Main Street Arkansas
The Hearts of Arkansas Cities and Towns—as Portrayed in Postcards and Photographs
Ray and Steven Hanley

A postcard and photographic tour of every section of Arkansas

“Every corner of the state is included . . . a real treasure for travelers and celebrants of Arkansas and American history.”
—Bill Worthen, director, Historic Arkansas Museum

In this visual history—the Hanley brothers’ most extensive book yet—readers will trace many towns’ humble beginnings, with wooden-frame structures lining rutted dirt streets teeming with wagons, horses, and mules. The evolution of towns such as Walnut Ridge, Bentonville, Little Rock, and Lake Village, as well as tiny hamlets such as Black Rock and Ponca, unfolds before readers’ eyes. Scenes from the 1950s feature stores such as Ben Franklin, OTASCO, and Western Auto. Success stories of Main Street preservation and revitalization in El Dorado, Siloam Springs, Conway, and Harrison show how local elders have set an example for other towns.

Ray and Steven Hanley have published extensively from their research of Arkansas history as told through postcards. Traveling thousands of miles to collect and authenticate postcards, as well as take comparative photos, they are the undisputed authorities on historical postcards from Arkansas. The Hanley brothers live in Little Rock.

September
$19.95 paper
978-1-935106-13-5 | ISBN 1-935106-13-9
$33.95 cloth
978-1-935106-12-8 | 1-935106-12-0
224 pages, 8.5 x 10, index
233 b/w photos, many never before published

Distributed for the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies.