Rock Writing Project A $16,000 grant was awarded to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for its writing workshop for Arkansas teachers Heather Hummel, project director Marshallese Oral History Project The Marshallese Educational Initiative Inc in Fayetteville was awarded a Old School: Remembering the Brinkley Academy Founding of Lawrence County: Park Central Little Rock was awardA New Perspective on Early Settleed a $3,037 grant to develop a traveling ment exhibit on the history of the ConsolidatFive Rivers Historic Preservation Inc ed White River Academy, commonly in Pocahontas was awarded a $14,699 referred to as the Brinkley Academy grant to conduct research on the history Grace Hayes Blagdon, project director of Lawrence County Bill Carroll, project director A House of Light: the Art and Photog- PRODUCTION Courthouses of Arkansas The Arkansas Educational Television Network in Conway received a $24,952 grant to produce a film about cultural significance of historic courthouses in Arkansas The film will also explore efforts to preserve the structures Casey Sanders, project director raphy of Hugo and Gayne Preller The Old Independence Regional Museum in Batesville was awarded a $15,790 grant for a multimedia exhibit based on photographs taken by Hugo and Gayne Preller in the early 20th century Chris Engholm, project director Page 4- Reflections Winter 2014 Successful Launch of Ozark Literary Journal North Arkansas College presented the fifth volume of Cave Region Review: A Journal of Literary and Visual Art to the public on Nov 7, 2013, in the John Paul Hammerschmidt Conference Center on Northark’s south campus in Harrison Titled “A Celebration of the Humanities,” it was the third annual launch reception for the journal With the support of three annual Arkansas Humanities Council grants, the publication and launch reception have continually grown This year the Cave Region Review staff was able to create and give away 400 journal copies, almost double the number of journals produced the first year of publication During the free event, guests were treated to the talents of local artists, including photographers Rita Szabo, Marcie Greg Grim and Janet Petty; painters Sandy Williams, Melissa Winnat, Kim Brecklein and Cara Delozier; and wood carvers Joe Brecklein and Joe Doster Representatives from the Artists of the Ozarks displayed pottery and a multitude of hand-crafted works, while representatives from the Photography Club of the Ozarks displayed photography and interacted with guests by snapping pictures of them in various hats and outfits and sending those photos to the “models.” Additionally, Martha Kingsley from the Boone County Museum set up a booth She said that what she enjoyed more than anything was “getting young Local artist Sandy Williams provides face painting for a young guest while another young guest critiques Sandy’s artwork people interested in history.” Her booth displayed historical artifacts and photos, and she spent the evening engaging guests with conversations about Ozark history Another popular attraction was Northark student Jon Dezort’s homemade screen printer Jon and his assistant were busy all evening printing images on shirts that either they or guests brought In addition to all the artists’ booths, there was live folk music from Eric W Spradlin, Ronnie Long, The Gas Station Attendants, The Coal Biters, and Stefan Szabo and Jamie Seed of National Park Radio National Park Radio has since appeared on the Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN) in Conway The concert can be viewed at: http://www.aetn.org/programs/ aetnpresents/onthefrontrow/nationalparkradio The 2013 issue of Cave Region Review includes poetry, plays, short stories, photography, and artwork from artists and writers primarily from the Ozark region The journal is a service-learning project that of- fers Northark students numerous opportunities and benefits This year’s featured poet is Rick Lott, a widely published poet who teaches creative writing and literature at Arkansas State University Lott, who has six poems in the new Cave Region Review, said, “A good poem should not attempt to inform or persuade It should re-create in vivid images a small piece of the world that nudges the reader to find in his or her own thoughts a deeper understanding of the world.” Cara Delozier, a recent graduate of North Arkansas College, is the featured artist in the new edition of Cave Region Review Her works appear in several area galleries, and nine of her colorful abstract paintings are featured in this year’s journal “Abstract is my preferred genre because I don’t want any constraints on myself or whoever is viewing my work,” Delozier said - Tim Coone Tim Coone is an English instructor at North Arkansas College and a faculty advisor for Cave Region Review Winter 2014 Reflections- Page Excerpts from the 2013 issue of the Cave Region Review “Meltdown” by Cara Delozier Rick Lott Wild Geese Noon light like last light under cloud-bellies heavy with snow The black street meanders out of sight, a yellow poplar leaf swirls slantwise