Harrison Arkansaw Race Riots with the KKK

[Thomas Robb]

Harrison Arkansaw Race Riots of 1905-1909

Though nowhere near as murderous as other race riots across the state, the Harrison Race Riots of 1905 and 1909 drove all but one African American from Harrison (Boone County), creating by violence an all-white community similar to other such “sundown towns” in northern and western Arkansas.

With the headquarters of the Arkansas Faction of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan
(KKK) located nearby, Harrison has retained the legacy of its ethnic cleansing through the twentieth century and into the twenty-first.
The U.S. Census of 1900 revealed a black community in Harrison of 115 people out of 1,501 residents.

This constituted a vibrant community that, despite its poverty, had a cohesive culture and deep roots. By all accounts, relations between the white and black communities were relatively friendly and stable before the riots (dependent, of course, upon the expected subservience of black citizens to white people).

The catalyst for change was the St. Louis and North Arkansas Railroad (later the Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad), which was built through Harrison in 1901, exciting the populace with visions of prosperity. But the railroad went bankrupt on July 1, 1905, creating hardship for the townsfolk and the railroad workers who had moved to the area.

The completion of the rival Missouri Pacific line, which ran through Omaha (Boone County), fifteen miles north of Harrison, left many more unemployed, both black and white. Some found their way into Harrison, where their lack of deference (they had been independent and used to being paid well for their work) enflamed the ire of Harrison’s white residents.

The enmity that Harrison felt for its black population came to a head on October 2, 1905, when a white mob stormed the jail and took two black prisoners—one of whom had been charged two days earlier with breaking into Dr. John J. Johnson’s residence—along with several others and transported them outside city limits.

There, they whipped their captives and ordered them to leave. The mob then went on a rampage through Harrison’s black community.

Numbering about thirty, they burned down homes, shot out windows, and ordered all African Americans to vacate the town that night. Many did, fleeing to places such as Fayetteville (Washington County) and Eureka Springs (Carroll County) or to Missouri.

In the following days, the people who had stayed were attacked and harassed. On October 7, 1905, J. E. Hibdon, member of a posse, shot and killed black railroad worker George Richards at the Omaha railroad camp.

The civic power structure of Harrison likely approved of the mob action.

According to Jacqueline Froelich and David Zimmerman,“Diligent research has failed to reveal any records of actions taken by law enforcement officers or any other local officials to protect Harrison’s African American community at any time preceding, during, or after the attacks.”

But John Henry Rogers and James Kent Barnes—judge of the Western District of Arkansas and district attorney, respectively—sought to use a grand jury already scheduled to be impaneled to bring the perpetrators of mob violence to justice.

Their task was rendered impossible by the disappearance of so many potential black witnesses and by the reluctance of the white jury to seek indictments against their fellow men, many of whom were reputedly of good standing in the community.

The remnants of the black community in Harrison lived a tenuous existence until 1909, when Harrison’s transformation into an all-white town was made complete by yet another riot.

The ostensible catalyst for this second round of violence was the January 18, 1909, arrest of Charles Stinnett on the charge of raping a white woman.

now read the rest of the encyclopedia story >

http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclo...

[native]

Noone likes the truth. But me and the rest are with ya. Say When!!! I dont wear my marks and you know why!!!

[native]

Alive and ready!

[native]

if a were b and y were z see you on invitation!

[Bernessa Manley]

What you talking about 1905 for fool? Back in them days, white women didnt vote and it was against the law to park a gennie and a jack on the same side of the street.

You pointed headed podunks aint got a clue. Silly fools.

[village idiot]

Bernessa Manley wrote:

What you talking about 1905 for fool? Back in them days, white women didnt vote and it was against the law to park a gennie and a jack on the same side of the street.
You pointed headed podunks aint got a clue. Silly fools.

Bernessa Manley
“God Bless America!”
Joined: May 18, 2009
Comments: 145
Frog Spit, Alabama
ISP: Hayward, CA
You aint nothin but a set up.... you are a lyin peice of sh!t racist smoked okie! isp hayward ca.

[Bernessa Manley]

village idiot wrote:

<quoted text>Bernessa Manley
“God Bless America!”
Joined: May 18, 2009
Comments: 145
Frog Spit, Alabama
ISP: Hayward, CA
You aint nothin but a set up.... you are a lyin peice of sh!t racist smoked okie! isp hayward ca.

