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This Day in Arkansas History

July 8, 1897

The petition was granted for Marked Tree (Poinsett County) to be incorporated as a city. Ernest Ritter had headed a movement for incorporation in 1887. An election was held on August 17, 1897, and John Krier was elected to be the first mayor. Marked Tree is a small town in Poinsett County in the northeastern part of Arkansas. It is possibly the only town in the world with the name Marked Tree. It is also unique because it is located between two rivers, the St. Francis River and the Little River, that are only a quarter of a mile apart in some places yet flow in opposite directions.

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Florence Price

Little Rock (Pulaski County) native Florence Beatrice Smith Price became the first woman African-American composer to have a symphonic composition performed by a major American symphony orchestra when her Symphony in E Minor was performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on June 15, 1933. A lifetime of teaching and composing resulted in a body of work that consists of more than 300 compositions ranging from small teaching pieces to concertos and large-scale symphonies.

 

Little Rock (Pulaski County) native Florence Beatrice Smith Price became the first woman African-American composer to have a symphonic composition performed by a major American symphony orchestra when her Symphony in E Minor was performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on June 15, 1933. A lifetime of teaching and composing resulted in a body of work that consists of more than 300 compositions ranging from small teaching pieces to concertos and large-scale symphonies.

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About the Encyclopedia

The CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas is a free, authoritative source of information about the rich history, geography, and culture of Arkansas. It is updated regularly to ensure the people of Arkansas have an accurate and accessible resource to explore our heritage. We invite you to browse our text entries and media galleries to learn more about the people, places, events, legends, and lore of the 25th state. We are continually adding new entries, photographs, maps, videos, and audio files, so check back frequently to see what’s new.

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