Page 19 - Jefferson County AR 1889 History (Goodspeed)

4(t- HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.

'1 134

Johnson, 1855 to 1861; Representatives R. W. later, but the probability is that Mr. Pullen made

Johnson, a part of the time between 1847 and 1853; the first and the others additions or re.surveys.

1A. A. C. Rogers (seat contested by J. T. Elliott) i About 1843 this company sold the site to Gens.

1889 to 1871; 0. P. Snyder, 1871 to 1873; sam; James and Yell, and subsequent extensions will be

(contested by M. L. Bell), 1873 to 1875; C. R. fo~lndin connection with the incorporation.

Breckinridge, State-at.large, 1883-85, 1885-87, Bssides those mentioned, one of the early tam-

1887-89, and 1889-91. 1 ilies of the place was that of James N. Buck, of

Post-offices are usually centers about which whose children (Irving O., John L. and Eliza E.)

villages spring up, and, with that basis, the fol- Col. John L. lived to be the oldest citizen of the

lowing liat in Jefferson County seems happily pro. town. Another old settler was Drew White and

phetic: Altheimer, Bankhead, Cornerstone. Dex- Joseph Bonne owned the first tavern,

Landing, (freely, Greenback, Grier, Humphrey, I and the cooking was done by old Corey Brown's

Jefferson, Kearney, Linwood, Locust Cottage, wife, a colored woman. James Buck and Drew

Macon, Madding, New Qascony, Noble's Lake, White also had taverns at "the Bluff" until the

Nuhia, Pastoria, Pine Bluff, Plum Bayou, Rain- war. A Mr. Fugate gave his name to a street by

ey, Red Bluff, Redfield, Rob Roy, Sleeth. Toronto, keeping the first store at the north end. Among

Wahhaseka, English, Swan Lake, and Williamette. other early business men were Messrs. Dorris,

But as far as the past or even present is concerned Maulding, Hewea, James, Scull, Tucker, Bird,

Pine Blnff and the mnnty are almmt synonymous, I Greenfield and Kay.*

for the activity and much of the population oen- From thia beginning "the Blnff " gradually

tered there from the beginning, and what villages began to he a river trading point; manufactories

now exist outside the capital are very recent de- sprung up from time to time; a wholesale and sup-

velopments of railway shipping points. I t is safe ply trade began to spread; men of large estates

to say that over one.third of the county reside in made Pine Bluff their home; some of the ablest

Pine Bluff, and that over half of these are white, legal talent of the State located, and finally the

Aa to age, St. Mary's Landing and New Gas- war came and caused general ruin to estates, husi-

cony store are the oldest, both settled in French ness, and society, although the town itself wae not

times. Rob Roy and Pine Bluff were founded serionsly destroyed by anything but generaldecay.
about the same time. Garretson's Landing and / The period of reconstruction was one of slow

Wahhaseka are also very old plaees. Others have growth, and it was not nntil about 1870thatthe new

grown up within a decade almost. i Pine Bluff began to make itself known by a vig-

As to size. Pine Bluff, Redtield, Altheimer, orous bnt not intermittent growth, which promises

Jefferson Springs and Rob Roy are the order of to make it the rival of any city in the State.

those that can be called towns. , The new surroundings and independent movements
'Pine Bluff is so thoroughly identified with the of both races in developing the great cotton belt of

county that it seems superflnous to treat it aepa- this State have had their effect on Pine Bluff. It

rahely. The land was entered in 1831, by Joseph has made large increase in local capital, and as a

Bonne, although he had settled here as early as home for l u g e planters who are also investors in

1819, This comprised the "old town." He soon commerce and business generally, has contributed

sold it to John T. Pullen, one of the first English to the place a solidity of growth and structure

settlers in this region, who not long after di~posed plainly evident to the most ordinary observer.

of it to " Pinkard, Chowning, Davis & Dawson," The manufactures of Pine Bluff began in 1850

Ia firm of non-reaidents. I t is variously claimed with a small foundry by Henry Cloyes; he after- e
that the first lots were laid out by &. Pnllen, Mr. fdeknarledpment b-speeialldyue the press.~agle

A. H.Davis, in 1837, and John E. Qraham, still j fur many of these facts.