The Baring Cross Bridge over the Arkansas River linking Little Rock and North Little Rock has a fascinating history going back nearly 150 years. I was happy to be invited to talk about the history of the railroad bridge for the Division of Arkansas Heritage’s program Sandwiching in History. The series had been in-person events held at places being discussed until the pandemic arrived in Arkansas last year, which led to the program now being produced videos available online. The episode on the Baring Cross Bridge was released last Friday and can be viewed below.
The Cairo and Fulton Railroad announced plans to construct the bridge in 1872, but didn’t have money to complete the project. So the Baring Cross Bridge Company was formed, which completed the bridge the following year, opening on Dec. 21, 1873. Within a few years a highway deck was added, charging tolls for carriages and pedestrians. Dr. Bill Pollard shared several images of toll booth passes and vintage photos of the bridge from his collection, which I was able to include in the presentation.
During historic flooding of the Arkansas River in April 1927, the bridge was washed away by the swift-moving, rising current. An attempt to anchor the bridge down with loaded coal cars had failed. The Missouri Pacific Railroad, which had acquired this stretch of track by then, rebuilt the bridge to more modern standards, making it a double track bridge for the busy mainline that cuts from the southwest corner of Arkansas to the northeast corner. The only major modification since then was replacing the swing span with a lift span, which was done to all three railroad bridges over the river at Little Rock, as part of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System.
Director of Public Affairs at Arkansas PBS, 36-year broadcasting veteran, photographer, interested in radio, TV and railroad history, author and host of the book and podcast series Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
A roofing crew completes putting new shingles on the roof of the Perry Depot on Aug. 3, 2020. Photo: Michael Hibblen.
(Dec. 10, 2020) – Arkansas has nominated the former Rock Island depot at Perry to the National Register of Historic Places. It will now be up to the National Park Service to determine if it meets the criteria to be listed. Meanwhile backers of the project have met with an architect to determine how to proceed with the restoration and are working to raise money that will be needed to get matching grant funding from the state.
Members of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program’s State Review Board met on Wednesday, Dec. 2, to consider nominating several properties, including the depot. The state’s National Register/ Survey Coordinator Ralph Wilcox gave a presentation detailing the history of the depot, which was built in 1918, and its impact on the region. Because of the mountainous terrain, the area was sparsely populated until the Choctaw, Oklahoma & Gulf Railroad laid tracks through western Arkansas in 1898 and 1899.
“The railroad changed everything,” Wilcox said. “A temporary depot was set up at North Perryville, just three miles north of the county seat, and quickly attracted businessmen and other professionals. When a post office was established in 1899, the name was shortened to Perry.”
In 1902, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, as a part of a national expansion, acquired control of the CO&G through a hostile takeover. Wilcox noted the importance of the line, which moved freight through the center of the country and provided passenger service between Memphis, Tenn. and Los Angeles, Calif. via connecting service with the Southern Pacific at Amarillo, Texas.
“The Perry depot is significant to the people of Perry and Perry County because it functioned as an essential community gathering place during the heyday of rail transportation as people journeyed to the depot to get merchandise, got the latest news, and bid farewell to loved ones,” he said.
A split screen Facebook live feed of the Dec. 2 meeting of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program’s State Review Board looking at historic photos of the Rock Island Perry Depot while hearing a presentation by Ralph Wilcox.
While showing photos of the depot through the years, Wilcox spoke of how passenger service was eliminated in 1967 shortly after a mail contract was ended by the U.S. government, how the depot continued being used to coordinate freight until the end of the Rock Island in 1980, and how it initially served as the office for the Little Rock & Western Railway. He also explained that when the shortline railroad announced in 2017 it was going to tear down the depot, the Perry County Historical & Genealogical Society, with guidance from Preserve Arkansas, began raising money to eventually move the depot 150 feet to an adjacent piece of land owned by the city on the same side of the tracks.
Wilcox then took questions from board members. One asked why the foundation constructed earlier this year to place the depot on was built so high. Rachel Patton, executive director of Preserve Arkansas, responded in the comments section of the web feed that the height was determined based on how high water had risen during last year’s record flooding of the Arkansas River.
The flooded Perry depot on May 30, 2019 while it was sitting on a trailer waiting for a new foundation to be built. Photo: Buford Suffridge.
Another board member, while acknowledging he wasn’t familiar with the demographics of Perry at the time of the depot’s construction, asked why it had segregated waiting rooms. Wilcox said the layout likely came from standard depot designs by the railroad. It might also have been because of Jim Crow laws of the era.
Finally, a motion was made to nominate the depot to the National Register, which was seconded, then approved by the board on a voice vote. The whole process took just under 15 minutes. The following day a letter from Arkansas Historic Preservation Program Director Scott Kaufman was sent to Perry Mayor Willie Summers sharing the news.
