Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Michael Deering
Helena, Arkansas About three years before the Civil War there was a famine so desperate that thousands of the Irish people came to the United States to earn a livelihood. Among these people was a young man from the north of Ireland named Michael Deering. He had been educated by the Catholic Church as a…
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The Swamp Fox: From Missouri to Memphis
In the early days of April 1862, a small and tired group of Missourians marched into Helena. They must have seemed like a strange site to the citizens of the river town since they were the first organized body of Confederates they had seen since hundreds of their men had marched off to war in…
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Levon Helm
Mark Lavon(Levon) Helm was born on May 26, 1940 outside Elaine in Phillips County, Arkansas to Nell and Diamond Helm. He had two sisters and one brother. The Helms had a cotton farm and the family lived around Marvel, which is in the western part of Phillips County. His family encouraged him to play…
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John Smith Phelps: Military Governor of Arkansas
John Smith Phelps was born in Sinsbury, Hartford County, Connecticutt on December 22, 1814. He graduated from Trinity College and was admitted to the bar in 1835. Soon after, the Phelps family moved to Springfield in Greene County, Missouri. Mr. Phelps married Mary Whitney and together they would have five children. They were John Elisha,…
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Blythe’s Regiment, From Kentucky to Stones River (Chapter 3)
On June 27, 1862, Braxton Bragg took over the Army of the Mississippi at Corinth. Whatever his critics might say, he did a miraculous job rebuilding the beaten force that had retreated from Shiloh in April. By July, the Army of the Mississippi numbered around 36,000 men and were healthy and ready for action. Because…
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Robert Nighthawk
“Nobody else could play a slide like him. They think they can but they can’t…. I ain’t never heard anybody play a slide like Robert Nighthawk. It’s wailin’ man.” Thats what everybody said about Robert Lee McCollum, aka. Robert Nighthawk. He was born on November 30, 1909 near Searcy, Arkansas. Many modern day blues artists…
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Sam Carr
Sam Carr was born April 17, 1926 in Marvel, Arkansas. Marvel is a small town in Phillips County, just west of Helena. His parents were Robert Lee and Mary McCollum. Sam’s birth name was Samuel Lee McCollum ,so how did he become Sam Carr? Who were Robert Lee and Mary McCollum? Sam’s father…
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Arkansas Welcome Center, Helena
The Arkansas Welcome Center in Helena is located at the end of the bridge as you cross from Mississippi into Arkansas. It is an extremely well kept facility with restrooms and exhibits about the state. The staff are really nice and knowledgeable about tourism across Arkansas. If you are planning a visit to the…
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Merci Train Car
The Merci Train was a train of 49 French railroad box cars filled with thousands of gifts to show appreciation to the people of the United States. In 1948, American citizens had donated more than 700 box cars of relief goods for France after World War II. The Merci Train arrived in New York Harbor…
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Mississippi Swampers: Company B, 44th Mississippi Infantry Roster (Chapter 2)
Officers: Robert H. Humphreys – Captain: Age 30, June 11, 1861- killed at the Battle of Shiloh April 6, 1862. James Moore – 1st. Lieutenant: Age 25, June 11, 1861- promoted Major, promoted Lt. Colonel May 8, 1862, wounded September 14, 1862 at Munfordville, Kentucky, died September 15, 1862. Robert George Kelsey – 2nd Lieutenant:…
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