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55-436: The Hotel Seville is a historic hotel building at Vine and Ridge Streets in downtown Harrison, Arkansas . It is an L-shaped three story wood-frame structure, finished in brick and terra cotta veneer with distinctive Spanish Revival (Mission) styling. Its eastern entry porch is supported by polychrome terra cotta pillars, and portions of the exterior are finished in terra cotta tile with inset geometric patterns. Built in 1929,
110-847: A member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools since 1936 until its dissolution in 2014. It is now a member of the AdvancED commission. Harrison and Boone County have been served by the local newspaper The Harrison Daily Times since 1876. Radio stations broadcasting from Harrison include: Harrison has two stations of its own, including KXMP-LD and K26GS-D (both in Harrison proper). Harrison KTKO-TV 8.1 , also known as TKO 8, provides coverage for local events including Goblin Sports, Harrison City Council meetings, and Boone County Quorum Court meetings. It
165-543: A monument to memorialize the victims of the massacre was placed on the Harrison town square. Boone County was organized in 1869, during Reconstruction after the Civil War . Harrison was platted and made the county seat. It is named after Marcus LaRue Harrison, a Union officer who surveyed and platted the town. The town of Harrison was incorporated on March 1, 1876. In 1905 and 1909, white race riots occurred in Harrison, which drove away black residents and established
220-530: A nationally recognized "Blue Ribbon" smallmouth bass fishery, flows through Harrison. Hemmed-In-Hollow Falls , at 209 feet (64 m) the tallest waterfall between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachians , is located 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Harrison near Compton . On the same bluff line is Diamond Falls, at 148 feet (45 m) the second tallest in the state. As of May 2024,
275-544: A sharp drop in the Black population between two censuses. The earliest legal restrictions on the nighttime activities and movements of African Americans and other racial minorities date back to the colonial era . The general court and legislative assembly of New Hampshire passed "An Act to Prevent Disorders in the Night" in 1714: Whereas great disorders, insolencies and burglaries are oft times raised and committed in
330-616: A small degree, a phenomenon he called "second-generation sundown towns." African Americans were not the only minority group not allowed to live in white towns. One example, according to Loewen, is that, in 1870, Chinese people made up one-third of Idaho 's population. Following a wave of violence and an 1886 anti-Chinese convention in Boise , almost none remained by 1910. The towns of Minden and Gardnerville in Nevada had an ordinance from 1917 to 1974 that required Native Americans to leave
385-416: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Harrison, Arkansas The city of Harrison is the county seat of Boone County, Arkansas , United States. It is named after Marcus LaRue Harrison, a surveyor who laid out the city along Crooked Creek at Stifler Springs. According to 2019 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 13,069, up from 12,943 at the 2010 census and it
440-646: Is an affiliate of the Me-TV Network showing a wide range of classic television programming. K26GS is a This TV affiliate and also provides local programming to Harrison. KWBM , a Daystar affiliate, is also licensed to Harrison, however its offices are in Springfield, while its transmitter is located in Taney County, Missouri. KWBM leases part of its signal to Springfield Fox affiliate KRBK , in order to relay reliable Fox TV coverage to Harrison and
495-698: Is commonly known as "the most racist town in the United States". Native Americans were the earliest inhabitants of the area, probably beginning with cliff dwellers who lived in caves in the bluffs along the rivers. In later times, the Osage , a branch of the Sioux , was the main tribe in the Ozarks , and one of their larger villages is thought to have been to the east of the present site of Harrison. The Shawnee , Quapaw , and Caddo people were also familiar to
550-717: Is impossible to count precisely the number of sundown towns at any given time because most towns have not kept records of the ordinances or signs that marked the town's sundown status. He further noted that hundreds of cities across America have been sundown towns at some point in their history. Additionally, Loewen wrote that sundown status meant more than just African Americans being unable to live in those towns. Any Black people who entered or were found in sundown towns after sunset were subject to harassment, threats and violence, including lynching . The U.S. Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education declared segregation of schools unconstitutional in 1954. Loewen speculates that