In anticipation of the nomination, Patton had spoken with architect Gary Clements of Clements & Associates in North Little Rock who has worked on historic preservation projects throughout the state. He agreed to prepare a grant application for the AHPP’s Historic Preservation Restoration Grant program at no charge unless the grant is awarded. His fees would be built into the grant.
“He thought it was a fantastic project. Whenever I called and told him what we wanted him to do he was really excited,” Patton told me in October.
Clements recently finished the latest phase in the restoration of a two-story wooden train station in Warren, Ark., which was built in 1911 by the Warren and Ouachita Valley Railway. The company would be bought by the Rock Island in 1948, with Warren at the end of a branch line. That station, which is today owned by the city, was added to the National Register in 1977. It has been restored in phases over the years, receiving multiple grants from the state and exemplifying how these can be continually ongoing projects.
On Oct. 12, Clements and Patton went through the Perry depot with Buford Suffridge, president of the Perry County Historical & Genealogical Society. Clements wanted to get an idea of the condition of the building and talk about what they hope to accomplish. He took a lot of photos of the interior and exterior of the depot and discussed what needed to be addressed first. With the Warren project fresh on his mind, Patton said Clements felt some of the same approaches could work in Perry.
The Warren station features a long freight room, which has been converted into a community meeting space. While the Perry depot’s freight room is not as big, it could still serve as a nice meeting and event space. A nearly $10,000 grant we received last year from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission’s Division of Rural Services was provided with the intention of creating a community building with exhibit space inside the depot.
Suffridge says Clements found the building to be “structurally pretty sound.” Rotted floor joists had been replaced before the depot was set on the new foundation earlier this year. Work to fix the roof’s eaves was also completed, while roofing shingles were replaced in August to prevent any further deterioration underneath.
The Perry depot in November 1983, three years after the Rock Island had been shut down, still showing the final color scheme for the railroad. At that time it was being used as the office for the Little Rock & Western Railway. Photo: Bill Pollard.
Clements recommended a thorough examination of the building to find what urgent repairs need to be made and to allow him to come up with a plan for what it will take to completely restore it. But everything can’t be addressed at once. It will take several phases.
“I can see that it’s probably going to take longer than I had hoped for,” Suffridge said. “Of course, he did say that there’s really no limit to what you can spend on a project like that. He said basically you have to decide what can you spend on it and you go from there.”
Walking through the depot, Clements noticed places in the floor that were weak. There is also a dropped ceiling in the office and no telling what might be found above it.
He recommended applying for a $20,000 grant from the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, calling that a realistic amount to ask for. It would require $10,000 in matching donations to show there is support for the project, so more fundraising will be needed. We would need to have a plan together and the cash match by March 1, 2021.
We will need to be successful in getting the depot listed on the National Register to qualify, but Patton and state officials feel the odds are good.
Clements suggested the first phase of work should be a basic preservation of the exterior of the building. That would involve fixing the siding, replacing rotted wood near the bottom, and striping off old paint, then priming and putting a new layer on. The windows are in pretty good shape, but some panes are missing. This would ensure the depot is sealed so that vermin and rain can’t get in. Improving the appearance of the exterior would also show people that visible progress is being made.
There will be a lot of additional hard decisions and challenges ahead, but at this point it feels like we are making solid progress in preserving this piece of history. If you can support the project with a donation, any amount would be greatly appreciated. Online donations can be made through our Go Fund Me account.
If you would prefer to send a check, make it out to the Perry County Historical Museum, which is part of the Perry County Historical & Genealogical Society.
Perry County Historical Museum
P.O. Box 1128
Perryville, AR 72126
You can read more about the background of the depot and my previous posts as this project has progressed over the last three by clicking on the link below:
Also, if you haven’t heard my newly-listed podcast Rock Island in Arkansas, you can find it on Apple Podcasts. Episode 2 is an hour-long look at the history of the Perry Depot, featuring interviews with Buford Suffridge, former Rock Island employees who worked in Perry, and Danny Majors, the son of longtime depot agent Joe Majors.
UPDATE Jan. 15, 2021 – Great news! The National Park Service notified us today that the Perry Depot will be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. I’ll have more soon and we continue with this joyous preservation project!
Director of Public Affairs at Arkansas PBS, 36-year broadcasting veteran, photographer, interested in radio, TV and railroad history, author and host of the book and podcast series Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
After decades of recording interviews to document the stories of former employees of the Rock Island Railroad, I’m proud to officially release a podcast called the “Rock Island in Arkansas.” I’ve produced two episode, but only yesterday was it officially listed as a podcast available for download or to be subscribed to on Apple Podcasts. With a lot of material recorded and ongoing developments in the preservation of the Rock Island Depot at Perry, I hope to package a new episode once every few weeks. I also would welcome the opportunity to talk with more former Rock Island employees who would be willing to share their experiences.
