Bauxite, Arkansas -- Bauxite AR
N 34° 33.308 W 092° 30.622
15S E 544920 N 3823819
The historical marker standing outside of the Bauxite History Museum in what used to be the Bauxite Community Hall, part of a local Bicentennial historic preservation project in 1976.
Waymark Code: WMNHQY
Location: Arkansas, United States
Date Posted: 03/19/2015
Views: 2
Bauxite booms for a while, but when the economy changed and the need for this company town dissipated, the corporation that owned the town bulldozed most of the buildings, including the nearby school. Only the community hall stands. This historic marker preserves the history of this important mining town and close-knit community that the company-town system created.
Ten years before this building would become a heritage museum, local Bicentennial Commission members chose to erect a historic marker here as part of the county's observance of the 1976 Bicentennial Year.
The marker reads as follows:
"BAUXITE ARKANSAS
Following the discovery of extensive bauxite ore deposits in 1887, an ore drying plant was located here by the Pittsburgh Reduction Co. In 1903 a small village was laid out to house the workers. This village, which included a bank, hospital, theater, and several churches and business houses, became a classic example of the “company-owned town.” During World War II, the community reached a peak of 7000 people when ore from mines located near here supplied the nation with domestic aluminum, which was critical in the production of arms.
Benton – Saline County Bicentennial committee 1976"
Supporting Web Documentation: [Web Link]
Address or General Location of Marker: Bauxite Community Hall, Bauxite AR
Parking: Not Listed
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