1950’s – Dinner on the grounds

1950’s – Dinner on the grounds

1950s

Dinner on the grounds at Newport’s First Baptist Church was a favorite activity on pretty Sundays. The Reverend Ed McDonald thought it was a good idea and apparently so did a lot of little boys. (Courtesy of Jane Parnell.)
1950’s – Silver Moon

1950’s – Silver Moon

1950s

The Silver Moon in Newport, with a seating capacity of 800, was thought to be the largest honky-tonk in Arkansas. People came from as far away as Memphis to hear Fats Domino, Louis Armstrong, Elvis Presley, Conway Twitty, Sonny Burgess, and many other rock-and-roll,...
1957 – Boy Scouts

1957 – Boy Scouts

1950s

Boy Scout Troop No. 67 from Newport prepares to attend the National Jamboree in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, in 1957. Pictured here are, from left to right, (first row) David Hare, Jim Carr, and Robin Carr; (second row) troop leader Ray Fann, Stanley Wilson, Cecil...
1950’s – George Kell’s Team

1950’s – George Kell’s Team

1950s

Baseball hall of famer George Kell of the Detroit Tigers, a native of Swifton, coached this all-star team in the mid-1950’s. Clockwise from the bottom left are James McCoy, Mike Allen, Sonny Wayland, Kell, Crackie Parker, Chigger Jones, Dale Harrison and George...
1956 – Sonny Burgess, early Pacers

1956 – Sonny Burgess, early Pacers

1950s

Jackson County native Sonny Burgess, in the dark coat, entertains the crowd at Farmers Day in 1956 with his band, the Pacers. Onstage with Sonny are Kern Kennedy on the piano, Bobby Crafford on drums, Jack Nance on trumpet, Joe Lewis on lead guitar, and Johnny Ray...
1955 – Elvis at Swifton Gym

1955 – Elvis at Swifton Gym

1950s

Elvis Presley warms up for a performance at the Swifton High School gymnasium in 1955. A 13-year-old Tara Chapman snapped this photograph with her Brownie camera; later, her father took her to Elvis’s pre-Graceland house in Memphis, and the King came out and...