Last night, I heard honking drifting down the dark sky to brush a cold feather on my neck, and I saw winging through the black a white V, blown repeatedly ragged by the headwind the snow geese flew into They were headed for the fields of rice stubble and winter wheat that stretch along the Harrisburg highway like the wide vacancies of the season; acres of wintering geese seething like burdens of living snow To farmers, the snow geese are pests, welcome to rice grains spilled among the stubble, if only the greedy birds would let the wheat alone So the farmers invite hunters onto the land, unable to imagine a haven beyond the range of human desire “A Glimpse Beyond” by Cara Delozier Melissa Dereberry The Boot If I have failed to forget anything, it is the boot The red boot—one-half of a child’s pair, the rubber rain-galoshes-type— planted foot-up in the lagoon behind our house Surrounded by years of untamed brush, pokeweed and thistle—lush wasteland, the most fertile soil around, layered with a thick green blanket of moss, it stuck to one side, never moving, fading to a rusty pink, the color of a school eraser, cracked but still intact— grown to the bottom by cords of organism, rooted, attached, as if one could grab on and lift a full foot, then someone hanging, astounded— I think in the end it belonged to me, my older brother having coaxed and tossed it in Some days I see it so perfectly, a red flash, the perfect formation, the infallible splack as it landed, staying— Like my childhood, unchanged, ambiguous—suspended— The one elusive step from muck to blue sky that would never and forever be taken Page 6- Reflections Winter 2014 Ways to Give in 2014 Throughout this newsletter, you can read about some of the amazing projects that the Arkansas Humanities Council has helped fund over the past year, bringing the humanities to Arkansans both young and old Thanks to our partnerships with the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation and the Department of Arkansas Heritage, the Council is making a difference in how people perceive our state We are concerned, however, about the continuing status of the National Endowment for the Humanities in light of the interminable partisan bickering in Washington The majority of the Arkansas Humanities Council’s operating funds and a significant amount of grant funding comes from the NEH In this age of continuing resolutions and sequestration it has been difficult to make even shortterm plans At the recent Federation of State Humanities Councils convention in Birmingham, Ala., at least one-third of the sessions offered touched on fundraising and finances—a reflection that this is a national concern To alleviate this ongoing uncertainty, the Arkansas Humanities Council is going to establish an endowment that will ensure that we will be able to continue our mission of bringing the humanities to the people of Arkansas through such means as the traveling exhibits and other materials in our resource library and the major grants and mini-grants that allow local communities to share their heritage You will hear more about this effort in coming months One of the most interesting facts that I heard at the Birmingham conference was that the overwhelming majority of donations come from individuals, followed by foundations (14 percent), bequests (7 percent) and corporations (5 percent), so you, our readers, are going to be THE key partners in our initiative to develop a funding source independent of the shifting winds of Washington politics There are several ways you can help (see list below) So feel free to pluck the envelope from this newsletter and make a tax-deductible contribution to the Arkansas Humanities Council! Donors will be recognized in future issues of Reflections, and through the many projects that will receive funding thanks to YOUR generosity Gifts and pledges of cash, which can be put to use immediately to fund humanities programming in Arkansas A percentage of all donations will also go into the Arkansas Humanities Council’s endowment fund Restricted giving, where your donation can be channeled to those humanities programs that are of particular personal interest Unrestricted giving, which helps with the day-to-day operations of the Arkansas Humanities Council and those programs where the need is greatest Matching gifts, where employers provide dollar-for-dollar match for their employees’ charitable contributions (check with your employer to see if your donation is eligible!) Bequests and planned giving, through which you can contribute to the Arkansas Humanities Council in your will The AHC board of directors welcomed four new members in January The board elected to three year terms; Steven Harthorn, an English professor at Williams Baptist College in Walnut Ridge, Cherisse Jones-Branch a History professor at Arkansas State Uni- versity in Jonesboro, and Felecia R Smith, an administrator with the Fort Smith Public Schools in Fort Smith Governor Mike Beebe appointed Linda Tabor, a retired U.S Army Corp of Engineers administrator from Monticello, to a three year term Mark Christ, Chair