Ashley County is a rural South Arkansas county with a culture, economy, and history based on timber and agriculture. Created as Arkansas's 52nd county on November 30, 1848, Ashley County has seven incorporated municipalities, including Hamburg, the county seat and Crossett, the most populous city. The county is also the site of numerous unincorporated communities and ghost towns. The county is named for Chester Ashley, a prominent lawyer in the Arkansas Territory and U.S. senator from the state from 1844 to 1848.
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Ashley County, Arkansas.
The Masonic Temple of El Dorado, Arkansas is located at 106-108 North Washington Street, on the west side of the courthouse square. The four-story masonry building was built in 1923–24 to a design by Little Rock architect Charles S. Watts. It is one of a small number of buildings in Arkansas with Art Deco styling influenced by the Egyptian Revival. This particular styling was likely influence by the 1922 discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamun.
The Wilson Park Historic District is a historic district in Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA, located just northeast of the University of Arkansas. The district consists of several residential buildings that developed during the late 19th and early 20th Century near Wilson Park just north of Dickson Street, the city's primary entertainment district. Wilson Park Historic District includes 47 contributing buildings.
The First United Methodist Church is a historic church building at 204 S. Main in Hamburg, Arkansas. The brick Gothic Revival building was built in 1910 for Hamburg's first organized congregation, founded in 1850, which had previously met in a wood-frame building on the same site. It was designed by the Nolley Brothers, who owned a local brickyard, and was based on Gothic Revival designs that one of them had observed at the St. Louis World's Fair.
The Hamburg Presbyterian Church is a historic church at the junction of Cherry and Lincoln Streets in Hamburg, Arkansas. The building, a single story wood-frame structure, has an unusual construction history. It was built in 1871, and was apparently stylistically decorated in Stick Style, although no historic photos of the building have been found. In c. 1920 the building underwent a series of alterations, including relocation or reconstruction of its tower to its present location, when it had originally been at the entrance. It is at this time that the cornice bracketing and half-timbering was added, giving the building a Craftsman style appearance.
The Watson House is a historic house at 300 N. Cherry Street in Hamburg, Arkansas. The two story Colonial Revival brick house was built in 1918, and features verandas on its street-facing elevations. The verandas are supported by large Ionic columns that rise two full stories to support the roof, with the second floor veranda supported by cables suspended from above. The large-proportioned house is one of the most prominent buildings in Hamburg. It was designed and built by W. C. Bunn for David Watson, owner of a successful local hardware store.
Hamburg Cemetery is the main cemetery of Hamburg, Ashley County, Arkansas. It is located on the east side of the city, south of Arkansas Highway 8. Hamburg was established in 1848, and the first burial was recorded in the cemetery in 1859. It has since become the burial site for many of Hamburg's leading citizens.
The Star City Commercial Historic District encompasses the historic commercial center of Star City, Arkansas, the county seat of Lincoln County. The district consists of thirteen buildings on two city blocks, as well as the Star City Confederate Memorial. The buildings are located on Jefferson Street, between Arkansas and Bradley Streets, and on Bradley Street between Jefferson and Drew Streets. The memorial is located in the town square, near the junction of Jefferson and Bradley. The buildings in the district were built between 1916 and 1928, and have for the most part escaped major alterations since their construction. Minor changes generally involve changes to store fronts, such as the boarding over of transom windows, the replacement of recessed entries with flush ones, and changes to the fenestration. The building at 108 Jefferson, built in 1927 to house a bar, has been extensively remodeled and does not contribute to the district's significance; the Star Theater building at 212-214 Bradley has also been extensively altered.
The Magnolia Commercial Historic District encompasses the historic heart of Magnolia, the county seat of Columbia County, Arkansas. It includes the courthouse square and most of the buildings which face it, as well as buildings along Calhoun and Jackson Streets. The centerpiece of the district is the square itself and the Columbia County Courthouse, a Renaissance Revival structure built in 1905 to a design by W. S. Hull. The square is lined with mostly brick-faced buildings built between about 1899 and 1910, and between 1938 and 1958, when the city experienced a second building boom. The oldest known surviving building, then as now housing a pharmacy, is located at 111 S. Court Square. One prominent building from the second building phase is the Cameo Theater Building, an Art Deco design built in 1948.
