Friday, June 03, 2005 Story Date: 5/27/2005 11:41:42 PMHistory slipping away, one record at a time POWHATAN -- Lawrence County has some of the oldest public records in Arkansas and many residents of the county -- including county officials, the Lawrence County Historical Society and others interested in the county's history -- want to see them preserved. The records of concern were being kept at the historic Lawrence County Courthouse at Powhatan. With the courthouse as the centerpiece of the Powhatan Courthouse State Park, the records may not be returned to vaults in the historic building after being removed for the latest renovation of the structure. Local officials and historians also want the records to be accessible to people for genealogy and other research. During a recent renovation project, the old records -- many dating to 1814 -- were moved into the Lawrence County Courthouse in Walnut Ridge, and others are being stored at the Dean B. Ellis Library at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. Many residents of the county apparently thought that when the renovation project was completed, the records would be returned to the fireproof vaults in the Powhatan Courthouse for safekeeping. That may not happen. Officials said an out of state consulting company, hired by the Arkansas Parks and Tourism Department, has recommended that the historic records be stored in the former Powhatan Church of Christ building, which is adjacent to the state park grounds. Also, officials said, the state department wants to evict both the society and the archives from the Powhatan Courthouse and place them in the wooden structure recently abandoned by a local church. There is no fire protection, no environmental controls, no storm protection and no protection from vandalism at the proposed new home for the historic county records, said Lloyd Clark, society president. Ideally, Clark said, the historical group wants the old records returned to the vaults in the Powhatan Courthouse for permanent storage and availability to the public. Clark said there are three vaults in the building. The records are the heritage not only of Lawrence, but also of people who are scattered all across the nation and world, whose roots reach back into the Northeast Arkansas county, Clark said. One historic occasion described in the old records, Clark pointed out, is of a court case involving the prosecution of a horse thief, prior to 1814. William Clark of Lewis and Clark expedition fame, was the presiding judge in the case, he noted. "I ran across that while we were moving the records from the courthouse," Clark said. "That's the kind of historical documents we are trying to save." Because of the magnitude of the collection, Clark and others really don't know the full scope of what's in the records; they just believe they should be preserved and made available for public access. "The records are a strong magnet to bring genealogical researchers to Powhatan and Lawrence County," Clark said. The records are also an important feature in the overall tourism industry of the region. "First we (historians) would like the records to be returned to the Powhatan Courthouse," Clark said. A second option would be to store them in a building in Walnut Ridge. He said Lawrence County Judge Alex Latham has suggested constructing a suitable addition to the Lawrence County Library for storage of the old records and for access to them by scholars and researchers. Clark, a teacher at Walnut Ridge schools, said his property in Powhatan adjoins the state park so he is familiar with the park, as well as the town. Clark said the wooden building is susceptible to lightning, being on a knoll, and because of its location and construction it would be subject to vandalism, fire and other hazards. Clark said the state has been asked to extend the period for public comment by two weeks so more people who did not know about last week's public meeting can enter their comments into the record. Clark said his own property, consisting of 15 acres, may be considered for inclusion in the park and his home as a residence for the park superintendent. Stored at Arkansas State, Clark said, are some 200 boxes of records including probate court records, and about 200 to 300 large ledgers that are very old. The papers also include tax records, poll tax records and others dating back to 1810. The historical society president said some census records from the county's earliest times are being kept in the brick "Telephone Exchange" building at the state park. However, he said he has seen the building flooded, excluding it as a good place to store artifacts, especially paper ones. Also stored in that building are microfiche records of some of the documents. Latham also disagreed with the recommendation that the records be stored in the former church building. "It is a building with no controlled climate" and is not secure enough to provide the kind of protection that the historic and fragile records require, Latham said. "Some of the records may never be seen or used by anyone, but we want to preserve them." Lawrence County Clerk Tina Stowers also wants the old records to be preserved and protected. She has a personal stake in them. "When I was a junior in high school I worked at sifting through those records," she said. "They need to be kept secure." Stowers, whose maiden name is Milligan, has discovered a handwritten marriage record in which a John Milligan performed a wedding in August 1821. The oldest marriage record she has found was dated May 18, 1821. The early records are handwritten. Stowers said they should be maintained in the vaults in the Powhatan Courthouse or another safe and secure place where there is public access. She said the marriage records, which date back to the 1800s, are being scanned and will be preserved on disks. She plans to retain the original records there and added that the computerized copies will allow access for reading and copying with no damage to the originals. The records that are kept at the Walnut Ridge courthouse are available to the public. Darlene Flippo Moore of Walnut Ridge grew up near Powhatan. The Victorian-style courthouse is something that is not only deeply imbedded in her childhood, but her adult years as well. She even met her husband, Tom Moore, at the 1973 dedication of the restored courthouse while he was covering the event for The Sun. She was formerly president of the Lawrence County Historical Society. "Those records are a Lawrence County treasure," Darlene Moore said. "We have some of the oldest records in the state, and they should be preserved." Copyright © 2005, Jonesboro Sun