Winter 2014 Reflections- Page Helen T Leigh Museum Grant Announced The Arkansas Humanities Council and MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History announce the Helen T Leigh Museum Field Trip Grant! The Helen T Leigh Museum Field Trip Grant offer funds to teachers who wish to bring 5th through 12th grade students to MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History Students and teachers will see the newest exhibit "First Call: American Posters of World War I," a collection of colorful posters produced between the years 1914 - 1918 that encouraged enlistment, fundraising, and public support of the war effort While there, teachers and students are encouraged to tour the museum, participate in various educational programs, and enjoy learning about our state's military heritage on the homefront and around the world The Helen T Leigh Museum Field Trip Grant offers up to $500 to schools statewide to cover mileage reimbursement, bus driver and use of bus fees, and substitute teachers For more information, please contact Jama Best, Senior Program Officer at 501.320.5761 or jamabest@sbcglobal.net 2014 Board of Directors Carole Adornetto Steven Harthorn Stan Poole (Treasurer) Kenneth Barnes Cherisse Jones-Branch *Wanda Roe Paul Custodio Bube Conway Conway Walnut Ridge Jonesboro Arkadelphia Pea Ridge Batesville Felicia R Smith Fort Smith Olivia Sordo Mark Christ (Chair) Merlina McCullough *Marlane Stakemiller *Jamie Darling Freeman McKindra *Linda Tabor John Kyle Day (Vice-Chair) *Barbara Moody *Judy Tenenbaum Ann Early Rex Nelson Clark Trim Allyn Lord Justin M Nolan Shelina Warren (Secretary) Little Rock Tuckerman Monticello Fayetteville Fayetteville Greenbrier Little Rock Salem Little Rock Fayetteville Fayetteville Little Rock Monticello Little Rock Little Rock Pine Bluff *Governor’s appointee Page - Reflections Winter 2014 R.E.A.C.H Grants R.E.A.C.H (Raising Education Achievement and Competence in the Humanities) grants of up to $3,000 are awarded by the Arkansas Humanities Council to public, private, and parochial schools in Arkansas Grants may also be awarded to not-for-profit organizations working collaboratively with a local school or school district The R.E.A.C.H grant program is a partnership with the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation Mineral Springs Elementary School was recently awarded a grant for its Hand-On-Literacy project Tabitha Jones was project director She said “If it weren’t for this grant, I am not sure that my students would have been ready for the Arkansas Augmented Benchmark Exam My students have shown over 30% growth since I started using my grant.” Jack Robey Junior High School was awarded a R.E.A.C.H grant for its Literacy and College Preparedness project Larissa Davis and Shelina Warren are project directors One of the students who participated in the project said “When I was little, I didn’t believe I would be going to college, but now I believe I am.” Other REACH grants awarded include: Little Rock Central High School received $2,816 for its oral history project George West is project director Kingsland Elementary received $3,000 for a literacy project Danny Durey is project director Flippin elementary received $1,954 for a history project Julie Beaver is project director Russellville School District received $ 1,350 for a literacy project Caitlin Harris is project director Wynne Intermediate School received $3,000 for professional development and literacy Kaley Boeckmann is project director Sandra Dallas Susan Peterson is project director PHOEBE/The Uzuri Project in Hot Springs received a $2,000 African American Heritage minigrant for the Official Website and Video Page Cheryl Batts is project director A $1,000 planning grant was awarded to the Clover Bend Historic Preservation Association in Black Rock for the Clover Bend Museum Planning project Janet Lee is project director The Arkansas Archeological Survey received a $1,000 planning grant for the Knights of Pythias: Kindling Peace and Understanding project Julie Morrow is project director The Western Arkansas Educational Services Cooperative in Branch received a $1,000 planning grant for the This is Arkansas: Waldron project Curtis Varnell is project director For a complete list of R.E.A.C.H grants awarded please visit our website at arkhums.org Mini Grants The Arkansas Humanities Council awards planning, public program, research, and special initiative minigrants to not-for-profit organizations Applications for these minigrants may be submitted the first of every month except December From September 2013 through November 2013 the following Arkansas organizations received minigrants: The Arkansas Reading Association in Conway received a $1,500 award for the Humanities Spotlight: Authors Patricia McCormick and For a complete list of minigrant awards please visit our website at arkhums.org Winter 2014 Reflections - Page Malvern Students Create Holocaust Museum Claudine James’ Pre-AP classes, in collaboration with Chris Slaton’s EAST classes, created a mini Holocaust Museum in the Malvern Middle