Page 17 - Jefferson County AR 1889 History (Goodspeed)

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HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.

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Iw h m branches many a pioneer court sat in solemn , built off in the direction of Corner Stone and the
Idignity in the open air. In 1839 Jacob Brump east. The Altheimer Branch of the "Cotton Belt,"

/wae given the contract for the erection of a brick ' taking a northwesterly direction from Altheimer,

court house, to be located on the site between the has been in operation for abmt three years, and

:present conrt bonse and the river. I t was 40 feet two other railways are contemplated.

square, two stories, with an octagon bell tower, , An agricultural society existed before the war,

Iand cost 85,300, and a front view sketch of it may ! and one has been in active operation for several

still be seen in the deed records of 1889-the early years past. The oounty branch of the Bureau of

work of Pine Bluff's present venerable mayor. I t i Immigration for the State began when that move.

was in 1856 that this was superseded by the pres- ment started and has been of great benefit to the

ent structure, a two-story painted brick, 50 feet , county. The Jefferson County Medical Society

/by 54 feet, with two one-story wings 20 feet by 40 was organized November 19,1870, and has been so

feet, and of a mixed fortress and Greek style of ' vigorous that the State aooiety met with it in 1889.

ardhitecture. Jacob Brump was commissioner I t has twenty-eight members. The County Wheel

and George G. Keeler contracted to complete it was formed in 1889. J. Ed. Murray Camp of

for $15,000. Among the changes since made may Ex.Confederate Veterans is an interesting organ

be mentioned the removal of the court room to the ization effected in 1889 and has 190 members.

lower floor, the extension of the front porch and , M. G. Sennett is commander.

the vaults on the northeast corner, while still more Railway bonds to the amount of $100,000 were

extensive improvements are nnder way, to cost issued April 1, 1873, and due in 1894, bearing six

about $22,000. The jails formerly used were not per cent interest. Some of these have been paid,

so good as the present one-a brick structure of but otherwise the county is out of debt, and a per-

one story, Ioaated at the rear of the court house. manent sinking fund provides for continuous re.

The county has no poa farm. dudiou of the bonds without affecting the growth

Its highways all radiate from Pine Bluff and of the county, as its continued prosperity ahund-

are in good condition. The oldest of these is the autly provea

old military road to Little Rock end down the For the successive decades beginning with 1830

river. These are the most important county struc- the population of Jefferson County has been 772;

tures. j 2,666; 5,834; 14,971; 15,733; 22,386; and (esti-

On January 15, 1853, several citizens of East- i mated) 45,000 in 1889. I n 1860 the white and

ern Arkansas, among whom was Ron. J. W. Bo- ( colored proportions were, respectively, 7,813 and
cage, secured the charter for the Little Rock BE 1 7,158; in 1870 were 5,568 whiteto 10.167colored,

INapoleon Railroad. I! and in the year 1880, 5,331 to 17,011 colored.
The increase of negro population over the white
and by the time the
Work was began about 1858
war opened the bed waa al-

mast ready for rails. This event, of course, stopped in 1889 is equally marked. I n 1880 there were

everything. About 1868-09 the members of the

State government secured and completed it from proportion of negro to white population

Pine Bluff to C h i c o t t h e first railway in the

country. I t was finished to Little Rock about

1881-82, and is the now well-known " Valley able adjustment of negro and white government.

Route." After this came the "Cotton Belt," or But great as the problem is the county s e e m to

St,. Louis, Arkansas & Texas, completed in a have solved it, for themselves at least, and in the

general northeasterly course through Pine Bluff best manner so far known. Thia hae been accom-

about 1880. I t was not far from 1882 that the I plished by the preliminary caucus of both parties

IPine Bluff & Swan Lake Railway--a narrow-gauge in joint committee session, in which a fusion ticket

J on the bed of the "Cotton Belt" to Rob Roy-was is formed, composed of men of both races, among
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