1960’s – Tornado Destruction

1960’s – Tornado Destruction

1960s

Tornadoes have always been a constant threat in Jackson County, as in much of Arkansas. The damage shown here reflects the incredible force of these storms, which generally track the old Southwest Trail from southwest to northeast through Arkansas. Although Newport is...
1960’s – Bob Penix and Jim Bailey

1960’s – Bob Penix and Jim Bailey

1960s

Two leading Tuckerman farmers, Bob Penix (left) and Jim Bailey, inspect a crop of peanuts. As intensive cotton farming robbed the soil of its minerals, farmers experimented with a wide variety of other crops in an effort to replenish the soil. Eventually, soybeans and...
1960’s – Robert Harvey

1960’s – Robert Harvey

1960s

Robert Harvey, a lifelong resident of Swifton, was a longtime member of the Arkansas General Assembly. Senator Harvey was one of the most influential members of the Arkansas legislature for decades and the author of the Revenue Stabilization Act, by which the State of...
1960’s – Buzz and Margaret

1960’s – Buzz and Margaret

1960s

Margaret Van Dyke was one of the most beloved citizens in the county. Full of ideas and mirth, she wrote and directed plays, traveled extensively, and wrote a popular column for the Newport Daily Independent under the nom de plume Eliza Doolittle. Here, she...
1960’s – Brown Shoe Company Ground Breaking

1960’s – Brown Shoe Company Ground Breaking

1960s

Here, the Brown Shoe Company christens its new facility. Among the citizens and dignitaries present that day are, from left to right, James A. “Jug” Wallace, P.K. Holmes Jr., Arkansas governor Dale Bumpers, an unidentified Brown Shoe Company official, John...