Clark County history: February

By Joel Phelps on February 2, 2024

For the Month in Clark County History, we combed through bound copies of the Daily Siftings Herald housed in the archives at Ouachita Baptist University. Here are some front-page news briefs from editions dating 10, 20 and 30 years ago.

In February 1994:

• Following the completion of the expansion of Pine Street from two lanes to five, the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department installed new traffic signals at the intersection of Pine and Caddo streets. Then-Arkadelphia City Manager Steve Beck said at the time that “Arkansas Power & Light Co. hooked up power to the lights Monday, and they are expected to begin working soon.”

• Ice provided both amusement and agony on a Thursday in February of 1994 in Clark County. East-bound lanes of traffic were blocked on Interstate 30 near the Country Club Road overpass; Brian Henderson and Casey Jackson slide on a driveway; and tubing provided excitement on the DeGray Lake levee.

In February 2004:

• It might not be the most conventional way to cut down a tree, but Alexander Scott of J&H Tree Service literally went “out on a limb” to help bring down this tree on Main Street in Arkadelphia on a Friday afternoon. He dismantled the tree piece by piece.

• Second Baptist Church’s new sanctuary was starting to take shape at the corner of 12th and Walnut streets. Workers had been assembling the steel beams at the site for several days. Several other major construction projects were under way in Arkadelphia at the time, including a two-story addition to Summit Bank’s downtown branch and the new bridge over Interstate 30.

In February 2014:

• Henderson State University marked the centennial of a the fire that destroyed the Main Building at what was then known as Henderson-Brown College. A century later, there are few reminders of the event, other than the building’s tower bell that sits on Henderson State University’s South Lawn alongside a commemorative plaque. But in the hearts of Henderson alumni, this moment was crucial in the formation of what is known as the “Reddie Spirit.” This Spirit serves as the Henderson mascot, but perhaps more importantly, represents the pride and motivation behind the university’s many successful students and alumni.

• A large crowd gathered on a Friday afternoon in 2014 in the parking lot of Ouachita Baptist University’s A.U. Williams Field for the demolition of the home stands. The demolition was to pave the way for the new Cliff Harris Stadium that would be ready for the 2014 football season.