School lobby The exhibits coincided with the official National Day of Remembrance: April 7, 2013 The project was supported by a R.E.A.C.H grant from the AHC and the Winthrope Rockefeller Foundation For months, the school was abuzz with students working on projects, ideas being thrown around, suggestions being sought and a total whirlwind of anticipation and excitement Before beginning the project, most students knew very little about the Holocaust Each student was required to read a self-chosen book about the Holocaust as well as Elie Wiesel’s Night, which instantly became a life-changing read Mr Wiesel became a hero to many, and his novel ignited a passion to learn more about the Holocaust The reading, the research and the required collaboration all played a huge part in the success of the exhibits and the philosophical change some of the students experienced Many wonderful things occurred as a result of the exhibit In two weeks more than 1,000 students and parents toured the exhibits—even members of the state Jewish Federation, who later invited the students and teachers to be special guests at a musical at a synagogue Attending the musical opened their eyes to so many cultural traditions; they embraced the opportunity to learn and asked many questions The parents who assisted said they felt like students themselves, as it was an experience that they, too, will never forget The students were able to share what they had learned; many developed their oratory skills as they served as tour guides; they learned how to work together collaboratively to achieve what they previously regarded as the impossible Most importantly, the experience gave students insight into where unfair treatment of others can actually lead Said one student, Stacy: “Our greatest accomplishment this year has been realizing that everyone is important and shouldn’t be judged Studying the Holocaust has made me realize that we should never keep silent when we witness or hear of injustice.” Nine months of hard work, and the students were finally able to see the negative effects of judging, stereotyping and treating others unfairly The students decided to make the exhibit a yearly affair Not only will the message be continually shared, but they are also creating their own community service avenue They are determined to inform others of what they have learned in hopes of creating a better future for all mankind Teacher Claudine James displays a photograph of the Auschwitz concentration camp Page 10- Reflections Winter 2014 On the Road: Civil War to Civil Rights A Summer Seminar for Teachers About 40 secondary educators attended a three-day seminar in June co-sponsored by the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies/CALS and the Arkansas Humanities Council The seminar, “Rethinking History Instruction: Using Content from the Civil War to Civil Rights,” was designed to introduce educators to the curriculum concepts associated with the Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) while using content from history, especially Arkansas history Not only did educators explore the complex text and curriculum content ranging from the Civil War to civil rights, they also explored techniques for involving students in research and writing Humanities scholars featured were Spirit Trickey, Janis Kearney and Thomas DeBlack Trickey, formerly of Little Rock and daughter of Little Rock Nine member Minnijean Brown Trickey, is currently Chief of Interpretation at the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Seattle While Trickey was a staff member at the Central High National Historic Site, she published a play, One Ninth With a talk titled “Central High: Then and Now,” Trickey provided visual and first-hand information for attendees and led them through role-playing scenarios that could be replicated in classrooms Kearney, author of several memoirs, including the recently published A tour of Helena’s Fort Curtis was part of a tour organized by the Delta Cultural Center’s Jack Myers Daisy: Between a Rock and a Hard Place, described the memoir-writing technique and described her role as personal diarist to President Clinton from 1995 to 2001 DeBlack, a history professor at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, has served as president of the Arkansas Historical Association As a former secondary school classroom teacher and the author of With Fire and Sword: Arkansas, 1861–1874, DeBlack provided information for use in teaching about the Civil War and Reconstruction in Arkansas Museum visits were included in the seminar, and museum educators—Nic Clark of the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, Jack Myers of the Delta Cultural Center, and Kathleen Pate of the Clinton Presidential Center—provided information on “place-based” instructional activities Clark shared ideas regarding military rations during the Civil War and guided a tour of Civil War artifacts available in the museum A tour of Helena’s Delta Cultural Center Museum, Freedom Park and Fort Curtis was organized by Myers, who also took the group to the noon taping of the