CHARLESTON -- Charleston is well-known in Arkansas as a small-school football power that's won multiple state championships.
But did you know Charleston was the first school, not only in Arkansas but in all of the states of the former Confederacy, to integrate following the landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling?
Did you know Charleston was home to Dale Bumpers, a longtime former senator and governor from Arkansas who titled his biography "The Best Lawyer in a One-Lawyer Town"?
Or, did you know Steve Cox, a former Charleston Tiger and Arkansas Razorback, kicked a 60-yard field goal as a member of the NFL's Cleveland Browns in the 1980s?
These stories and more can be found at the Belle Museum and Chapel where Mary Belle Ervin, at 94 years old, is a walking and talking historian who taught school in Charleston for 54 years.
There's also a display at the front of the middle school that tells the story of integration in Charleston, including testimonials from Joe Ferguson Jr. and Barbara Williams, the first Black male and female respectively, to graduate from Charleston High School.
The U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision on Brown v. Board of Education on May 4, 1954, and the Charleston School District reacted swiftly by admitting 13 Black students when its elementary and high school opened on Aug. 23, 1954. Previously, Black students went through eighth grade at Rosenwald in Charleston before being bused nearly 25 miles to Lincoln High School in Fort Smith to earn their high school diplomas.
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The process for integration in Charleston went smoothly, unlike the chaos that ensued in 1957 when nine black students tried to enter Little Rock Central High School.
"The people in town knew all of the [Black] families, and we integrated so quickly," Bell Ervin said of the Supreme Court's decision that overturned the "separate but equal" doctrine. "We have a good school. Charleston is a wonderful town with people who are full of compassion, and they care about others."
In football, Charleston became an established winner under Shane Storey, who coached the Tigers from 1992-2004 and compiled a record of 119 wins, 28 losses and 1 tie before moving into administration at the school.
Charleston had a breakthrough season in 2005 when the Tigers captured the Class AA state championship with a 22-9 victory over Dierks at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Charleston finished as state runners-up the year before in 2004 when Rison won 30-15 over the Tigers to complete a 15-0 season.
In 2005, Charleston earned the trophy and finished 13-1 with a team led by coach Stephen Wood and star players like Alex Pelayo, Eduardo Carmona and Matt Stewart, who finished 38-3-1 as a two-year starter at quarterback for the Tigers.
"In 2004, we didn't allow any points in the playoffs until that final game, and that was very humbling," said Stewart, who is in his 10th season as an assistant football coach at Charleston. "So, I didn't want to end up anywhere but that stadium in Little Rock in 2005. That was our end-all, be-all and we had to win."
That first state championship for Charleston served as a springboard for a dominant stretch that included numerous conference championships and state championships in 2008, 2011, 2013 and 2014. Charleston cemented its reputation as a small-school power with a 15-0 record in 2013 and a 14-0 record in 2014. Those teams were led by quarterback Ty Storey, who culminated his fantastic high school career by guiding Charleston to a tough 33-26 win over Smackover in 2014 to extend the Tigers' winning streak to 29 consecutive with back-to-back state titles.
Storey later played at the University of Arkansas then came back to beat the Razorbacks 45-19 on their home field in 2019 after he transferred as a graduate student to Western Kentucky. That was a fantastic "how do you like me now?" appearance for Storey, who had been passed over as the starting quarterback at Arkansas and is now an assistant high school football coach at Bentonville West.
Charleston has produced a string of standout athletes, including Storey, Doc Crowley, and Brandon Scott, the Tigers' current quarterback who is also a standout basketball player. But no one has yet to surpass Cox, a punter and placekicker who played eight years in the NFL and earned a Super Bowl ring with the Washington Redskins at Super Bowl XXII in 1988.
Cox, one of the last of the straight-on style kickers in the NFL, made a 60-yard field goal for Cleveland against Cincinnati in 1984 which, at the time, was the second-longest behind Tom Dempsey's 63-yard field goal against Detroit.
Cox, who became a successful businessman in finance in Jonesboro after his playing career, was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
Charleston is putting together another successful season with Scott leading the way at quarterback for the Tigers, who are 5-1 heading into tonight's 3A-1 Conference game against Hackett.
"Ability alone, he's a very special athlete," said Stewart, who rates Scott atop the heap of the great athletes who've played for the Tigers. "The thing most people overlook is his intelligence. He's well above a 4.0 GPA and he studies the game and knows what to do. He can run the whole show with our offense but he still needs the five guys up from to put his talent on display for everybody."
Scott and his teammates will have to be at their very best next Friday when Charleston travels to Booneville, another small-school power and a newcomer to the 3A-1 Conference, where the Tigers have won seven of the past 10 conference championships.
Booneville won five straight conference championships in the 3A-4 Conference before moving to the 3A-1 for the 2022-2024 reclassification cycle.
Mary Belle Ervin, local historian and owner of the Belle Museum, looks through a scrap book, Monday, October 3, 2022 at the Belle Museum and Chapel in Charleston. Visit nwaonline.com/221009Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
A classic Charleston Tigers sweater is displayed, Monday, October 3, 2022 at the Belle Museum and Chapel in Charleston. Visit nwaonline.com/221009Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
Paul David Gramlich, museum volunteer, flips through a 1921 copy of the Charlestonian, an annual showing, showing Tigers football uniforms, Monday, October 3, 2022 at the Belle Museum and Chapel in Charleston. Visit nwaonline.com/221009Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
Matt Stewart, offensive coordinator and Charleston football player from 2003-2005, poses for a portrait, Monday, October 3, 2022 at Charleston High School in Charleston. Visit nwaonline.com/221009Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
Matt Stewart, offensive coordinator and Charleston football player from 2003-2005, poses for a portrait, Monday, October 3, 2022 at Charleston High School in Charleston. Visit nwaonline.com/221009Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
Public art is displayed, Monday, October 3, 2022 on a wall of Charleston Middle School in Charleston. Visit nwaonline.com/221009Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)Rick On The Road — Football Towns
Each week, award-winning Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette sports columnist Rick Fires will go on the road across the region, visiting communities where football is an integral part of the Friday night fabric. Award-winning photojournalist Charlie Kaijo will document the journey through interviews and photographs that illustrate what makes each town a football town.
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Aug. 26: Prairie Grove
Sept. 2: Farmington
Sept. 9: Alma
Sept. 16: Springdale
Sept. 23: Bentonville
Sept. 30: Fayetteville
Oct. 7: Fort Smith
Today: Charleston
Oct. 21: Harrison
Oct. 28: Booneville
Nov. 4: Greenwood
Game of the Week
Chip Souza and Rick Fires preview tonight’s 7A-West showdown as Bentonville hosts Fayetteville at Tiger Stadium. Also Greenwood hosts Lake Hamilton in a 6A-West clash, and Ozark is set to host unbeaten Gentry in a 4A-1 key game.
River Valley Report
Leland Barclay recaps Fort Smith Northside’s big 7A-Central home win against Jonesboro last week and looks ahead to Friday night’s 6A-West battle as Greenwood hosts Lake Hamilton.
Prep Rally Podcast
Chip Souza and Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette prep reporters Henry Apple, Paul Boyd and Rick Fires recap Bentonville West’s 34-21 win against Rogers and look ahead to Friday’s 7A-West clash as Fayetteville travels to Bentonville.