605-595: Is managed by the Ozark Arts Council. Originally opened as a movie theater in 1929, it is now used for plays, community events, old movies and other gatherings. Harrison serves as the National Park Service 's Buffalo National River headquarters . The park was established in the 1970s, and was the nation's first national river. The river flows for 135 miles (217 km), and there are over 59 different species of fish in it. Crooked Creek ,
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#1732780073996660-646: Is more likely that the discoverers were French hunters or trappers who followed the course of the White River. In early 1857, the Baker–Fancher wagon train assembled at Beller's Stand, south of Harrison. On September 11, 1857, approximately 120 members of this wagon train were murdered near Mountain Meadows , Utah Territory , by a local Mormon militia and members of the Paiute Indian tribe. In 1955,
715-594: Is the 30th largest city in Arkansas based on official 2019 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Harrison is the principal city of the Harrison Micropolitan Statistical Area , which includes all of Boone and Newton counties. The community has a history of racism : there were two race riots in the early 20th century and an influx of white supremacist organizations during the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Due to this, it
770-417: The 2020 United States census , there were 13,069 people, 5,578 households, and 3,198 families residing in the city. As of the census of 2010, there were 12,943 people and 6,043 housing units in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 96.2% White , 0.3% Black or African American , 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native , 0.7% Asian , 0.0% Pacific Islander , and 1.6% from two or more races. 2.2% of
825-563: The American Red Cross , four people died, 80 percent of the town's business district was destroyed, and over 300 buildings were damaged or destroyed in losses exceeding $ 5.4 million. In 1962, Sam Walton opened his second Walmart store in Harrison. In 1982, Kingdom Identity Ministries , an anti-gay Christian Identity outreach ministry identified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center ,
880-591: The English Poor Laws , which were implemented in the Kingdom of England during the Tudor period to restrict the movements of England's poor. These laws, which were implemented to ensure that municipal authorities were under no legal obligation to care for vagrants , proved to be a source of inspiration for American officials who aimed to prevent Black Americans from settling in their communities. Following
935-672: The Southern Poverty Law Center has said that Kingdom Identity Ministries (founded in Harrison) has a location in the city. U.S. Routes 62 , 65 , and 412 pass through Harrison. U.S. 65 leads north 33 miles (53 km) to Branson, Missouri , and south 108 miles (174 km) to Conway, Arkansas . U.S. 62 leads west 43 miles (69 km) to Eureka Springs and beyond to Rogers and Bentonville . U.S. 412 leads west 73 miles (117 km) to Springdale . U.S. 62 and 412 combined lead east 48 miles (77 km) to Mountain Home . According to
990-498: The U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Buchanan v. Warley in 1917. Ultimately, the court decided that the laws passed in Louisville were unconstitutional, thus setting the legal precedent that similar laws could not exist or be passed in the future. However, this outcome did not stop towns from excluding black residents. Some city planners and real estate companies exercised their private authority to uphold racial segregation at
1045-463: The United States . They were towns that practice a form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites via some combination of discriminatory local laws, intimidation or violence. They were most prevalent before the 1950s. The term came into use because of signs that directed " colored people " to leave town by sundown . Sundown counties and sundown suburbs were created as well. While
1100-618: The United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 11.1 square miles (28.8 km ), of which 11.1 square miles (28.7 km ) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km ), or 0.26%, is water. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Harrison has a humid subtropical climate , abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. As of
1155-470: The civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, and especially since the Fair Housing Act of 1968 prohibition of racial discrimination in the sale, rental and financing of housing, sundown towns gradually disappeared, with de facto sundown towns existing into the 1980s. However, as sociologist James W. Loewen wrote in his 2005 book, Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism , it
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#17327800739961210-532: The "Green Book") was an annual segregation-era guidebook for African American motorists, published by New York travel agent and former Hackensack, New Jersey , letter carrier Victor H. Green . It was published in the United States from 1936 to 1966, during the Jim Crow era, when discrimination against non-whites was widespread. Road trips for African Americans were inconvenient and in some cases dangerous because of racial segregation, racial profiling by police,
