Pine Bluff
City of Murals


The first mural established in Pine Bluff was the one entitled "Main Street." It is an actual representation of how the street looked in the year 1888, drawn from an old photograph in the archived of the Jefferson County Historical Society.

Located Third and Main Streets

 


 

Arkansas' State Flag was designed and adopted in 1912-1913.The united States Navy launched one of its battleships and named it the USS Arkansas. Customarily states were asked for state flags to be displayed on the battlewagon. Arkansas did hot have a state flag! One of the members of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Pine Bluff Chapter, Miss Willie Hocker, designed the flag that was unanimously adopted by the Arkansas Legislature on February 18,1913. The flag has gone through several changes over the years. The 25 stars signify that Arkansas was the 25th state admitted to the union . The diamond shape is because Arkansas is the only state where diamonds can be found. The four large stars in the center represent the four governments that have ruled over the state territory: Spain, France, The Confederate States of America, and the United States of America.

Located Half Block West on 110 North Pine Street

  

 

U.A.P.B. Mural

 

The school began as Branch Normal in 1875 and continues to serve the area today. Joseph Carter Corbin was the first chancellor (pictured in the oval in the right panel). In 1927 the name was changed to Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical and Normal or Arkansas AM&N. In 1972 the school was incorporated into the University of Arkansas system. It was then named University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. The campus is  located on Highway 79 North.

Located: Second and Main Streets

  

 

The Old Firehouse

 

Dedicated to the heritage of the local fire departments established in the latter part of the eighteenth century. Some of the earlier fires were quite extensive. Once fires were finally controlled, the area around them resembled scenes from World War II. The equipment used at the time was not effective to battle enormous blazes. The two figures to the left are two fire chiefs of long service to the Pine Bluff  Fire Department.
L - Chief George Alford R- Chief Ray Jacks

Located Main Street between Seventh and Eighth Streets.

 

 

Two for the Movies

 

"Broncho Billy" Anderson (known as Max Aaronson ) and Freeman Owners were childhood friends in Pine Bluff.

Anderson left Pine Bluff first where he appeared in "The Great Train Robbery". He formed Essanay Studios one of the first production studios. Between 1908 and 1915 Anderson made 375 westerns. The most famous of these were the "Broncho Billy" series.

Freeman Ownes became interest in movie photography. Anderson brought Freeman to  Chicago as a fledging photographer. Owens became more interested in the technology of photographic equipment and held many patents for the equipment

Location 209 Main Street.

 

 
The Saracen Mural

The last of the Quapaw Indians was named Saracen and lived in Jefferson County. Two Children were stolen from their mother at Pine Bluff by a band of marauding Chickasaws Indians. Saracen promised the distraught mother to return the children and went in pursuit of the Chickasaws. Over-taking them down stream on the Arkansas River. Saracen waited until nightfall and when the Chickasaws were asleep, he broke the night's stillness with the Quapaw war cry. The frightened Chickasaws disappeared into the night, abandoning the children, Saracen gathered them up and returned them to their mother.  He is buried in St,. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery were visitors often go just to see his tombstone.

Location Barraque and Main

 

 

Early Automobiles of Pine Bluff

 

The Auto Club of 1905 consisted of seven automobiles. The automobiles created quite a stir in Pine Bluff. Citizen were advised that the best time to see the cars would be on Fifth or Sixth Avenue from four to six in the evenings.

The seven cars were to drive to Little Rock and return. The trip would take three days, one day up, one day to rest up, and one day home. Members of the Auto Club were Dr. A.G. Thompson, O. M. Kilroy, L. O. Knox, F. G. Smart, W. R. Crawford, E. P. Ladd, E. C. Stowell and Dr. B .D. Luck.

  

 

The Heritage of Flight

 

Grider Field, Pine Bluff's municipal airport begin its existence during World War II as a primary training field for Air Corps cadets. It left a lasting influence on the community.
To the far left, is a World War I scene featuring a Royal Air Force SE-5 in combat with
a German tri-wing Fokker.
In the center of the mural there is a rendition of a Fairchild PT-19,
the plane flown by Grider Field cadets.
 On the right is a scene of Boeing B-17 bombers on a mission over Germany.
The lead plane, Old Soljer, is flown by Elton Lyle of Pine Bluff in the first raid on Germany.

Location Pine Street.

  

 

Timber on the Old Days

  The harvest of Virgin Timber brought wealth to many in the city and county form 1885 till the end of the 1920's. John F. Rutherford  is credited with the beginning of the timber operations. He owned Bluff City Lumber Company. He was often referred to as Arkansas' first millionaire. In place of early hardwood forests, today's acreage is devoted to the cultivation of pine trees, mostly owned and operated by International Paper Company.

Location 301 E. Fifth Street.

  

 

Old Man River

  The Arkansas River was both friend and foe to the early settlers of what is now Jefferson County. In the beginning years it served as a highway for the pioneers. Both Europeans and Quapaw Indians paddled up and down  its streams. The Frenchmen were the first to settle on the Arkansas, flooding condition on the north side made life difficult. They paddled their canoes upriver to the pine bluffs and settled there. The village grew into  Pine Bluff.
Cotton bales were transported to stream boats headed to New Orleans.
The center of the mural is from the flood of 1908 where the banks of the river were crumbling in, threatening the town. On a dark night in December 1908, two massive explosions occurred  in the upstream levee, causing the river to move away from Pine Bluff.
Today the river has been tamed. It no longer floods the area due to dams and levees.

Location Fifth and Pine Avenue

  

 

The Big Engine That Could...And Did

  Rail service first begin in Pine Bluff in 1873 with Little Rock, Pine Bluff, and New Orleans Railroad. In 1880 the Paramore Railroad was organized, later becoming the Cotton Belt Railroad. During the Depression the 800 series engines were constructed in the shops at Pine Bluff, some of the largest locomotives in the nation.

When more efficient diesel engines came along, the Cotton Belt decided to retire its huge steam engines. All were scrapped except Old 819 which we presented to the City of Pine Bluff and displayed in a local park . Children climbed all over the engine for years.

Today Engine 819 can be seen at the Arkansas Railway Museum, located at 1720 Port Road.

Location Main and Ninth Streets

  

 

 

Delta Heritage

  The Arkansas River Delta between 1920 and 1940. The main figure at the left of the mural is an image of John Rust, inventor of the mechanical cotton picker. Rust's design were produced by all the major manufacturers of farm equipment including Ben Pearson Manufacturing Co. of Pine Bluff .The number of farm hands was greatly reduced.

Two things at the center of delta culture during this time were the neighborhood church and country store.

Location Second and Main

  

 

 
Davis Hospital opened in July of 1910. It was named after Major W. H. Davis. Martha (Mattie) Hudson Crawford (pictured) was the driving force behind the project and helped organize the Hospital and Benevolent Assoc.

J R M C opened in 1960. County Judge Joe Henslee push the project to completion
using federal funds. 		 

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