King Biscuit Time radio program, where host “Sunshine” Sonny Payne interviewed Kay Bland, the Butler Center’s K-12 Education Coordinator, regarding the group’s visit Pate hosted a tour of the exhibit Jazz: Through the Eyes of Herman Leonard at the Clinton Presidential Center and shared information about a forthcoming exhibit on the March on Washington in 1963 Butler Center staff members Brian Robertson, Steven Teske and Guy Lancaster provided resources and ideas for classroom utilization Robertson, editor of Things Grew Beautifully Worse: The Wartime Experiences of Captain John O’Brien, 30th Arkansas Infantry, C.S.A and project manager for the Butler Center digital collection FORGOTTEN: The Korean War Project, shared ideas for obtaining primary source documentation to Winter 2014 Reflections - Page 11 “On The Road” cont from page Spirit Trickey, formerly an Interpretative Ranger at the Little Rock Central High National Historic Site, provided visual and first-hand information for seminar attendees and led them through role-playing scenarios that could be replicated in classrooms She is now Chief of Interpretation with the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Seattle extend classroom instruction Teske, co-author of Homefront Arkansas: Arkansans Face Wartime and author of both Unvarnished Arkansas: The Naked Truth About Famous Arkansans and Natural State Notables: 21 Famous People from Arkansas, discussed how to use historical fiction supplemented with informational text Teske suggested that teachers have students “check the facts” after reading historical fiction Lancaster, editor of the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture (EOA), briefed the educators about the state’s authoritative resource and used examples from the EOA as he shared from his personal research focus, racial violence in Arkansas Seminar participants also provided handouts or curriculum ideas George West, Keith Richardson and Cynthia Nunnley of the Central High School Social Studies Department shared writing techniques from their “oral history memory projects.” Lisa Lacefield, Arkansas History Hub Teacher Advisory Committee member, shared a handout titled “Why Visit a Museum,” designed to explain the new term “place-based learning” (which replaces “field trip”) in which the museum becomes the classroom Laura West from Hot Springs shared the handout “Passport to the World: Teacher Travel Programs.” On the bus, as the participants were transported to Helena for their own “place-based learning,” presentations were shared by Lancaster, the Central High Memory Project Team, Lacefield and West The attendees also viewed the film Hoxie: The First Stand, which is available for loan from the Arkansas Humanities Council Seminar participants, who received copies of many of the books and materials mentioned here, had positive evaluations regarding the three days of intense professional development One wrote, “Thank you so much for facilitating this seminar! This was an incredible experience that has reinvigorated my passion for teaching about history I am blown away by the quality of the presenters and really enjoyed all the activities.” Legendary Helena disc jockey “Sunshine” Sonny Payne interviews the Butler Center’s Kay Bland for the King Biscuit Time radio program Page 12- Reflections Winter 2014 New Website Celebrates Arkansas’ Civil Rights Heritage The University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Institute on Race and Ethnicity unveiled the Arkansas Civil Rights Heritage Trail, a set of bronze markers bearing the names of civil rights pioneers and created a website, arkansascivilrightsheritage org, as an accompaniment to the trail, supported in part by a $8,471 grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities The goal of the website is to highlight individuals and organizations who were instrumental in ending legal segregation, but whose stories have been overlooked in historical texts On Sept 21, the Institute on Race and Ethnicity partnered with the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce to add the names of these individuals to the Heritage Trail during a commemoration ceremony The ceremony marked the 50th anniversary of Little Rock’s downtown desegregation Ozell Sutton, the only living honoree, attended the event and addressed the crowd “Fifty years later you have to have these stories perpetuate because they influence people…this could make someone, when something comes up in their life, step away from the norm and the right thing,” said Sutton Posthumous honorees included William Starr Mitchell, L.C 2013 honoree Ozell Sutton poses with wife Joanna Freeman Sutton Bates, James H (left) and daughter Altatina Sutton (right) during the third annual Arkansas Civil Rights Heritage Commemoration Penick and Garman P Freeman Furthermore, the trail will remain The website includes historical a permanent fixture on the city’s content in the form of audio recordlandscape for many generations to ings, videos, photos, documents, appreciate and enjoy and even an interactive historical As the trail represents