A brief history of Malvern

TRI-LAKES AREA — Bonnie Stanley may not have any formal

certification, but anyone in the area will tell

you that she is a local historian.

“I’m a lifelong resident of Hot Spring

County, and I’ve lived in Malvern since

about 1946,” she said.

A member of the Hot Spring County His

torical Society, Stanley has been collecting

books and newspaper clippings about the

area for years.

“I began to realize the importance of his

tory and that I am part of history,” she said.

“I began collecting things, and before I knew

it, I had a library.” Stanley adds that she continues to buy

books to add to her collection of local his

tory.

“I can’t find a stopping place,” she said.

“But it never stops. We make history every

day, every minute.” EARLY YEARS According to court records, settlers drifted

into the Rockport area after 1812 and were

given pre-emptive rights.

“Rockport was the first place in Hot

Spring County that was settled,” Stanley

said.

In 1873, the Cairo and Fulton Railroad

pushed its way southward through Hot Spring

County and established a railway station. A

man from Virginia who was working on the

railroad said the land reminded him of the

Malvern Hills in Virginia. The town wasnamed Malvern and received incorporation on July 5, 1876.

“Malvern and Rockport began competing commercially and politically,” Stanley said.

“After Malvern became the county seat in 1878, Rockport declined until it was only a few houses and open fields.” After 1900, Malvern was a country village with no paved streets or waterworks system.

There were five saloons and three hotels, and the streetlights used coal for fuel.

“The lamplighter drove around town and lit the street lights,” Stanley said.

INDUSTRY AND PROGRESS Malvern industry began to flourish, thanks to the railroad access. Agriculture and industry were booming.

“The oldest charter bank in Arkansas, the Bank of Malvern, opened in 1889,” Stanley said.

An abundance of clay deposits in the area led to the production of bricks. The Atchinson Brick Co. was established in the early 1890s.

In 1913, Harvey Couch began what would become the Arkansas Power and Light Co. in Malvern.

“It is the birthplace of rural electrification,” Stanley said.

In 1917, Arkansas Brick and Tile Co.

took over Atchinson Brick Co. The company peaked the interest of Acme Brick Co.

in Fort Worth, Texas, and in 1926, Acme purchased Arkansas Brick and Tile. The success of the brick industry has made Malvern known as the Brick Capital of the World.