Corning was selected for the county seat of the newly formed Clayton County (later shortened to Clay) on May 16, 1873. Due to the Black and Cache Rivers separating those on the east side of the county an election was held in 1874 to move the county seat to Boydsville. It was passed and the courthouse was moved. However, this change was not met without being contested. A reelection was held in 1877, but Boydsville again beat Corning. This only halfway solved the travel issue because the citizens who lived on the west side of the Black and Cache Rivers could not get to the courthouse in Boydsville. A solution for this issue was to divide the county into two districts. The act was approved on February 23, 1881 making Corning the seat for the Western District and Boydsville the seat of the Eastern District. The Eastern District seat would be changed to Piggott in 1891.The current courthouse was built by the firm of Donnellan &amp; Porterfield in 1966 in the New Formalism style. This was the fourth courthouse to be built in Corning and its architecture was in stark contrast with the previous Romanesque Revival courthouse that burned in a fire on January 25, 1963. This courthouse is a one-story brick structure with a raised center courtroom all with a flat roof. This building was added to the National Register of Historical Places on September 18, 2018.

Clay County Courthouse (Western District) Front

Clay County Courthouse (Western District) Southeast Corner

Clay County Courthouse (Western District) Southwest Corner

The Clay County Courthouse in Corning is the seat of justice for the Western District of Clay County. The history of the court in Clay County has been steeped in debate about where its location should be. After years of moving back and forth between towns the county was divided into two districts.


Clay County Courthouse (Western District)

This tour contains twelve historic buildings/sites in Corning, Arkansas and covers topics such as pre-European civilizations, prominent pioneers, government, religion, Ku Klux Klan terrorism, and education. 

The Oliver House is a late-Victorian wood-framed structure located in Corning, Arkansas. This home was built by early Corning resident J.W. Harb in 1880 on land that he bought from the Saint Louis and Iron Mountain Railroad in 1886. Harb would later go on to sell the home to J. L. Oliver, Jr. in 1887. Later, his son Dr. J.M. Oliver would drastically change the outside appearance of the house. The house, which was originally built facing Walnut Street, was transformed into an ell shape to have the front door face the railroad in 1895. Reports also show that it was remodeled during 1901 and 1909. During the remodel in 1909 a second floor was added and a columned porch. J.M. Oliver, Jr. would take over the dwelling after his father as well as the family mercantile business Oliver &amp; Company. This store was known as the "Biggest and the Cheapest" and was located on corner of Main Street and NW First in the south section of this block. The Oliver House was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1987 and in recent years, the Oliver &amp; Company Building was torn down to build a fire department.

The Oliver House is a iconic late-Victorian house on NW First street along the railroad. This is one of the few pioneer mansions left from the early days of Corning. The home was built in the 1880 and was remodeled in the early twentieth century. Its associations with a prominent business family in Corning earns its spot on this list.

Oliver House

Hop Alley is an alley that runs between First and Second Streets in Corning, Arkansas. The genesis for Hop Alley began on November 21, 1906 when several buildings were razed. Judge Douglas Hopson built a double one-story brick building at the site. Judge Hopson would later have a wooden sidewalk constructed from First Street to Second Street. There seems to be some confusion on the origin of the name “Hop Alley.” Some point to the fact that Corning was poorly drained during a flood in 1907 so pedestrians had to “hop” down the floating wooden sidewalk in the alley. Others say it was named Hop Alley since Judge Hopson’s law office was built there. Throughout its years many businesses were established in Hop Alley. Today only the eastern half of Hop Alley remains, the western half being torn down during the 1990s.

Hop Alley has been a well loved landmark in Corning since its inception on November 21, 1906. The alley which runs between First and Second Streets was named after prominent Corning attorney and judge, Douglas Hopson. It has been home to many businesses over the years and has been walked through hundreds of thousands of times.


Hop Alley

The J.W. Black Lumber Company was a long-standing business in Corning. In 1894 J.W. Black arrived in Corning on a chartered rail boxcar and a year later would begin his business endeavor. When the company was established it was called Black and Arnold Lumber company, but this would eventually be changed to the J.W. Black Lumber Company. The location of the lumber mill was in between the railroad and Corning Lake. The lumber mill was in full operation until 2018 when their closure was announced after 123 years of service. This lumber barn is located next to the Black's Building Center which is still in operation today. This barn was built to store livestock, but now stores lumber. This building is reminder of an earlier time in Corning’s history when forestry was a viable source for the economy.

The J.W. Black Lumber Company got its start by J.W. Black in 1894 and was in operation for 123 years up until their closer was announced in 2018. Although the lumber mill has closed, the J.W. Black Lumber Company still exist and they manage Black's Building Center in downtown Corning.

