Publications
Butler Center Books
The Barling Darling:
Hal Smith in American Baseball
by Billy D. Higgins with Hal Smith
The St. Louis Cardinals were contenders in 1957 and '59, two of Hal Smith's best years as a major league player. Smith, out of tiny Barling, Arkansas, had risen in the minor leagues, and even played in Mexico, Cuba, and the Asian circuit. Readers will be intrigued to learn key roles Smith played as baseball went through profound changes in the late 1950s. They will also observe the parallels between baseball's maturation during the 1950s and those of American society at the time. Higgins has crafted the story of a man who not only stood out in his time but also reflected his country's best hopes and dynamic evolution in the postwar era, as well as the expansion of "America's game" onto the national stage, propelled in part by the new medium of the day, television.
Beyond Central, Toward Acceptance:
A Collection of Oral Historiesfrom Students of Little Rock Central High
Edited by Mackie O'Hara and Alex Richardson
From its modest beginning as a classroom assignment, the Memory Project at Central High School has grown to become a full-sized book that commemorates the national struggle for civil rights.
The Memory Project started as a class assignment for ninth-graders in 2007 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Central's historic desegregation in 1957. As the students heard stories of that year and learned lessons on racial tolerance, the project continued to grow.
The Big Hat Law:
Arkansas and Its State Police, 1935-2000
by Michael Lindsey
Tracing the force's origins as the "Arkansas Rangers" to Governor Cherry's plan for "a new trooper in every county" to today's sophisticated, diversified force, this new history of Arkansas's statewide policing authority relates an important part of the state's development. Lindsey's text and archival photos show how the saga of Arkansas's police has reflected the state's growth, development of crime-solving methods, and innovation in technologies used by troopers to bring criminals to justice.
The Die Is Cast:
Arkansas Goes to War, 1861
edited by Mark K. Christ
With a secession debate raging in early 1861 at the State House, the Arkansas women in attendance showed support for their favorite speakers by throwing flowers at their feet. This act of gentility contrasts with the violence to come in a tumultuous time in the state's history according to a new book, The Die Is Cast: Arkansas Goes to War, 1861, edited by Mark K. Christ and recently published by Butler Center Books.
The Good Ground of Central High:
Little Rock Central High School and Legendary Coach Wilson Matthews
by George M. Cate
This engrossing autobiographical account of a student athlete who is hardened by a tough coach in a soon-to-be famous high school setting brings the civil rights era into focus.
Homefront Arkansas:
Arkansans Face Wartime
by Velma B. Branscum Woody and Steven Teske
Homefront Arkansas: Arkansans Face Wartime, written by Butler Center Books veteran Velma B. Branscum Woody, along with historian Steven Teske, illuminates for young readers the impact of war on Arkansans.
Lessons from Little Rock
A Memoir by One of the Little Rock Nine
by Terrence Roberts
This intimate and powerful account of the integration of Little Rock Central High School relates the inner struggles of one of the nine students who subjected themselves to the wrath of a mob in their quest for an equal education.
A Life on the Black River in Arkansas:
The Memoir of a Farmer, Rural Entrepreneur, and Banker
by E. R. Coleman with Mary Frances Hodges
The Black River flows from Missouri into Arkansas east of Branson and west of the Bootheel. It meanders where the foothills of the Ozarks begin to rise out of the Mississippi plain. The area was sparsely populated when E. R. Coleman was a young man. Like the population they served, businesses were modest, mostly small, and scattered. Told in his own words, this is a genuine American Horatio Alger story of hardscrabble beginnings, working longer and harder than today's youth might be able to imagine, and plain dealing from cotton fields to board rooms.
Main Street Arkansas
The Hearts of Arkansas Cities and Towns — As Portrayed in Postcards and Photographs
by Ray Hanley and Steven Hanley
Main Streets in cities and towns all over Arkansas virtually spring to life in a collection of historic postcards and photos that brothers Ray and Steven Hanley have woven together in their new book, Main Street Arkansas.
Pfeiffer Country:
The Tenant Farms and Business Activities of Paul Pfeiffer in Clay County, Arkansas, 1902-1954
by Sherry Laymon
Clay County, Arkansas, was a flatland with little improvements at the outset of the twentieth century. Into this primitive society came a St. Louis entrepreneur with a liking for agriculture. Paul Pfeiffer bought large tracts of land, set up tenant farmers, and reigned for nearly fifty years as a beneficent landlord. When farming was interrupted by the coming of the railroad, both Pfeiffer and his tenants adapted to a lumbering economy — so long as the hardwood forest lasted. Laymon's account depicts the fate of tenants following the break-up of "Pfeiffer Country."
Proudly We Speak Your Name:
Forty-four Years at Little Rock Catholic High School
by Michael J. Moran
If it can happen within the walls of an all-boys high school, the author has probably seen it in his four decades of teaching. And he has probably reported on it in this book, which was written during his first year of "retirement." While the spirit is often light, Moran's book ends with a stirring tribute to the man who, though departed, still epitomizes the spirit of the place, the man whose name is now given to the school's street, Father George Tribou. Readers will leave Moran's account glad for the experience of following in his (remembered) footsteps.