the state’s timeline strides toward embracing our shared The Heritage Trail starts in front past and preserving our history, of the Old State House Museum on the website acts as a tool to educate Markham Street, stretches past the the public about the civil rights Statehouse Convention Center, and movement in Arkansas through the on to the entrance of the Chamber convenience of a computer or smartof Commerce It serves as a visual phone reminder of the state’s legacy, and Learn more about the Arkansas adding new honorees to the trail is civil rights history at arkansascivilnow an annual tradition rightsheritage.org Dr Garman P Freeman, of the Council on Community Affairs, and L.C Bates, of the Arkansas State Press, speak to a reporter outside a court building in 1963 This Civil Rights Heritage marker honors James H Penick, the head of the Downtown Negotiating Committee, which helped desegregate downtown businesses in Little Rock in 1963 Winter 2014 Reflections- Page 13 Stuttgart Museum’s ‘Prairie Home’ Reopens Since opening in September 1974, the Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie continues to offer visitors an opportunity to learn about the unique history of Stuttgart, Ark The museum interprets the unique heritage of Stuttgart and Grand Prairie regions from the 1800s to present day through exhibits, interpretive programs and special events Visitors to the museum are introduced to early pioneer life of the Grand Prairie through interpretive tours of replicas of the Emmanuel Lutheran Church, originally built in the 1880s by the Rev Adam Buerkle, an early print shop, a fire station, a oneroom school house and the Prairie House Visitors and school groups are also introduced to agricultural practices and ways of life both past and present The Prairie House exemplifies a house constructed during the 1800s to early 1900s Several months ago it was learned the roof was leaking and many of the wood shaker shingles needed replacing The Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie applied for Museum workers and volunteers celebrate the restoration and received project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony an Operating Grant with staff and volunteers for Small Museums through the eagerly waiting to introduce Arkansas Humanities Council in visitors to life on the the amount of $2,632 Funds for Arkansas Grand Prairie the initiative are provided by the Department of Arkansas Heritage With additional funds from the museum, the roof was replaced and the structure reopened to visitors The museum is open year round An Arkansas Humanities Council grant helped provide resources to replace the roof of the historic Prairie House The Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie is open Tuesday- Friday from a.m until p.m and Saturdays from 10 a.m until p.m Page 14- Reflections Winter 2014 Arkansas Novaculite: Whetstones and More If you have ever used a whetstone to sharpen a knife blade, chances are it was made from Arkansas novaculite Mining the hard rock for whetstones and sharpening stones has been an important Arkansas industry since the early 1800s Novaculite mining for whetstone use began as early as 1818 in the Hot Springs region of the Ouachita Mountains Initially, quantities of rock were shipped outside the state—and even outside the United States—for cutting and finishing By the 20th century, there were local companies sawing novaculite into whetstones Today there are at least half a dozen companies in Arkansas that manufacture and market whetstones and specialty abraders from novaculite What is Novaculite? Novaculite is a hard, finegrained siliceous rock, which is made up of very small crystals of the mineral quartz It is similar to chert or flint The name comes from the Latin word for razor While novaculite is often white or light gray in color, it also occurs in pink, red, tan, dark gray, and black Novaculite is distinctively translucent, and you can see light through thin edges of the rock Geologists describe beds of massive novaculite, mixed with chert and shale, as the Arkansas Novaculite Formation It was deposited during the Devonian to Mississippian geological periods between 318 and 416 million years ago This rock was created when silica separated from seawater and later solidified and changed during mountain building Folding, faulting, and tilting of rock layers has exposed novaculite on tops of mountain ridges in the Ouachita Mountains The Arkansas Novaculite Formation outcrops along the Benton-Broken Bow Uplift between Little Rock, Ark., and Broken Bow, Okla Novaculite is a unique rock found only in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma, and in southwest Texas Native American Use of Novaculite People living in this region have used novaculite for thousands of years This fine-grained rock was a key raw material used by American Indians for chipping their sharpedged tools Novaculite breaks with a “conchoidal fracture,” and flintknappers used that predictable cone-shaped fracture pattern to chip tools to the desired shape and thickness In the Ouachita Mountains