1265-570: The Chinese out of town and then burned down the Chinatown section of the city. Chinese Americans were also excluded from most of San Francisco, leading to the establishment of Chinatown . Described by former NAACP President Julian Bond as "one of the survival tools of segregated life", The Negro Motorist Green Book (at times titled The Negro Traveler's Green Book or The Negro Motorist Green-Book , and commonly referred to simply as
1320-689: The Creekside Community Center is currently under construction. When complete, it will have an Olympic size pool, two more smaller pools, 2 high school regulation size basketball courts, and an indoor music venue. Construction is deemed to end before 2025. Residents are served by the Harrison School District . The Harrison High School mascot is the Golden Goblin. Harrison is also home to North Arkansas College (Northark). The Harrison School District had been
1375-625: The U.S. National Register of Historic Places . Harrison hosts the annual Arkansas Hot Air Balloon races each September, Crawdad Days Music Festival each May, a Harvest Homecoming festival each October, and Christmas celebration in December. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has recognized the Harrison Courthouse Square Historic District . It contains a large number of the city's original commercial and governmental structures, including
1430-498: The United States. She argues that immigration laws and ordinances in certain municipalities could create situations similar to those experienced by African Americans in sundown towns. Hispanic Americans are likely to suffer, despite the purported target being undocumented immigrants, in these cases of racial exclusion. From 1851 to at least 1876, Antioch, California , had a sundown ordinance that barred Chinese residents from being out in public after dark. In 1876, white residents drove
1485-592: The area. The Cherokee arrived around 1816 and did not get along with the Osage. This hostility erupted into a full-scale war in the Ozark Mountains. By the 1830s, both tribes were removed to Indian Territory . It is possible that the first Europeans to visit the area were some forty followers of Hernando de Soto and that they camped at a Native village on the White River at the mouth of Bear Creek. It
1540-399: The bank, William J. Myers. Starr was carried to the town jail , where he died the next morning. On May 7, 1961, heavy rain caused Crooked Creek, immediately south of the downtown business district, to flood the town square and much of the southwestern part of the city. Water levels inside buildings reached eight feet (2.5 m). Many small buildings and automobiles were swept away. According to
1595-615: The building is one of the most elaborate examples of Spanish Revival architecture in the state. It was used as a hotel until the mid-1970s, when it was converted to elderly housing. It has since been converted back to a hotel. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. This article about a property in Boone County, Arkansas on the National Register of Historic Places
1650-590: The case caused some municipalities in the South to become sundown towns: Missouri , Tennessee and Kentucky saw drastic drops in African-American populations living in those states following the decision. In 2019, sociologist Heather O'Connell wrote that sundown towns are "(primarily) a thing of the past". However, historian James W. Loewen notes persisting effects of sundown towns' violently enforced segregation even after they may have been integrated to
1705-537: The closest airport served by multiple airlines or a legacy carrier is Northwest Arkansas National Airport . Highways in the area include: The North Arkansas Regional Medical Center is in Harrison. In 2020, the video Holding a Black Lives Matter Sign in America's Most Racist Town was filmed in Harrison. Sundown town Sundown towns , also known as sunset towns , gray towns , or sundowner towns , were all- white municipalities or neighborhoods in
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1760-486: The community as one of hundreds of sundown towns in the country. In 1901, the building of the St. Louis and North Arkansas Railroad through Harrison bolstered the local economy. Economic hardship ensued following the railroad's bankruptcy on July 1, 1905. On October 2, 1905, a white mob breached the Harrison jail, captured two Black prisoners, drove the prisoners outside city limits, whipped them, and threatened them to leave
1815-478: The community level. In addition to discriminatory housing rules, violence and harassment were sometimes used by locals to discourage Black people from remaining in their cities after sundown. Whites in the North were threatened by the increased minority populations moving into their neighborhoods, and racial tensions started to build. Interracial violence became more common, sometimes escalating to race riots . After
