Batesville is the second oldest municipality in Arkansas. The city’s recorded history can be traced back to 1804, but its history is probably much older. Due to Batesville’s unique location next to the White River and Polk Bayou, the area was an important port on the river. The port resulted in the area playing a role in settling the Ozark Mountain region.
A settlement around the port was quickly established by James Woodson Bates, and businesses were built to supply the needs of the people traveling by water. As the settlement grew, a post office was established in 1820. The land around the port was surveyed and named Batesville, after Mr. Bates who was also Arkansas’s first territorial delegate to the Congress of the United States.
By 1821, the city was partially laid out. A bill of assurance was recorded the next year along with laying out the town’s plat. Batesville soon became the county seat and the location of the county court. It did not take long for thousands of pioneers to make the trek across the state on the Southwest Trail, a major emigration route during this time, and settle in the city, causing it to grow even more. So, in 1836, Governor Conway incorporated the state’s first academy – Batesville Academy.
Even though Batesville was growing and seemingly thriving, the 1830s saw very sad days in Arkansas. In the early 1830s, the area experienced the Choctaw removal along the Trail of Tears. Both the Southwest Trail and Trail of Tears are a part of Batesville’s history. Their historical significance is so great that they are a part of the Arkansas Heritage Trails System.
Years later, the Civil War began, and Batesville became a strategic location for troops due to its river port. The city served as the headquarters for both the Confederacy and the Union. When the troops moved through the area during the second phase of the Pea Ridge Campaign, the city experienced no damage. Other areas experienced destruction from the troops and war, so Batesville was extremely lucky. As a result, Batesville’s residential architecture provides examples from every decade since the 1840s. In addition, the Victorian era brought many new styles of homes to the area. The remaining Victorian homes form Batesville’s historic downtown district, with the Maxfield-Garrott House being the oldest. Many buildings and homes in the historic district are on the National Register of Historic Places. Some owners have even rennovated to create an Airbnb in a portion of their historic home.
For more than 70 years, river transportation was a vital part of the region. In the early 1900s, the federal government began erecting lock-and-dams along the river. However, the railroad era was in full swing, and the completion of the railroad ended the steamboat era. By the time the railroad had been constructed through Batesville, only 3 of the planned 10 lock-and-dams had been constructed. The most prominent of the three is Lock and Dam No. 1, which resides along Riverside Park and The River restaurant.
Rich in history, much of the city’s history still stands. A lot of Batesville’s original residential and commercial properties have been restored, which make up the downtown area. Below is a list to get you started on a tour downtown, but is certainly not comprehensive, as Batesville’s history is so vast. For example, did you know that Batesville had its own minor league baseball team from 1940 to 1941?
Charles L. Thompson’s architecture
Charles Louis Thompson (1868-1959) was one of the most known architects in Arkansas. His firm designed thousands of buildings, of which many are still standing today. His company’s work was very versatile, encompassing a wide range of structure types from small and functional to grand and luxurious. Batesville contains four of his buildings that are on the National Register of Historic Places – Adler house (1915), St. Paul’s Parish Church (1916), Mitchell house (1917), and the Dowdy Building (1918).
Historic District
East Main Street and East College Street are lined with original Victorian homes that are on the National Register of Historic Places. Historical markers can be found on East College Street that give information dating back to the Civil War. Downtown Main Street is the Commercial District, which contains original businesses that have been restored or are still being restored. One business, Landers Theater (1906, Gem Opera House), has since been converted to a church.
Batesville Confederate Monument
Located on Main Street, this limestone monument stands 20 feet tall. In 1907, the monument was placed on the Courthouse lawn by the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
Independence County Courthouse
Located on the same plot as Batesville’s Confederate Monument is the Independence County Courthouse. It has previously been the site of three county courthouses. The first was built in 1857, but was destroyed by a fire in the 1880s. A Gothic style structure replaced the burned courthouse. In 1940, an Art Deco style building was constructed with a marble exterior. The last construction remains as a grand building on Main Street.
Old Independence Regional Museum
The National Guard Armory was built in 1936 with Gothic Revival and Art Deco architectural features. After the National Guard vacated the facility in 1976, it sat vacant until 1998 when it was donated and turned into the Old Independence Regional Museum. They are open to the public Tuesday-Saturday 9am-5pm. The museum has a unique gift shop, offers a lot of events, and is the place to go if you want to know any kind of local and/or statewide history, as they preserve every bit of history as possible.
First Presbyterian Church
Completed in 1849, this structure is known as the original Arkansas College. Although, history goes back a little farther because it was initially constructed as an academy for children in 1853 by the Presbyterian Church. In 1871, a high school was added, and a college was added the next year. In 1954, Arkansas College moved to a new location and later changed its name to Lyon College. First Presbyterian Church still owns the property and remains an active church and congregation.
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church
Not only is Bethel AME the oldest church in Batesville, but it is also the home of the first black congregation in the city. The church and its congregation are still active.
In the past decade, Bethel loaned their church kitchen to Batesville’s soup kitchen, Our Father’s Table, when they were first being formed. Our Father’s Table’s kitchen ministry began out of Bethel’s kitchen and they have since grown into a different facility and their own office space.
Which of these places is your favorite architecture or history?