You on every thread with your stupity? What you so afraid of? Me? hahahahahahahahahaha podunk fool.

[Bernessa Manley]

And one more thing you clown, you wanna talk all your white man BS, but you act like you so scared of one black WOMAN!!!

hahaha you probably just the flunky ass fire lighter at your point head cook outs.

You just need to be quiet before you make your grand poopaa mad.

Ignornt fool.

[village idiot]

Bernessa Manley wrote:

And one more thing you clown, you wanna talk all your white man BS, but you act like you so scared of one black WOMAN!!!
hahaha you probably just the flunky ass fire lighter at your point head cook outs.
You just need to be quiet before you make your grand poopaa mad.
Ignornt fool.

im here in harrison. not going anywere. you are doing great in the oakland getto, perfect place for you! fat ass racist piece of shit smoked okie!

[Maybe]

village idiot wrote:

<quoted text>im here in harrison. not going anywere. you are doing great in the oakland getto, perfect place for you! fat ass racist piece of shit smoked okie!

What would you know about Oakland? The last I checked Hayward isn't in Oakland anyway.

[native]

i will not acknowlege anymore of ms. or mrs. manleys comments. she is only trying to incite anger. thats not what im about, but am not immune to the emotion. if she were coming she would allready have been here, and i extend a innvatation. so lets quit replying to her and you'll see what i mean. far i as im conncenred she doesnt exsist.

[Bernessa Manley]

native wrote:

i will not acknowlege anymore of ms. or mrs. manleys comments. she is only trying to incite anger. thats not what im about, but am not immune to the emotion. if she were coming she would allready have been here, and i extend a innvatation. so lets quit replying to her and you'll see what i mean. far i as im conncenred she doesnt exsist.

You aint of no concern to me ho! I already moved here. I aint started no sh!t with you or anybody else. I came here to this board and I was friendly. Then that villiage idiot fool started to call me names and be all stupid. I dont know who you think you are, but you can kiss my big black ass, right in the groove.

Skanky old trailor trash white ho.

[Bernessa Manley]

I do wish that nice man Mike Huffman was on this board. Yall said he came here sometime. He knows Im a nice lady. He will tell yall then yall be feeling all stupid for all this mean stuff. How come he aint Mayor here?

[Diverse]

Native, you need to learn how to spell! Dumbass!

[Just commenting]

That was an interesting article. However, I have often wondered why when one of the white people here were robbed, raped or harmed in any way by a white person..they were just brought to justice and not beat or hung for their demeaning/demented acts. Its something how just the difference in skin color can bring on such hatered-while all are people in Gods eyes.
Yes there is a difference in our cultures. As in all cultures if you have traveled the world or at least some of it. Actually, it can be a culture difference from state to state.

We are all different no matter how or what we are. The race thing is man made, not God made...and funny that we are in the bible belt and have to deal with such ignorance and stupidity.

[highcotton]

native wrote:

i will not acknowlege anymore of ms. or mrs. manleys comments. she is only trying to incite anger. thats not what im about, but am not immune to the emotion. if she were coming she would allready have been here, and i extend a innvatation. so lets quit replying to her and you'll see what i mean. far i as im conncenred she doesnt exsist.

No good spelling exists for you..........

[Reason]

Like alot of you, I grew up in Harrison. After HS, I moved to various cities with a more diverse population. I made friends with all kinds and races. Most of them didn't associate Harrison with the clan and even if they did, they didn't voice it to me because they could tell I saw them as a person and not a race. I did occasionally get frustrated by those who called me a "racist" because I was from Harrison. That is a stigma I have learned to live with, not that I like it at all, but some just stereotype Harrison folk that way. Sound familiar? It should.

I love Harrison and appreciate the oppurtunity I had to grow up here and now I appreciate the oppurtunity I have to raise a family here. There are truly good people here and those of you who have lived other places know what I mean whether you admit it or not.

There are uneducated people scattered all over this great country. Not all uneducated people are racist but I've never met a smart racist. Be proud of your town. If you aren't, move on.

[Gotta Love Her]

Bernessa Manley wrote:

What you talking about 1905 for fool? Back in them days, white women didnt vote and it was against the law to park a gennie and a jack on the same side of the street.
You pointed headed podunks aint got a clue. Silly fools.

You are One of a Kind! Anyone with an open mind has to love you.