1870-403: The community. The white mob then went to the Black community and burned their houses and fired guns at their windows with the message that they should leave the town. At least one person, railroad worker George Richards, was murdered during the event. Local law enforcement declined to take action to press charges for the riot. On January 18, 1909, Charles Stinnett was arrested and charged with
1925-468: The end of the Reconstruction era , thousands of towns and counties across the United States became sundown localities, as part of the imposition of Jim Crow laws and other segregationist practices. In most cases, the exclusion was official town policy or was promulgated by the community's real estate agents via exclusionary covenants governing who could buy or rent property. In others, the policy
1980-527: The first African-American employed in the area in 1978, received death threats shortly after his arrival, which prompted him to leave the area. He returned in 2007, and in 2019 was recognized by mayor Jerry Jackson when Harrison issued its first-ever Black History Month proclamation. In June 2020, a group of around 300 gathered in Harrison to protest police brutality in the murder of George Floyd while 15 people armed with rifles and displaying Confederate and American flags looked on. As of October 2023,
2035-538: The last of which was not repealed until 1926. Outside Oregon, other places looked to laws and legislation to restrict Black people from residing within cities, towns and states. In 1853, new black residents were banned from moving to the state of Illinois. Those new residents who remained more than ten days and were unable to pay the fine were to be punished by forced labor. Although this law faced significant resistance, especially in Illinois' small black community, it
2090-650: The majority of municipalities in Illinois ." The Green Book also advised drivers to wear, or have ready, a chauffeur's cap and, if stopped, relate that "they were delivering a car for a white person." On June 7, 2017, the NAACP issued a warning to prospective African-American travelers to Missouri. This is the first NAACP warning ever covering an entire state. The NAACP conference president suggested that, if prospective African-American travelers must go to Missouri, they travel with bail money in hand. Many suburban areas in
2145-728: The night time by Indian, Negro, and Molatto Servants and Slaves to the Disquiet and hurt of her Majesty's subjects, No Indian, Negro, or Molatto is to be from Home after 9 o'clock. Notices emphasizing and re-affirming the curfew were published in The New Hampshire Gazette in 1764 and 1771. Following the American Revolution , Virginia was the first state to prohibit the entry of all Free Negros . According to historian Kate Masur, American laws restricting where Black people could live drew inspiration from
2200-611: The number of sundown towns in the United States decreased following the end of the civil rights movement in 1968, some commentators hold that certain 21st-century practices perpetuate a modified version of the sundown town. Discriminatory policies and actions distinguish sundown towns from towns that have no Black residents for demographic reasons. Historically, towns have been confirmed as sundown towns by newspaper articles, county histories, and Works Progress Administration files; this information has been corroborated by tax or U.S. census records showing an absence of Black people or
2255-509: The phenomenon of travelers just "disappearing" , and the existence of numerous sundown towns. According to author Kate Kelly, "there were at least 10,000 'sundown towns' in the United States as late as the 1960s; in a 'sundown town' nonwhites had to leave the city limits by dusk, or they could be picked up by the police or worse. These towns were not limited to the South—they ranged from Levittown, New York , to Glendale, California , and included
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2310-431: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 23.2% of the population was under the age of 18, and 19.0% were 65 years of age or older. Females made up 53.1% of the population, and males made up 46.9% of the population. The median income for the period 2007–11 for a household in the city was $ 33,244, and the number of people living below the poverty level was 15.1%. The median value of owner-occupied housing units
2365-433: The rape of a white woman named Lovett. Although Stinnett testified that he did not assault the woman and only meant to rob her, a jury sentenced him to hang on February 26, 1909. A mob arrived at the jail to lynch Stinnett after learning that Lovett was very ill, and the mob's presence forced many remaining Black residents out of Harrison on January 28, 1909. Stinnet was set to be hanged on March 24, 1909, but his execution
2420-562: The southern portions of the Springfield TV market. Harrison is part of the Springfield, Missouri, television market, and receives stations from Springfield, including: KYTV (NBC), KOLR (CBS), KSPR (ABC), KOZL (MyNetworkTV), and KRBK (Fox). It was also featured in a BBC TV show in the UK named Miriam's Big American Adventure , hosted by Miriam Margolyes . A segment of the route between Seligman, Missouri and Harrison, Arkansas