The DeWitt Commercial Historic District encompasses part of the historic downtown of De Witt, Arkansas, the seat of the southern district of Arkansas County. It consists of roughly six square blocks, focused on Courthouse Square, location of the Southern District Courthouse. This area was platted out when De Witt was established as the new county seat of Arkansas County in 1854, replacing the Arkansas Post, which was not centrally located within the county after numerous other counties had been carved out of its territory. The city's growth remained modest until the arrival of the railroad in the 1890s, and saw most of its civic growth between then and the 1920s. The district includes 54 historically significant buildings, 32 of which face Courthouse Square. The oldest buildings in the district lie just north of Courthouse Square, either facing the square or in North Main or Gibson Streets.
The Marianna Commercial Historic District encompasses the historic civic and commercial heart of Marianna, Arkansas, the county seat of Lee County. It comprises two blocks of Main Street and two blocks of Poplar Street, which cross at the northwest corner of Court Square, a city park where the Gen. Robert E. Lee Monument is found, and extends south to include a few buildings on Liberty Street.
The Harrisburg Commercial Historic District encompasses the historic civic and commercial heart of Harrisburg, Arkansas, the county seat of Poinsett County, located in the far northeastern part of the state. The district encompasses the buildings surrounding Court Square, where the Poinsett County Courthouse is located, and extends a short way north and south on Main and East Streets. Although Harrisburg was founded in 1856, its substantial growth did not begin until after the arrival of the railroad in the 1880s. The oldest building in the district is the Harrisburg State Bank building at 100 North Main. The courthouse is a grand Classical Revival structure built in 1917. Most of the district buildings were built before the Great Depression, using brick or masonry construction.
The Piggott Commercial Historic District encompasses the original center of the city of Piggott, Arkansas, as originally platted out in 1887. It is centered on the square where the Clay County courthouse is located, buildings facing the courthouse square, and also buildings along some of the adjacent streets. In addition to the courthouse, the district includes the c. 1910 railroad depot, city hall, two churches, the 1930s Post Office building, a cotton gin, and a grain storage yard. The town grew because of the railroad, and the plentiful timber in the area, whose harvesting fueled the early economy in the region. The oldest building in the district is the 1897 Clay County Bank at 188 West Main Street.
The Jasper Commercial Historic District encompasses the historic commercial center of Jasper, Arkansas. It includes the Newton County Courthouse, a 1930s Works Progress Administration building, and buildings that line the courthouse square, as well as some of the streets radiating from it. Built between the 1880s and 1940s, the district includes a high quality collection of commercial buildings constructed out of local stone. Most are one or two stories in height, and are vernacular to the period of their construction. Five of the district's 26 buildings were built by Gould Jones, a prominent local blacksmith and mason.
The Pine Bluff Commercial Historic District encompasses a portion of the historic city center of Pine Bluff, Arkansas. It extends from Barraque Street south along Main Street, extending in places to properties alongside streets. The area's commercial development began about 1840, when the courthouse square was laid out at Barraque and Main, and proceeded through the early 20th century. Most of the commercial properties of the district were built between 1880 and 1910, and are reflective architecturally of late 19th-century commercial building styles.
The Perryville Commercial Historic District encompasses the historic commercial and civic heart of the city of Perryville, Arkansas. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012, and it includes two buildings already separately listed. It is centered on the courthouse square, where the 1880 Perry County Courthouse stands. It includes nine contributing buildings, including buildings facing the square, with a few included on adjacent side streets, and six non-contributing ones. This area was developed beginning in the 1840s, when Perryville was founded, and grew through the mid-20th century. Most of the buildings are vernacular commercial buildings, finished in wood, brick, or stone. The most unusual is the Rustic Perryville American Legion Building.
The Paris Commercial Historic District encompasses much of the commercial heart of downtown Paris, Arkansas. Centered on the courthouse square, where the Logan County Courthouse, Eastern District is located, the district contains a well-preserved collection of mainly commercial architecture from the turn of the 20th century. The district includes the buildings facing the courthouse square, as well as additional buildings extending down South Express and South Elm Streets, and the cross streets between them.
The Warren Commercial Historic District encompasses the historic commercial heart of Warren, Arkansas. The district's northern end is focused on the Bradley County Courthouse and Clerk's Office, and extends down Main Street to Church Street, with branches along cross streets and roads radiating from the courthouse square. This area was developed beginning in the 1840s, but its oldest buildings date to the 1890s, primarily brick commercial buildings. Of architectural note are the courthouse, a Beaux Arts structure built in 1903, and the Classical Revival Warren Bank building (1927).
The Willson Commercial Historic District encompasses the commercial and industrial heart of Wilson, Arkansas. Founded in 1886 as a company town by Robert Edward Lee Wilson, the city's growth was regulated and planned by the company until it was formally incorporated in 1950. This district encompasses the historic town square, commercial buildings, and the administrative and industrial buildings of the company's cotton gin and flour mill.
