Washington County

The Fayetteville Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was organized about 1834 or 1835 at the home of Lodowick Brodie. Among its first members were Mr. Brodie and wife, Martin Frazier, Dr. Adam Clark and wife, David Reise and wife, a Mr. Avard and wife, a Mrs. Anthony, Mr. and Mrs. John Skelton, and a Mr. Cardwell and wife. They held services in Mr. Brodie’s house, and after the completion of the first court-house used that as a place of worship. Their first church, which was afterward burned during the early years of the war, was built in the spring of 1840, … Read more

The Indian occupation of Northwestern Arkansas presents few points of interest. This territory was first claimed by the Osages, and was frequently visited by them in their hunting tours, but it is not probable that they had any established villages in this region. As early as 1806 some of the Cherokees settled above Point Remove, on the Arkansas River, and by a treaty made July 17, 1817, acquired title to all the country west of a line from the mouth of Point Remove, on the Arkansas, to a point on White River, three miles above Batesville, thence up White River … Read more

Mexican War One company of mounted volunteers was raised in Washington County for service in the Mexican War. It consisted of 110 men, and was organized in the spring of 1846, with Stephen B. Enyart as captain, James P. Neal, first lieutenant; Mack O’Brien, second lieutenant; J. F. Rieff, ensign, and Mark Cline, orderly sergeant. The company marched to Washington, Hempstead County, but were too late to be received. They returned to their homes, and held themselves in readiness for the next call for troops. This came about the 1st of March, 1847, and the company marched to Fort Smith, … Read more

The next most important event in the educational history of Washington County, and of the State also, was an act of the Legislature, approved March 27, 1871, entitled “An Act for the Location, Organization and Maintenance of the Arkansas Industrial University, with a Normal Department therein.” It begins thus: Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Arkansas: SECTION 1. That the treasurer of said State be a financial agent and trustee of said State, immediately after the passage of this act, to apply for and receive of the United States Government all the land scrip to … Read more

To the People of North and West Arkansas: In obedience to special orders from Headquarters Trans-Mississippi District, I this day assume command of all the troops, of whatever kind, in Northwest Arkansas. In doing so, I hope to be able in a short time to rid that section of the State of the presence of an insolent and unscrupulous abolition invader. To do this I must have the hearty co-operation and sympathy of the citizens, and the united and determined effort of the soldier. I bring with me to the task the life-time experience of a soldier, coupled with the … Read more

Washington County, if she could have controlled Arkansas, would, no doubt, have dotted the State with schools and colleges; as it was she was among the first counties to encourage the proper use of the great United States land grants for public institutions of learning. It was not because there were not large grants made to the commonwealth that the public-school movement languished until 1868, for with the “16th section” grant, “the 72 sections seminary land grant,” the 640,000 acres, and “the swamp lands grant” of September 28, 1850, there were from nine to eleven millions of acres of school … Read more

This place and its vicinity had settlers who entered land as early as April 25, 1836. The following entries were made in that region: William Bloyd, October 24, 1840; James Wynn, July 16, 1840; Eli Bloyd, August 19, 1840; Peter Bloyd, November 10, 1840; John Graham, May 7, 1836; George Putmer, April 10, 1837; Robert McPhail, April 25, 1836; Moses Graham, July 9, 1838; Evan Harrer, July 10, 1838; J. F. Tamison, December 12, 1838, and Benjamin Hardin, April 25, 1836. The general settlement went under the name of West Fork, but its village life did not begin until about … Read more

This is now a horticultural and commercial place, although its founding was due to religious purposes. As in many other cases the immediate cause of the settlement was the noble spring near a tree across the road west of Haxton & Co.’s woolen mills, but which, during the war, broke out at a period about 400 feet distant from its first opening, and south of the mills. The following entries of land in this part of the county will show what material there was for a settlement: Township 18 north, Range 30 west, Section 36–John Holcomb, September 1, 1845; S. … Read more

This is the third town in Washington County in population and importance. It is situated in the midst of one of the most beautiful valleys in Northwestern Arkansas, and within a short distance of the geographical center of the county. Its site was first settled by Rev. Andrew Buchanan in 1829, and by his influence a school and a church were established soon after. He died in 1857, leaving his real estate by will to his widow during her life-time. At her death, with the exception of eighty acres, it was to go to Cane Hill College, and in event … Read more