HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-07-13 - Minutes -CITY OF
FAYETTEVILLE
ARKANSAS
MEETING MINUTES
Meeting of the Historic District Commission
July 13, 2023 5:30 PM
RM 111 City Hall
NOTE: The July 13, 2023 Historic District Commission meeting was held in person and
online, with commissioners attending in person and online. Staff were present in person.
Members: Christine Myres — Chair, Meredith Mahan — Vice Chair, Alex Lee, Mark Harper,
Joann Goodley, Tommie Flowers Davis, Julie Preddy
City Staff: Britin Bostick - Long Range Planning & Special Projects Manager, Sherry Marie
Smith — Long Range & Preservation Planner
Call to Order: 5:30pm
In Attendance: Christine Myres, Meredith Mahan, Alex Lee, Mark Harper, Joann Goodley,
Tommie Flowers Davis, Julie Preddy, Britin Bostick, Sherry Marie Smith, and Jerry (J.B.)
Hogan
Approval of Minutes from the June 8, 2023 Meeting: Motion to approve by Commissioner
Preddy, second by Commissioner Lee. Motion passed 6-0-0.
Announcements: NAPC Webinar Recap postponed to the July meeting.
Unfinished Business:
1. Election of Officers for the 2023-2024 Term: Bostick explained that Commissioners
could self -nominate or nominate other Commissioners for Chair and Vice Chair for the
2023-2024 term. She also described the officer roles. Chair Myres opened the floor to
all nominations. Christine Myres nominated herself for Chair and Meredith Mahan for
Vice Chair. No other nominations were made. Commissioner Lee motioned to approve
Christine Myres for Chair, second by Commissioner Harper. The motion was approved
7-0-0. Commissioner Flowers motioned to approve Meredith Mahan to Vice Chair,
seconded by Commissioner Harper. The motion was approved 7-0-0.
2. Historic Marker Design Discussion: Bostick reported that staff will need additional
time to contact manufacturers and showed the proposed marker designs from
Commissioner Mahan again as well as an example of a small historic house marker.
Other examples from Commissioners included City of London house markers, an oval
blue plaque program that was easy to recognize and notice, and including a UPC code
on the markers. There could be a separate program established for one -by -one
historic structure identifiers. Staff to bring the item back to the August meeting with an
update on manufacturing options for the proposed design.
New Business:
1. Information from J.B. Hogan: Local historian and author J.B. Hogan provided a
packet of information to the Commissioners on proposed historical markers for Nelson
Mailing Address:
113 W. Mountain Street www.fayetteville-ar.gov
Fayetteville, AR 72701
Orr and the Osage Nation, an update to the inventory of historical markers and
plaques from 2013, and early planning stages for the Fayetteville bicentennial in 2028.
a. Nelson Orr: Mr. Hogan has been working on the history of first peoples in
Fayetteville in collaboration with Shaun Treat at the University of North Texas.
On January 13, 1839 the John Benge contingent of the Trail of Tears came
through Fayetteville. The Wallace brothers had a store through which they sold
whiskey and some of the Benge group were at the store during their stay in
Fayetteville. An altercation occurred ending in Nelson Orr being fatally stabbed.
He may have died here from his injuries. Some of this information comes from
the Arrington writings, but he was a dime novelist, so the information has to be
carefully picked through. "Cherokee Desperado" was an unfair characterization
by Arrington because of Orr's family and associations. This story, like the
Nelson Hackett story, is connected to the Wallaces. The Wallaces were
dangerous but successfully defended in court by Fayetteville founders. Willis
Wallace likely had everyone scared to confront him. Mr. Hogan proposes the
plaque to be installed on the Campbell Building where the Wallace store would
have been based on the described lot location. "very near this location" could
be added to the marker text proposed by Mr. Hogan. Lot number 4 on the west
side was owned by Alfred Wallace. Mr. Hogan has a map of the town plat
which shows the lots. He mentioned that there will be two articles in the
Flashback next year on indigenous peoples in Fayetteville. Shaun thinks both
Hackett and Orr may have been murdered and died here in Fayetteville. Mr.
Hogan explained that Washington County has the best county records in the
state as they were hidden in a cave during the Civil War. James Van House
wrote about this in the 1850s. Sean Teuton at the University of Arkansas is
behind this plaque.
b. Recognition of the Osage Nation: Northwest Arkansas was the hunting grounds
of the Osage People. Mr. Hogan proposes a standing marker on the south end
of the Square, and working with the Osage Nation on this as well as inviting
them to the unveiling, etc. Mr. Hogan additionally described the first peoples of
Arkansas. their geographic locations, and the history of removal in the U.S. The
U.S. government was removing the Choctaw people from Mississippi before
1800. Mr. Hogan would like to honor the Osage people and would like to work
on the text and work on a location for maximum visibility. Chair Myres
commented that these markers are very much worth doing, and that we do not
have enough recognition of marginalized people.
c. Update to Inventory of Historical Markers and Plaques: A few years back Mr.
Hogan found an inventory of historical markers by Walter J. Lemke in 1953 that
covered Fayetteville, the University, and Washington County. He has edited
and updated the list previously and is now working on it again. Many are from
the 1928 centennial of Fayetteville and from the United Daughters of the
Confederacy. The list has been on the City's website since 2013. Vice Chair
Mahan asked how the marker list came about and if we can have a registry
moving forward. Commissioners additionally discussed how could the markers
of interest be easily accessed? Could we put out a call to the community to
help us update the list? Could there be an online submittal form to add markers
to the list? Commissioners noted additions to the list for the plaque at St.
James Methodist Church, and possibly Mount Sequoyah. A side discussion
followed as to whether the St. James Methodist Church could be re -nominated
to the National Register of Historic Places as it was not deemed eligible when it
was submitted previously under the criteria for architectural significance. Also
noted was the possibility of a historical marker for the Lincoln School.
d. Fayetteville Bicentiennial — 2028: Mr. Hogan has a folder started for this event
as it will be only five years from now. Mr. Hogan shared a 1928 schedule of
events for the centennial celebration and estimated it would take at least two
years to get the bicentennial coordinated and planned with the many
organizations that would be involved. He already has a 20-page trivia written.
He additionally noted that Fayetteville started out as Washington Courthouse in
October 1928 and changed the name the year after to Fayetteville.
2. Discussion of May Survey Results, Farmer's Market community comments, and
Heritage & Historic Preservation Plan action item priorities: Commissioners asked
staff to combine the votes with the full matrices in the preservation plan and bring back
to the next meeting with the action items ranked by ease of completion and ability for
the Commission to complete the action items independently. Commissioners would
like to focus on addressing smaller items first while considering how to approach
completing larger items requiring more time and resources.
3. Ground Scanning of Oak Cemetery: Chair Myres recalled this was a project that had
nearly gotten started prior to Covid and that she would like to look into completing it.
Mr. Hogan had spoken to Dr. Jami Lockhart with the Arkansas Archeological Survey
about work on a small portion of scanning. Chair Myres asked staff to contact the
trustees of the Oak Cemetery to see if they would be interested in restarting the project
and to contact Dr. Lockhart to see if the Survey could still assist.
Other Business: Mr. Hogan mentioned his next book would be available later this summer,
titled "Forgotten Fayetteville". It is mean to be a more inclusive history of this place and the
important people that have been left out.
Bostick noted the 2023 Preserve Arkansas Awards have opened to application and that the
Heritage & Historic Preservation Plan may be an eligible submission.
Adjourned: 6:58pm