J.W. Black Lumber Barn

On the Southwest corner of First and Pine Street lies an Indian mound. Around the 1890s, J.E. Long built a Gingerbread mansion atop this mound. This house was unpainted and weathered and it was colloquially known as the “Haunted Mound House” and it was rented out to whoever was brave enough to stay there. Around the turn of the 20th century George A. Booser, who owned the Booser Stave Mill across the street, bought the Mound House and had it razed. The Indian Mound was also excavated, and they found five human skeletons as well as other native artifacts. It is unknown what was done with the findings or were they are today. This Indian Mound is an important relic of pre-European civilization in the area.

The remnants of a pre-European society can be found on the corner of First and Pine Street. For many years a Indian mound sat here until it was excavated of all of its contents in the early 20th century to construct a new home there on top of the mound.

Indian Mound

At the intersection of SW Second Street and Lucien Avenue (known as Myrtle Street at the time) is the location of a darker part of Corning’s history. This area south of the Courthouse square was known in those days as “The Goose Pasture.” This was the location of the hanging tree. It was here that Klansman Luther Bent Taylor met his fate on Friday, April 21, 1882 for the crime of murdering his fellow Klansman Riley Black for trying to leave the Klan. The second and last hanging that took place on this site was that of Lafayette Melton for murdering Frank Hale in January of 1885. The tree has long since been removed and Corning would expand south and eventually build over the site. During this era the courthouse was moved to Boydsville which left Corning and western Clay County with no one to keep unlawful citizens in check. This location tells of time when Ku Klux Klan activity was terrorizing Corning and when hanging was legal.

The intersection of SW Second Street and Lucien Avenue is the site of the darker side of Corning's history. This was the site where Klansman Luther Bent Taylor and Lafayette Melton met their fate in 1882 and 1885. The hanging of these two men marked the end of Ku Klux Klan terrorism in Corning.

Site of the Hanging Tree

Corning was selected for the county seat of the newly formed Clayton County (later shortened to Clay) on May 16, 1873. Due to the Black and Cache Rivers separating those on the east side of the county an election was held in 1874 to move the county seat to Boydsville. It was passed and the courthouse was moved. However, this change was not met without being contested. A reelection was held in 1877, but Boydsville again beat Corning. This only halfway solved the travel issue because the citizens who lived on the west side of the Black and Cache Rivers could not get to the courthouse in Boydsville. A solution for this issue was to divide the county into two districts. The act was approved on February 23, 1881 making Corning the seat for the Western District and Boydsville the seat of the Eastern District. The Eastern District seat would be changed to Piggott in 1891. The current courthouse was built by the firm of Donnellan &amp; Porterfield in 1966 in the New Formalism style. This was the fourth courthouse to be built in Corning and its architecture was in stark contrast with the previous Romanesque Revival courthouse that burned in a fire on January 25, 1963. This courthouse is a one-story brick structure with a raised center courtroom all with a flat roof. This building was added to the National Register of Historical Places on September 18, 2018.

The Sheeks House is a colonial/Greek revival wood-framed structure located on the court square in Corning, Arkansas. The house is a 2.5 story building constructed in 1872 by Ephraim Foster Brown. Mr. Brown who was a attorney at the time, had his law office there on the square next to his house. He was well respected in the area, eventually being elected the senator for Clayton and Greene County. While on the senate, he enacted legislation that changed the name of the county from Clayton to Clay. The county was originally named for Powell Clayton or his older brother John M. Clayton. These figures had grown unfavorable in the area so the county's name was shortened to Clay in honor of Kentucky Senator Henry Clay.Mr. Brown sold the house to Edgar VanBuren Sheeks in 1878 and moved to Jonesboro, Arkansas. Mr. Sheeks would start off his business career by owning a lumber mill. He would later partner up with George W. Stephens and open the Sheeks-Stephens store on his corner lot of the court square. Together they also opened the first cotton gin in Corning and by 1906 Mr. Sheeks was the manager of the first electric light plant.In 1908 the house was heavily remodeled. This remodel added a grand portico at the front of the house with two grand columns as well as a two-story addition to the back of the house. Other than these renovations in 1908 the house has been unaltered since. The Sheeks House was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1975.

The Sheeks House is a colonial/Greek revival wood-framed structure located on the court square in Corning, Arkansas. The house is a 2.5 story building constructed in 1872 by Ephraim Foster Brown who was a prominent attorney in Arkansas. Mr. Brown sold the house to E.V. Sheeks in 1878. In 1908 the house was heavily remodeled. This remodel added a grand portico at the front of the house with two grand columns as well as a two-story addition to the back of the house. Other than these renovations in 1908 the house has been unaltered since.  The Sheeks House was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1975.

