Primary Sources: A 2002 Points of Interest Tour

Located at 2410 West 6th Avenue was a flooring company that provided oak floors for many houses in Pine Bluff and Southeast Arkansas. It was owned by Howard Coles, my great-grandfather.

This flooring company was the only one of its kind located in southeast Arkansas from the early 1900's to the late 1920's. After the untimely death of the owner, Howard Coles, the company was run by his widow, Sallylu Anderson Coles, my great-great-grandmother. The company was then sold in 1929 to an officer within the company.

Located on Highway 65 North, the U.S. Army's Pine Bluff Arsenal completely changed the economy of Pine Bluff, which had depended principally on agrigulture for its well-being, to a more industrialized base.

Today the plant operates as a housing division for World War II weapons and a biochemical warfare division of the United States Government. The Arsenal employs over 1000 persons and has an average monthly civilian payroll of $1.5 million.

This is an aerial view of the Pine Bluff Arsenal administrative area, with the administrative building in the background, made in 1967.

Located at 701 Main Street, the Southeast Arkansas Arts & Science Center provides local and statewide entertainment for the citizens of Pine Bluff.

Built in 1852 as a wedding gift from Judge Samuel Calhoun Roane and his wife to their daughter Juilet, who married her first cousin Marcus Lafayette Bell on December 19, 1852, this house at 805 West Barraque was Pine Bluff's first brick mansion.

Amazing-- During the Battle of Pine Bluff, a cannonball fired from the Union defense on Court Square went through a second-story bedroom and rolled across the floor.

Located on Pullen Street, the Bellwood Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in Pine Bluff. The oldest graves found within the cemetery, those of the region's earliest French settlers, date to the late 1700's.

Central Moloney, Inc., located at 2400 West 6th Avenue, is a corporation that provides electric transformers for energy users all over the United States. The company is the only one of its kind in the state of Arkansas.

The Fox House, located at 1303 S. Olive, was built by C.L. Thompson. The leaded glass in the parlor signifies a unique trait of the architectural style of Charles L. Thompson.

The Frank Triplett Home at 1519 Cherry Street as it looked in 1930. This house was one of the "Three Tudor Homes" built in Pine Bluff by Frank White's father.

Frank and Ruth Triplett with daughters Caroline, Estelle, and Patsy. The year is 1930.

This house was built by Frank White's father. It was one of the "Three Tudor Homes" in Pine Bluff. It was torn down in the late 1980s.

A picture of Lone Oak. The house is located at 3721 Poplar Street and is owned by F.A. Dutch King. The house was constructed in 1925 by Mrs. Howard Coles for her daughter, Leila C. Wilkins. It was designed by Frank White (former Governor of Arkansas' father). It was one of three that were designed in Pine Bluff as the Three English Tudors.

The Quattlebaum Home, located at 1320 Poplar Street, was built in 1927 by Frank White's father. It was also one of the "Three Tudor Homes" in Pine Bluff.

M.K. Distributors, Inc., located at 223 Mulberry Street, is the largest beer distributor in southeast Arkansas.

The Merchants & Planters Bank, located at 100 South Main Street, was a bank that failed during the Great Depression. My great-great-grandfather, Mr. Wilkins, was president during its failure.

The neoclassical architectural style of the building was designed by C.L. Thompson. Today the building is occupied by a real estate office and a law office.

One of the greatest boons to Pine Bluff and Jefferson County's economy was the construction of the International Paper Company plant ten miles east of the city's downtown area beginning in 1957.

This aerial photo of the mill was taken in 1962. International Paper employs 1400 people locally and produces over 1600 tons of paper daily. The mill uses 2500 cords of pulpwood or wood residues daily, giving employment to a larger number of people in the timber industry.

This aerial photograph was made in 1962.

The Pines Hotel, located at 5th and Main, was once one of the most prestigious hotels in the state of Arkansas, and was known nationwide for its lavish ballroom. The hotel is now waiting to be restored by interested persons in the city.

The entrance to the Saenger Theater is noted by a National Marker indicating the historical importance of the theater. It is also on the National Register.

The Saenger Theater, located at 2nd and Pine Streets, was constructed in 1924 and was a vaudeville theater as well as a movie theater. It contains a balcony, a Broadway-size stage, and tremendous amounts of old artwork.

The Scoggins Home, built in 1928 and located at 1702 Oak Street, was designed by C.L. Thompson.

Southeast Arkansas Vocational-Technical College, located at 18th and Hazel Streets, is the fastest-growing two-year college in Southeast Arkansas.

The U.S.A. Drug Company's Arkansas office is located at 3017 Midland Park Drive. The company specializes in the distribution of pharmaceutical drugs. The company is known statewide, but its main headquarters is in Pine Bluff.

During the Korean War, an additional facility was built at the Pine Bluff Arsenal, known as the "Hadacol" factory because of its secret mission, the production of germ warfare agents. After President Richard M. Nixon stopped the production of the agents, the plant was converted to the National Center for Toxicological Research.

NCTR is located in Jefferson, Arkansas, a quiet rural community in south central Arkansas between Little Rock, the state capital, and the city of Pine Bluff. It sits on 496 acres in the midst of a beautiful pine forest. It was also featured on an episode of The X-Files!

Arkansas Oak Flooring

Located at 2410 West 6th Avenue was a flooring company that provided oak floors for many houses in Pine Bluff and Southeast Arkansas. It was owned by Howard Coles, my great-grandfather.

PRIMARY SOURCES Set 3: A 2002 "Points of Interest" Tour

PRIMARY SOURCES
Set 3:
A 2002 "Points of Interest" Tour