The Oldest Bridge in Arkansas?
Recently, in my research on the Old River Bridge, I have read that it may be the oldest bridge in Arkansas. So, today, I decided to see how our bridge ranks in the chronology of early Arkansas bridges…
City of Bryant Welcomes Newest Museum
by Cody Berry, Special Collections Assistant On April 11, 2024, my manager, Julie Syler, accompanied me on a field trip to the grand opening of the Bryant Historical Museum. The museum is the first of its kind in Bryant. The museum came to be after years of hard work by our friends at the City … Continued
An Old Bridge with A New Purpose
by Cody Berry, Special Collections Assistant On March 11, 2024, I had the pleasure of attending a historic groundbreaking ceremony with Kari Lapp, our Public Relations Manager, and the library’s new Assistant Director, Stony Evans. Together, we walked down the muddy road to a part of the Saline River that had been the site of … Continued
Dr. Gann’s Radioactive Therapy
by Cody Berry, Special Collections Assistant Because of the recent success of films such as Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Radium Girls on Netflix, we thought it would be interesting to investigate Dr. Gann Jr’s work with radium. Dr. Dewell Gann Jr (1890-1960) is credited as the man who introduced the use of radium to Arkansas … Continued
Gann Goods: Saline County and Pottery
After the Civil War ended in 1865, many potters came to this part of Saline County. Between 1868 and 1898, there were as many as a dozen potteries in Benton. Locally made and world famous Niloak pottery was discovered in 1912 by Charles “Bullet” Hyten. While most potters made more functional items like flower vases, … Continued