The photo featured for the artwork of the podcast comes courtesy of Bill Pollard, showing a westbound Rock Island train at the Missouri Pacific’s HH crossing just south of Union Station in Little Rock.
Director of Public Affairs at Arkansas PBS, 36-year broadcasting veteran, photographer, interested in radio, TV and railroad history, author and host of the book and podcast series Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
Unfortunately the COVID pandemic led to the 17th annual Six Bridges Book Festival being held virtually this year. I’ve been a regular moderator over the years for the event hosted by the Central Arkansas Library System. This year I spoke remotely with Michael Ray Taylor, author of Hidden Nature: Wild Southern Caves, on Oct. 23. It was a fascinating discussion on caves, what they can tell us about the past, his own adventures, and advice for beginners and experienced cavers.
Director of Public Affairs at Arkansas PBS, 36-year broadcasting veteran, photographer, interested in radio, TV and railroad history, author and host of the book and podcast series Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
Since getting involved in a project three years ago to preserve the Rock Island depot in Perry, Arkansas, I’ve been recording interviews with former employees of the railroad and others who have had connections to the building. The depot, which we believe was built in 1918, was slated to be torn down in 2017. But, thanks to the efforts of the Perry County Historical and Genealogical Society, Preserve Arkansas, and the financial support of many donors and a grant from the state, it is being preserved. The wooden building, which is in surprisingly good condition, has been moved to an adjacent lot, placed on a newly-constructed foundation, and the roof has been replaced.
A westbound passenger train approaches the Perry depot in 1960. This photo was taken from the cab of a Budd Rail Diesel Car by Rock Island company photographer Ed Wojtas.
This podcast, which is the second episode in a series I’ve been slowly producing, tells the history of the Perry depot through first-hand accounts. I feature memories from Buford Suffridge, who has been leading the restoration effort, and Danny Majors, the son of longtime Depot Agent Joe Majors. I also include former Rock Island employees John Henderson, Bill Anderson and Mike Childers. It’s an effort to preserve the stories of those who remember when this was part of a major rail link. Millions of people probably rode over this spot when it was part of the Rock Island’s sunbelt line linking Memphis, Tennessee and Amarillo, Texas.
The plan is for the depot to eventually serve as a community meeting place and museum, telling the story of the community and the Rock Island. But there is still a lot more work to do before that can become a reality.
A lot of the stories featured in this podcast focus on Joe Majors and what it’s like being a depot agent in a small town alongside a major rail line. I hope the image here, which was shared by his son Danny, will someday be featured on a large display inside the depot.
Longtime Perry Depot Agent Joe Majors with his pipe and pocket watch poses for a photo outside the wooden station. He worked here from about 1950 until the Rock Island was shut down in 1980. Photo courtesy of Danny Majors.
A future episode of the “Rock Island in Arkansas” will tell story of the depot being the headquarters for the shortline Little Rock & Western Railway, which was created after the Rock Island was shut down. The program will also include details on our effort to preserve the depot so that it can become a community meeting place and museum.
You can read more about the project to preserve the depot as it has progressed here. I’ll also have an important update soon as the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program is to consider nominating the Perry depot to the National Register of Historic Places at a meeting on Dec. 2, 2020.
This episode was produced with the assistance Dr. J. Bradly Minnick, features the music of central Arkansas musicians Jim Mize, Fret & Worry and a classic recording of the song “Rock Island Line” by Leadbelly. You can listen to the first episode of the podcast here.
Director of Public Affairs at Arkansas PBS, 36-year broadcasting veteran, photographer, interested in radio, TV and railroad history, author and host of the book and podcast series Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
On the web since 2002, this is the online home of broadcasting news veteran Michael Hibblen. I've worked for newspapers, radio and TV stations around the country, with this website telling the story of my career, including audio, photos and videos. Also featured are various interests I've researched, primarily about radio and railroads. Today I'm Director of Public Affairs at Arkansas PBS, overseeing production of the program "Arkansas Week" and the streaming of events on the Arkansas Citizens Access Network. The posts on this site are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Arkansas PBS or my former employers.
My Book
Released by Arcadia Publishing in 2017, Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas delves into the history of the railroad which once had a huge footprint in Arkansas, as well as other states in the middle of the U.S. The book features historic photos and tells the story of the Rock Island, which was shut down in March 1980. READ MORE
For 13 years, from May 2009 to December 2022, I worked for NPR station KUAR-FM 89.1 at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. That included 10 years as News Director while continuing to anchor and report. You can read and hear reports from that time on Little Rock Public Radio's website.