2475-538: The still-used courthouse in the center of the square, the recently refurbished Lyric Theater , and the 1929 Hotel Seville , which underwent a complete restoration in 2008. The Ozarks Arts Council is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization established in 1996 with the mission "To enrich lives by promoting the arts in Harrison and North Arkansas through exhibitions, performances, and education." It provides administrative support and distributes financial and in-kind donations to its member organizations: The historic Lyric Theatre
2530-486: The territory altogether . Those who failed to leave were liable to receive lashings under a law known as the "Peter Burnett Lash Law", named for Provisional Supreme Judge Peter Burnett . No persons were ever lashed under the law; it was quickly amended to replace lashing with forced labor, and eventually repealed the following year after a change in the makeup of the legislature. However, additional laws aimed at African Americans entering Oregon were ratified in 1849 and 1857,
2585-687: The town's Misplaced Pages article. In 2014, a peace march and vigil celebrating the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. was held in downtown Harrison, hosted by the Arkansas Martin Luther King Jr. Commission. In December of the same year, a dedication was held for a Confederate monument in Harrison. In 2017, Mayor Dan Sherrell and Boone County Judge Robert Hathaway signed proclamations recognizing June as Confederate Heritage and History Month. Kevin Cheri, who became
2640-437: The towns by 6:30 p.m. each day. A whistle, later a siren, was sounded at 6 p.m. daily, alerting Native Americans to leave by sundown. In 2021, the state of Nevada passed a law prohibiting the appropriation of Native American imagery by the mascots of schools, and the sounding of sirens that were once associated with sundown ordinances. Despite this law, Minden continued to play its siren for two more years, claiming that it
2695-549: Was $ 108,700. Harrison is home of the general office of FedEx Freight , a leading Less-Than-Load (LTL) freight carrier. Arkansas Freightways, later renamed to American Freightways, was combined with Viking Freight to become FedEx Freight in February 2001. The Boone County Courthouse , built in 1909, and the Boone County Jail , built in 1914, were both designed by architect Charles L. Thompson and are listed on
2750-552: Was a nightly tribute to first responders . An additional state law in 2023 led Minden to end the siren. Two examples of the road signs documented during the first half of the 20th century include: In her 2011 article "Preemption, Patchwork Immigration Laws, and the Potential for Brown Sundown Towns" in the Fordham Law Review , Maria Marulanda outlines the possibility for non-blacks to be excluded from towns in
2805-458: Was delayed for three hours because he was drunk. Stinnet died as a result of strangulation from a failed hanging fifteen minutes after his execution began. The bank robber and convicted murderer Henry Starr was in Harrison on February 18, 1921, when Starr and three companions entered the People's State Bank and robbed it of $ 6,000.00. During the robbery, Starr was shot by the former president of
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#17327800739962860-407: Was enforced through intimidation. This intimidation could occur in several ways, including harassment by law enforcement officers. Though no sundown towns exist today in the sense of publicly or legally excluding non-white residents, some commentators have applied the term to towns practicing other forms of racial exclusion. In 1844, Oregon , which had banned slavery, banned African Americans from
2915-412: Was founded in Harrison. Harrison's Community Task Force on Race Relations was established in 2003 to "promote diversity and respond to racial-bias accusations against the city". City officials have made efforts to counteract organized racist activity with educational forums and billboards promoting tolerance. They also attempted to downplay the city's racist reputation and improve its image by editing
2970-523: Was not repealed until the end of the Civil War in 1865. Similar bans on all black migration were passed in Michigan, Ohio and Iowa. New laws were enacted in the 20th century. One example is Louisville, Kentucky , whose mayor proposed a law in 1911 that would restrict Black people from owning property in certain parts of the city. This city ordinance reached public attention when it was challenged in
3025-406: Was operated as the Arkansas & Ozarks Railroad from 1948 to 1960. Harrison is served by Boone County Regional Airport . Scheduled flights from Harrison to Memphis, Tennessee , and Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas , are offered by Southern Airways Express . The closest airport with service from a carrier aside from Southern Airways Express is Branson Airport (served only by Frontier Airlines ), and
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