The Arkansas State Archives houses approximately 13,000 cubic feet of state records and manuscript collections pertaining to the history of Arkansas and its people. These materials have been described and inventoried for ease of access. These inventories, called finding aids, are keyword searchable. Click the collection's title to view the finding aid's information page. Click on the pdf icon to go straight to the finding aid.

Separated Materials: Some archival collections contain materials that have been stored separately from the bulk of the collection due to those items' preservation needs. Generally, this affects collections that include artifacts that have been moved to the archives' museum collection, and the existence of artifacts in a collection has been noted in that collection's finding aid. Due to the nature of artifact and other separated materials, we require researchers to fill out an Artifact Access Form and send it in to state.archives@arkansas.gov, to schedule an appointment to view artifacts from the museum collection.

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Arkansas Highway Improvements papers, 1941

This collection contains two letters and a report.

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Arkansas Historical Association records, 1955 April

This collection contains a letter and program relating to the Arkansas Historical Association annual meetings.

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Arkansas historical commemorations: Civil War sesquicentennial, WorldWar I centennial, and Arkansas women's suffrage centennial, 1861-2020

This collection contains web crawl and download captures from three commemoration commissions websites, the Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission, the World War I Centennial Commemoration Commission, and the Arkansas Women's Suffrage Centennial Commemoration Commission. Each website contains historical information about the event it honors and includes information about the commemoration events. The collection also includes physical material in paper format from the Arkansas Women's Suffrage Centennial Commemoration Commission consisting of a proclamation, meeting minutes, and research material collected by the Department of Arkansas Heritage committee designee.

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Arkansas Historical Records Survey - Church Inventory, 1941

The churches covered in the inventories in this collection include Antioch Church in Delight, Arkansas; Antioch Church of Christ in Howard, Arkansas; Corinth Church of Christ in Nashville, Arkansas; Nathen Church of Christ in Delight, Arkansas; Church of Christ in Delight, Arkansas; and Christian Church of Christ in Delight, Arkansas. The inventories include the location, race and language of the membership, date of organization, and other information on the incorporation and building of the churches. .

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Arkansas Historical Society records, 1879-1881

This collection contains reports and organizational papers of the Arkansas Historical Society.

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Arkansas Historical Society records, 1933-1972

This collection contains items related to the Arkansas Historical Society.

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Arkansas historic bridges inventory records, 1988

This collection contains records of a statewide survey of historic bridges listing locations, dates of construction, ownership as of 1988, and historical and descriptive data.

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Arkansas Historic Preservation Program (AHPP) State Review Board Meeting reports, 2007-2019

This collection contains meeting reports of the Arkansas Historic Preservation State Review Board from 2007 to 2019. The Review Board Meeting reports contain information on narrative and budget summaries of projects on which the Arkansas Historic Preservation has worked and is currently working.

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Arkansas Historic Preservation Program project records, 1999-2003

This collection contains project manuals and architectural drawings. The manuals provide an overview of the preservation project including bids, details of the project and specifications, while the architectural drawings provide details of the specifications.

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Arkansas Historic Preservation Program records, 1900-2018

This collection is comprised of various AHPP record groups from multiple state records transfers. Record Group I contains recordings on discs with various Arkansas-related topics, places, events, and history. Record Group II contains press releases and floppy discs. Record Group III contains records of the AHPP National Register Historian including event photographs, historic photographs, audiovisual materials, and historic drawings and prints. Record Group IV contains a press release log and press releases for 2017. Record group V contains a press release log and press releases for 2018.

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Arkansas Historic Preservation Program records: Ghost Signs of Arkansas, 1991-1996

This collection contains photographs and negatives taken for the Ghost Signs of Arkansas exhibit produced by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. It also includes correspondence and articles related to the project.

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Arkansas Historic Preservation Program records: Pleasant Valley Subdivision, 1963-1982

This collection consists of architectural drawings related to the development of the Pleasant Valley Subdivision in Little Rock, Arkansas. The architectural styles covered in these drawings include Ranch, Contemporary, Mid Century Modern, New England, Neo-Tudor, Neo-Colonial, Neo-French Colonial, and Neo-Dutch.

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"Arkansas Historic Spots" Clara B. Eno manuscript, undated

This collection contains the unpublished manuscript of Eno's "Arkansas Historic Spots," written as the chairman for Locating and Marking Historic Spots for the United Daughters of the Confederacy. This manuscript lists historic places throughout Arkansas’ territory time period and statehood.

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Arkansas History Commission inventory, 1930-1935

This collection contains an inventory compiled by Dallas Herndon of items in the Arkansas History Commission around 1930 and 1935.

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Arkansas History Commission Stage One (SOD) Digitization Grant Project records, 1999-2001

This collection contains the records of the Arkansas History Commission Stage One Digitization Grant Project, 1999-2001.

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Arkansas Host and Historical Society records, 1939

This collection contains correspondence, printed materials, and an address for the Arkansas Host and Historical Society for 1939.