A Pryor Commitment:
The Autobiography of David Pryor
by David Pryor with Don Harrell
David Pryor's career of public service is unparalleled in Arkansas history: he has been elected state representative, congressman, governor, and, alongside Dale Bumpers, U.S. senator (1979-1997), a seat his son, Mark Pryor, now holds. Through it all, Pryor's curiosity, compassion, and concern for ordinary Americans draw the reader from one colorful vignette to another. His father sold Chevrolets, volunteered at church, and held local office just to be sure the right things were done in their community. Pryor's account of richly detailed childhood memories are worth the price of the book. Yet there is so much more.
In the best tradition of American populists, Pryor threw himself into fray after fray as advocate — often as champion — for the last, the least, and the neglected of our society.
Ready, Booted, and Spurred:
Arkansas in the U.S. - Mexican War
edited by William A. Frazier and Mark K. Christ
Part military history, part social history, and part history of the westward movement during the major conflict of the 1840s, this anthology of essays bridges the gap between scholarly and popular history. Five contributors have examined the role of the citizen-soldier, the impact of war preparations upon the citizenry, movement of troops and yet-to-be organized volunteers, the war’s effect on Americans’ perception of their nation, and the strain caused by massive territorial acquisition following the war.
Ruled by Race:
Black/White Relations in Arkansas From Slavery to the Present
by Grif Stockley
Award-winning Butler Center Dee Brown Fellow Grif Stockley has added a benchmark to Arkansas-studies research with this comprehensive and compelling history of black/white race relations in Arkansas.
Published by our distributor, The University of Arkansas Press
Surprised by Death:
A Novel of Arkansas in the 1840s
by George Lankford
In Surprised by Death, Lankford evokes the essence of Arkansas in the early years of its statehood through the 1841 murder of Nick Burton, a young boy from a proud family, and the subsequent manhunt in the Batesville area. Blood feuds and vengeful posses blend with larger political and economic concerns emerging from a national financial panic, sparked in part by the failure of the Arkansas State Bank.
Race Relations in the Natural State
by Grif Stockley
In this book, noted Arkansas historian Grif Stockley (Blood in Their Eyes, Daisy Bates) presents a clear depiction of the struggles of race and class in Arkansas, using personal stories to give a deeper understanding of the price of racism in Arkansas. The last chapter explores the experiences of Hispanics in the state. Lesson plans developed by the author are available for teachers in the Butler Center's Digital Collections.
Crisis of Conscience:
Arkansas Methodists and the Civil Rights Struggle
edited by James T. Clemons and Kelly L. Farr
This book features personal stories by Arkansas Methodist pastors, laypersons, and community leaders—including Dale Bumpers, Joycelyn Elders, and Miller Williams—who lived through the struggles for civil rights in the 1950s and saw their congregations and other institutions rocked by the tumultuous events of the history-making era.
Big Woods Bird – An Ivory-bill Story
written by Terri Roberts Luneau, illustrated by Trevor Bennett
The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies is pleased to offer Big Woods Bird: An Ivory-Bill Story by Terri Roberts Luneau. Terri Luneau is the wife of David Luneau, who first captured the ivory-billed woodpecker on videotape. Big Woods Bird tells the story of the ivory-billed woodpecker and its habitat in verse. Illustrations throughout are by Little Rock artist Trevor Bennett.
"All Cut to Pieces and Gone to Hell":
The Civil War, Race Relations, and the Battle of Poison Spring
edited by Mark K. Christ
A compilation of essays originally presented as part of a one-day seminar at the Old State House Museum in Little Rock. In this work, noted historians examine race relations, the Camden Expedition, and the Battle of Poison Spring.
The Crossroads of Arkansas
by John P. Gill
A one-hour read about Arkansas, its history, and its presence, as seen from the present site of the state capitol—a knoll overlooking the Arkansas River near its intersection with the ancient Southwest Trail. The purpose of the book is to educate newcomers and to give students (young and old) a brief overview of the Natural State.
Things Grew Beautifully Worse:
Captain John O'Brien, 30th Arkansas Infantry, C.S.A.
edited by Brian K. Robertson
A native of Ireland, O'Brien heeded his adopted state's call and cast his lot with the Confederacy. Shortly after his enlistment, his unit was sent across the Mississippi River to serve in the Army of Tennessee. O'Brien's diary begins only days prior to the battle of Murfreesboro. He provides an honest and detailed description of the battle and his subsequent capture. The confusion of battle, the ordeal of the hospital, and the uncertainty of life as a prisoner of war are all vividly portrayed.
"A Rough Introduction to This Sunny Land":
The Civil War Diary of Private Henry A. Strong, Co. K, Twelfth Kansas Infantry
edited by Tom Wing
Strong's diary provides a rare record of the experiences and observations of a Western Federal infantryman. It covers his enlistment in Kansas in 1862, duty in southwest Missouri, march across Indian Territory to Arkansas, camp life in Fort Smith, and the Camden Expedition. He describes Confederate guerrilla operations, the execution of bushwhackers, and aspects of civilian life in Arkansas during the war. Strong pulls no punches as he questions leadership decisions and expresses admiration for former slaves in the Union army and respect for the conviction of Rebel forces. The diary is a testament to the hardships, struggles, and bonds created by the war.
Bandits, Bears and Backaches
A Collection of Short Stories Based on Arkansas History
by Velma Branscum Woody
A collection of eleven short stories about the human aspects of the history of Arkansas. The settings of the stories range from a pre-historical mastodon hunt to a twentieth-century family's departure from the state in search of employment. Middle school teachers can use the stories to enhance their classes in Arkansas history with lesson plans designed by the author and available for teachers in the Butler Center's Digital Collections.