Phillips County, Arkansas
Posted by: 
iconions
N 34° 31.735 W 090° 35.164
15S E 721553 N 3823450
Phillips County is named for Sylvanus Phillips, an early settler in the area. The waymark is centered on the Phillips County Courthouse - a two-story red brick building is located at 620 Cherry Street in Helena, Arkansas.
Waymark Code: WMY7QE
Location: Arkansas, United States
Date Posted: 05/06/2018
Views: 0
There is not signage on the Courthouse itself, however, there is an historic marker that shows the County name. Architect Frank W. Gibb designed the building. He is also responsible for the design of several southern Arkansas courthouses. As the third official Phillips County Courthouse, the structure has served since 1914 as the political and governmental center of the historic Mississippi River town.
The Person:
From the Pioneers and Makers of Arkansas:
(link)
Sylvanus Phillips:
Phillips County carries this man’s name and is his monument. Born in the United States, he was in early life attracted to the West and in 1797 built a log cabin near the mouth of the St.Francis river in Arkansas, and was, as he said, the only settler for miles around. His nearest neighbors were Antoine Tessier and Joseph De Plasse, who lived at the mouth of the Cache. Beyond their residences there were no other settlements in that direction. In 1798 he explored the Arkansas river for some distance above Arkansas Post, but found no settlement in that direction. In 1799, the Commandant of the Post, fearing an uprising of the natives, warned Phillips to remove to the post. He did so and remained there for many years, and was joined by J. B. Mooney and the Pattersons, all related by marriage, and who with him made extensive explorations for mineral and timber wealth. He gained in this way a great knowledge of the territory, a knowledge which Sam C. Roane, in later years, was enabled to use as an effective club in breaking up the gigantic land frauds which threatened to despoil the State of hundreds of thousands of acres of land.
The Place:
From the Wikipedia page for Phillips County, Arkansas:
(link)
Phillips County is a county located in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Arkansas, in what is known as the Arkansas Delta along the Mississippi River. As of the 2010 census, the population was 21,757. The county seat is Helena-West Helena. Phillips County is Arkansas's seventh county, formed on May 1, 1820, and named for Sylvanus Phillips, the area's first-known white settler and representative to the first Territorial Legislature of the Arkansas Territory. This lowland area was developed for cotton plantations in the antebellum area and is still largely rural.
The Helena-West Helena, AR Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Phillips County.