and adjacent areas of the Gulf Coastal Plain in Arkansas, novaculite was preferred as a raw material for making stone tools Native Americans living in this region from about 10,500 B.C to 1700 A.D used novaculite for points to tip darts and arrows, for knife blades, and for scraping tools and drills Novaculite was desired as a raw material for chipped-stone tools far beyond Arkansas Archeologists have found novaculite artifacts on sites in Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama Some Indians traveled to the Ouachita Mountains to get novaculite, but most probably traded finished or partly finished novaculite tools from community to community Since stone for making tools was in short supply in the Delta region, Indians there would welcome novaculite tools Even before novaculite’s commercial use for whetstones, American Indians quarried it from outcrops on mountain ridges in the Ouachita Mountains Battered Indians battered outcrops, dug pits, and mined trenches to reach useable stone at quarry sites continued on page 15 Winter 2014 Reflections- Page 15 continued from page 14 outcrops, quarry pits and trenches, stone hammers, and refuse from preliminary chipping are key evidence of this ancient activity More than 120 novaculite quarries have been recorded as archeological sites in Arkansas Novaculite quarries, which extend for several miles along some mountain ridges, are some of the largest archeological sites in Arkansas, if not the United States The size of these quarries shows the importance of novaculite as a resource for ancient residents and the intensity of its use in the past Novaculite Quarries as Significant Archeological Sites In 1890, William Henry Holmes of the Smithsonian Institution became the first archeologist to visit Arkansas novaculite quarries He later used these as examples in his book on aboriginal North American stone quarries Archeologists are interested in understanding novaculite tool production and trade routes, so we study quarries as well as the places where people lived and used these tools Since people moved novaculite tools far beyond the Ouachita Mountains, archeologists can use novaculite artifacts to map out the regional interactions between people in ancient times It is important to preserve and protect archeological sites such as novaculite quarries These sites tell us the unwritten Quarrying tools and chipping waste show the history of quarry sites history of quarrying in Arkansas The quarry pits and For Further Reading: tools left behind are tangible signs of the extent of this ancient indusHolbrook, Drew F and Charles G try We have much to learn from Stone, 1979 Arkansas Novaculite – A these large and significant sites Silica Resource Reprinted from ThirYou may come across evidence of teenth Annual Forum on the Geology novaculite mining while hiking of Industrial Minerals, Oklahoma in the Ouachita Mountains ReGeological Survey Circular 79, by the member that it is against the law Arkansas Geological Commission, to disturb archeological sites on Little Rock state and federal property Please Pennington, Helen, 2013 Novacobserve and learn, photograph and ulite The Encyclopedia of Arkansas explore, but not remove pieces History & Culture http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/enof novaculite Do not dig up or rearrange artifacts found there Do try-detail.aspx?entryID=2220 (accessed September, 2013) not take pieces of novaculite away Trubitt, Mary Beth, Thomas Green, from these important historic and Ann Early, 2004 A Research Deplaces! sign for Investigating Novaculite QuarTo learn more about novacry Sites in the Ouachita Mountains ulite and its The Arkansas Archeologist, Bulletin use throughout of the Arkansas Archeological Society history, visit the 43:17-62 Arkansas ArcheWhittington, David B., 1969 ological Survey’s Arkansas’ Oldest Industry Arkansas “Arkansas Novac- Historical Quarterly 28(3):223-230 ulite: A Virtual Comparative Collection” website at http://arkarcheReport by Mary Beth Trubitt, Ph.D., ology.uark.edu/ Arkansas Archeological Survey novaculite/index html Indians chipped dart points from novaculite This project is supported in part by a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities Grant Categories, Maximum Awards, Deadlines Major Grants: no maximum February 15 & September 15 Individual $2,000 February 15 & September 15 Collaborative no maximum February 15 & September 15 $3,500 February 15 & September 15 Film and Video Preproduction $5,000 February 15 & September 15 Film and Video Production $25,000 Other Media no maximum Public Program Research Publication Media September 15 February 15 & September 15 Mini Grants: Planning $1,000 1st of each month, except December Public Program $1,500 1st of each month, except December Research $1,500 1st of each month, except December For grant guidelines and application forms, go to www.arkhums.org Non-Profit Organization U.S Postage PAID Little Rock, AR 72211 Permit number 2622 407 President Clinton Avenue Suite 201 Little Rock, AR 72201 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED