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.

Turkey Scratch

Over a century ago, a philanthropist named Julius Rosenwald established a fund with the goal of improving the educational opportunities for Black children across the rural South. Beginning in 1917, the fund eventually built over 5,000 school buildings, teacher homes and shop buildings across 15 states. In Arkansas, it helped construct 389 buildings that were spread across 45 of the state's counties.

But time has not been too kind to the Rosenwald schools. In 2002, a survey found that only 18 of the original 389 buildings constructed in Arkansas were still standing. Many of them are abandoned and forgotten, with little recognition of their historical significance.

One of the few remaining Rosenwald schools in Arkansas sits in the small community of Turkey Scratch. The school was built in 1924, and was used until the 1960s.



After the school closed, the building was used to store grain. Later the modern silos were built nearby, but the building is still used to store farm equipment.





Turkey Scratch is a tiny little place, but it was the home to two famous musicians. Robert Lockwood Jr. was born in 1915 in Turkey Scratch and would become a legendary Blues player, having learned guitar from Robert Johnson. In 1989 he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.



The other famous musician is Levon Helm, who was born in Elaine but would grow up here in Turkey Scratch. He would end up being a great drum and guitar player, and would become world famous as part of The Band. The group has been described as one of the most influential rock groups, and were an influence on artists like The Beatles, Elton John and the Grateful Dead.



Helm grew up in a house that used to sit across the road from the old Rosenwald school. That home was in danger of being torn down, but was thankfully saved and was moved to the nearby town of Marvell (where Helm attended high school). Here's a photo of the home taken a few years ago:



And one last shot from Turkey Scratch. Right next to where Helm's boyhood home once stood is the old AB Thompson store. It dates back to the 1930s, although it is boarded up and its metal sign showing a significant amount of rust:

The 4th of July

Every year, our neighborhood in Little Rock has a little parade for Independence Day. It's nothing too fancy, but it's quaint. There's a firetruck from the local fire station. Sometimes the police department will send out a few officers on motorcycles. And there's the old guys who drive old antique cars who seem to exist just to be in little parades like this. Of course the residents of the neighborhood are invited to participate in the parade, so people will decorate their cars and throw out candy. The neighborhood kids will ride their bikes, or people will walk with their dogs.

The parade route crosses the path of the March tornado, which devastated and destroyed many homes in the neighborhood. Some of those houses have already been torn down, leaving nothing but flattened patches of dirt or a concrete foundation. But there are also several homes that are standing in limbo, almost entirely destroyed but barely still standing. The owners waiting for the insurance company to decide something, apparently.

This year, Jonah wanted to participate in the parade so we haphazardly put some streamers on the car and got some candy to toss out the window. He is leaning out the window here, as we pass by some of the houses that were hit by the tornado.



That evening we headed downtown to watch the big fireworks show over the Arkansas River. We found a spot along the shore at Riverfront Park in North Little Rock near the Broadway Bridge.



It was an ideal place, with a nice view of the fireworks. And there was a nice breeze coming off of the river, which helped to blow away some of the heat and humidity.

Summer Storm

I made a quick little drive out to the Delta, starting out in the Scott area. I passed by a few old abandoned buildings that I've taken pictures of, just to see how they were doing (and to make sure they're still there). It was bright and sunny, which isn't always the best conditions for photography, even with the infrared camera.



In the town of England, I stopped at this lake and got a few pictures. It was hot, and with a humidity that would fog up the camera lens whenever it left the comfort of the air conditioned car.







Also in England is this old Victorian house, which appears to be abandoned.







There was a large thunderstorm in the distance, so I hurried towards it. Hopefully I would be able to find an old building or something that might look cool with the looming storm overhead.



Luckily the photography gods listened to my prayers and I saw this old farm building, complete with a rusted metal roof.



The storm kicked up a heavy wind, which seemed to decrease the outside temperature by at least 20 degrees. The soybean fields were dancing and moving in the gusts of wind.





And the rusty metal on the roof of the old building was creaking in the wind, making a sound like what TV shows use when a door opens in a haunted house.



Luckily the winds seemed to have also blown away any mosquitoes.





I was near the small town of Tucker, so I hurried over to the small collections of buildings that were once part of the old Tucker plantation. The plantation was established in 1871, and mostly grew cotton. In 1916, the state of Arkansas bought the plantation lands and converted it into a prison complex. But a few remnants of the Tucker plantation still remain, like this old building that served as the plantation office, general store and post office. It was built in 1913, but it's almost all gone. The facade still stands, along with a few sections of the walls.





It had rained here during the storm, which meant that the humidity was cranked up to about 200%. I got one last picture of the old safe that still sits in the back of the Tucker building, before retreating to the car's air conditioning.

Got You Covered

Just outside of the suburban sprawl of west Little Rock sits this little covered bridge, which crosses a peaceful and quiet little creek.



It's close enough that I can hurry over on my lunch break to take a few pictures, on a day when it wasn't too painfully hot to be outside.