Helena

Helena was once one of the most vibrant and important cities in Arkansas, but now it feels neglected and forgotten. It was incorporated in 1833, along a spot where Crowley's Ridge met the Mississippi River. The town quickly became a vital spot along the River during the steamboat era. In 1883, Mark Twain wrote that "Helena occupies one of the prettiest situations on the Mississippi."

Several Civil War battles were fought in and around Helena. And in the 1930s, Helena became known as "the blues capital of the Delta," and was the home to such musical luminaries as Robert Johnson, Robert Lee McCollum, Roosevelt Sykes, and Sonny Boy Williamson. But modern economic realities of the Delta have been rough on the city.

I don't know why Helena feels so cut off from the rest of the state. Maybe it's because its location? It is on the Mississippi River, but far from any interstates or other big cities. Our state government often has to be reminded that the Delta exists, especially for places like Helena. The city has been under a boil order since the end of June due to issues with its aging water infrastructure. The state of Arkansas, which currently has a billion dollar surplus, offered the city a paltry $100,000 loan.

There are lots of neat old buildings in Helena, but many have been left empty and abandoned. And sadly, many of those were severely damaged by a storm in 2020. But the buildings that remain paint an interesting picture about what Helena was once like, and the history it still has to share.





One building here used to house Bullock's Cafe, which I was wish was still open because the food there must have been delicious. A friend I follow on Twitter (Terry Buckalew - @tmabuckalew - who you should definitely follow if you are interested in the Blues) reports that Bullock's had amazing food, and the owner Cora Bullock would pull you in the back and you could pick your food right off the stove. It was famous for awhile, and was in a few travel magazines and news stories.







There is a picture of Cora at work in the kitchen on this photoblog from 2007.



This old building sits a few blocks away, along the Mississippi River levee. It has been abandoned for some time now, with the gutted interior now covered in layers of graffiti and random debris. The outside is home to these invasive vines, looking to take over the concrete walkway.









This cracked and faded paint was on one of the rusty metal doors leading into the building.





A few blocks away is an old motel, the Downtown Inn. It has been closed for several years, with tall weeds sprouting in the former parking lot.









And a few more shots from around downtown Helena:











I drove over to the industrial area along the river that looks like its home to buildings that process grain (I guess, I really have no idea?). There is an old building here, that may have once been a factory. It sits empty and abandoned, the only inhabitants are mice (judging from the numerous pieces of poop on the ground).







In one part of the building, trees were seemingly growing right on the concrete floor. They were pretty tall, so it seems like they've been growing there for quite some time.





After that I needed to start driving back towards home. But I got one last shot at this neat old Victorian house. They definitely don't make them like this anymore:

The Kudzu Of Helena

There are a lot of notable features about Helena-West Helena. The city's deep history, its connections to the Blues, or its place along the massive Mississippi River. But one of the most striking things to see as you drive through Helena is the kudzu. The aggressively invasive vine has managed to take over several hillsides in the city, and continues to spread. There were several homes that seem to have been abandoned, which were slowly being subsumed by kudzu.







Kudzu is native to Japan and China, and was first introduced to the US as part of an exhibit at the 1876 World's Fair in Philadelphia. It became popular because of its attractive flowers and foliage, and because it grew quickly. In the 1930s, the US government paid farmers in the South to actually plant kudzu as a way to prevent topsoil erosion and to provide food for livestock. Unfortunately things got a little out of hand. Kudzu flourished, and kept on growing. Now it's believed to cover up to seven million acres of land in just the South, and has been seen as far north as Canada.



Kudzu can grow at a rate of about a foot a day. It's been called the "vine that ate the South."





Crowley's Ridge is susceptible to erosion, and kudzu was planted in abundance there. Helena sits at the bottom edge of Crowley's Ridge, and several of the hills have been covered with thick strands of kudzu for decades. This was taken from a neighborhood, with houses sitting right against the thick vines. I'd hate to think of how much work it is to combat the kudzu assault.











And one last shot of the kudzu, taken before I lingered too long and was covered up by the vines....

Helena - Centennial Baptist Church

The Centennial Baptist Church, or what remains of it, was built in the historic city of Helena in 1905. The Gothic Revival church was the home base of Reverend Dr. Elias Camp Morris, who was the president of the National Baptist Convention. That group became the largest Black organization in the country, and the Rev. Dr. Morris became "one of the most influential persons in the history of African-American religion in the country" at the time. The church was designed by Henry James Price, and it is the only known example in Arkansas of a Black church designed by a Black architect.

The church was so significant that was deemed a National Historic Landmark. There are only 17 National Historic Landmarks in Arkansas, and the church is included with other places like Bathhouse Row, the Old State House and Little Rock Central High. This is a view of the church, taken during a visit to Helena in 2017:



The last church service was held in 1998, and the decades after saw the building suffer serious deterioration. It sat empty, with bricks falling from the facade and pigeons making nests among the pews. In 2020, a massive storm hit Helena. Straight-line winds hit the church, shaving off the front wall and ripping off the roof. This is a view of the church, taken during a visit to Helena a few weeks ago:





The church is surrounded by a high fence, so it was hard to get pictures. But I lifted the camera overhead and tried my best. Remarkably, several of the brick towers are still standing. They have been joined by a spreading congregation of vines, which cover parts of the ruins like a shroud.









There have been vague mentions in a few news articles about trying to preserve, or perhaps rebuild the church. Although the biggest question would be who would pay for it. Despite the state sitting on a massive billion dollar surplus, and pretending to care about heritage and history (at least when it comes to confederate statues), the Centennial Baptist Church seems to have been forgotten. I do hope that something can be done to save the church, it and the city of Helena deserve it.