Sheeks House

The First Baptist Church was organized in Corning on April 30, 1887 by the Rev. A.S. Hall. Before the Baptist congregation had any church building to call home, they held their services in the Methodist Episcopal Church or in the Courthouse. The first church was built in 1887 at the cost of $1,000 on land donated by Sylvanus Bishop. By 1904 this building was remodeled with gothic windows, the large one in the middle being dedicated in the memory of Sylvanus Bishop. Due to age this wooden building was torn down in 1939 and replaced with a brick building designed by the architect Arthur McAninch with Aaron Ahrent as construction supervisor. This building served the Baptist until December 31, 1947 when the church was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. Arthur McAninch with Aaron Ahrent were brought back to rebuild the church. This fourth building was almost identical to the previous except there was an added sixteen feet to the back and a third floor. First Baptist Church represents a strong religious tradition in Corning.

The First Baptist Church has been a notable site of worship on the corner of West Third and Olive since its founding in April 30, 1887 by the Rev. A.S. Hall. This building is defined by the Tudor architecture and its huge Gothic windows that surround the walls of the sanctuary.


First Baptist Church

The Corning School District began in 1877 and a schoolhouse was built between Pine and Olive West of Fourth Street. This would be the site of education for Corning students for many years. This particular building was part of the High School which was built in 1943. The façade of this building is defined by a large porch and a towering cupola. The outside originally had wood siding, however it would later be bricked over. This building would serve as Corning High School until classes were held on the new campus in 1968. The old high school campus would eventually become Central Elementary School. Due to population decline, the Central Elementary School campus closed in 2019.

This schoolhouse has served students of Corning for many years. Originally constructed to serve as the the city's high school, it was later reused as a elementary school for grades three through six after a new high school campus was built. Due to low attendance this campus was consolidated and students were sent to the other two campuses in town.

Central Elementary School

The Dr. N.J. Latimer office is a two-story commercial building in downtown Corning. This structure was built in 1895 by Mayor Tom Barker. During this time the main floor was used as Dr. Latimer’s office and the second floor was split between a law office for Barker and a Masonic hall for meetings. Dr. Latimer was a prominent pioneer physician in Corning. At the young age of fifteen, Dr. Latimer lost his father. It was after this great loss in his life that he decided to go into the medical field. He attended the University of Tennessee, University of Nashville Medical School, and he was a graduate of the University of Louisville of the class of 1886. Dr. Latimer was one of the first individuals in Corning to have an automobile which he used to travel all around Clay County. He also had a three wheeled bicycle which he used on the railroad. Currently, the building stands hollowed out by a devastating fire.

The Dr. N.J. Latimer office is a example a what a early commercial building in downtown Corning looked like. Being built in 1895, this building housed Dr. N.J. Latimer's office on the first floor and Mayor Tom Barker's office on the second. The façade is made of cast-iron and is painted green. The top trim of the structure has a unique brick trim design.

Dr. N.J. Latimer office

The W.D. Polk Block is located on the northwest corner of SW Second Street and Pine Street. The first building to be constructed on this block was the southmost one. Built around 1894 by W.D. Polk, this building was the first bank to be constructed in Corning. The rest of the block was added later. As Corning would grow and modernize, older buildings in town were remodeled to fit the styles of the new era. This is evidenced by the stucco and brick that now covers the buildings. The bank section of the block has been cut down to a single story.

The W.D. Polk Block is one of the earliest set of brick buildings to be constructed in Corning. The first building to be constructed in this block would be used as a bank. The block would eventually expand all the way from Pine Street to Vine Street with a new bank being built on the Vine Street corner in 1920.

W.D. Polk Block

The Corning Bank &amp; Trust Company is located on 501 SW Second Street. The building was constructed in 1920. The need for a bank in Corning was voiced in The Clay County Courier in 1889. In 1894, W.D. Polk contracted Joe Walk to bring in sand and brick for the construction of a bank building. Work on this build was met with stagnation due to the fact the James White and D.A. Milam who were contracted to erect the building had embezzled the money given to them by W.D. Polk and fled on a train to Poplar Bluff, Mo. The next bank to be built was the one built in 1920. This bank was a set of three buildings on the northern section of this lot on the southwest corner of Vine and SW Second Street.

The Corning Bank & Trust Company building was built in 1920. It served the city of Corning for many years as a bank. The building is currently being used by the Agape Mission and the Current-Gaines Baptist Association. The exterior of the main building still contains the original features although the windows have been bricked in over the years.

Corning, Arkansas History Tour

Clay County Courthouse (Western District)

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources