Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Auto Industry Detailed

Because the automobile changed forever the way Arkansas lives, the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program (AHHP), an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, is seeking to document the historic structures associated with the rise of the automobile in the state, AHPP director Cathy Slater announced recently.

"The advent of the automobile broadened Arkansans' horizons and opened the state to road improvements, an expanded tourist industry, and an entirely new economy based on automobiles," Slater said.

"We are seeking the historic properties -- tourist courts, gas stations, auto dealerships, drive-ins, roadside attractions, even historic stretches of highway -- that tell the tale of the car's impact on Arkansas," he said.

The AHPP will survey historic properties across the state that are related to the automobile and the enterprises it spawned. AHPP historians will photograph and complete architectural resources forms on each structure. Eligible structures may eventually be nominated for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, the country's official list of historically significant properties.