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Arkansas House of Representatives Seventy-Sixth General Assembly biographical information, 1988

This collection consists of biographical information forms completed by the members of the Arkansas House of Representatives Seventy-Sixth General Assembly. The forms were provided by the Arkansas History Commission at the suggestion of Representative Jerry E. Hinshaw, who distributed and collected the forms for preservation at the State Archives

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Arkansas Industrial College lumber receipts, 1892

This collection contains two receipts.

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Arkansas Intelligencer newspaper, 1842 January 22

This collection contains one issue of the Arkansas Intelligencer newspaper from January 22, 1842, Vol. I, No. 1.

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Arkansas Lakeshore Corporation warranty deed, 1955 December 5

The warranty deed in this collection is dated December 5, 1955.

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Arkansas land purchase records, 1843-1859

This collection contains three land purchase documents dating from 1843 to 1859 and an undated note on the stationary of Arkansas State Land Commissioner, George W. Neal, most likely from the 1930s.

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Arkansas La Salle Tricentennial Commission records, 1982

The collection contains correspondence, articles, news clippings, maps, brochures, and miscellaneous notes.

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Arkansas law enforcement records, 1880-1892

This collection contains receipts and invoices dated between 1880 and 1892 regarding Arkansas law enforcement, especially the capture of fugitives.

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Arkansas Law School catalogues, 1949-1951

This collection contains two catalogues from Arkansas Law School, dating from 1949-1951.

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"Arkansas Led Ku Klux Klan" article, undated

This collection contains an article by Robert J. Brown titled, "Arkansas Led Ku Klux Klan."

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Arkansas Legislative Council/Bureau of Legislative Research records, 2001-2021

This collections contains reports prepared by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, Arkansas Department of Corrections, and the Arkansas Sentencing Commissions, which include recommendations to the Arkansas Legislative Council.

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Arkansas Legislative Digests, 1967-2007

The Arkansas Legislative Digest provides a detailed record of all actions of the Arkansas General Assembly during its regular and special sessions.

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Arkansas Legislators biographical sketches, 1935

The sketches in this collection include the name and a short biography for each Legislator.

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Arkansas Legislature resolution, 1838

This collection contains a resolution for the 1838 Arkansas Legislature.

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Arkansas Library Association meeting announcement, 1911

This collection contains a meeting announcement.

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Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission records, 1919-1961

This collection contains Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission material from 1919 and 1961.

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Arkansas Livestock Insurance Company account book, 1901-1902

This ledger from the Arkansas Livestock Insurance Company covers the period from November 14, 1901 to August 30, 1902.

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"Arkansas Looks to the Future" pamphlet, 1955

The pamphlet in this collection contains statistics for the state of Arkansas such as population, per capita income, retail sales, and others. It also contains goals for the state for ten years in the future.

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Arkansas, Louisiana and Gulf Railroad certificate of commissioners, 1907

This collection contains one document from the Arkansas, Louisiana and Gulf Railroad Company.

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Arkansas Medical Association/Arkansas Medical Society records, 1871-1926

This collection contains the proceedings of the Arkansas State Medical Association from November 1870, including the constitution, by-laws, and code of ethics. It also contains an announcement of the State Medical Society of Arkansas from January 16, 1884, and a copy of the constitution and by-laws of the Arkansas Medical Society from 1926.

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Arkansas Medical Society records, 1947-1966

This collection contains materials relating to the Arkansas Medical Society including correspondence, newsletters, and published articles.

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Arkansas Militia conscription notice, 1862 February 25

This broadside is a message from Brigadier General Napoleon Bonaparte Burrow requiring all men subject to military duty to report to the headquarters of the 3rd Brigade 1st Division Arkansas militia, in Fort Smith. Anyone refused to report for duty were to be treated as deserters.

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Arkansas Militia special orders number 44, 1874

This collection contains Arkansas Militia Special Orders Number 44, dated October 7, 1874.

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Arkansas-Mississippi Bridge Commission records, 1939-1961

This collection contains the papers of John C. Sheffield (1888-1958) that relate to his work with the Arkansas-Mississippi Bridge Commission.

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Arkansas-Missouri slave case records, 1849-1859

This collection includes letters of notification and depositions of testimony given to court appointed officials.

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Arkansas motor vehicle license, 1916

This collection contains a copy of Arkansas motor vehicle license number 2876 issued in 1916.

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Arkansas Mounted Confederate Volunteers Holman's Company roster, 1864

This collection contains a roster of the Arkansas Mounted Confederate Volunteers, Capt. C.K. Holman's Company.

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Arkansas National Forest presidential proclamation, 1916

This collection contains a Presidential Proclamation concerning the Arkansas National Forest's boundaries in Arkansas.

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Arkansas National Forest presidential proclamation, 1920

This collection contains a Presidential Proclamation concerning the Arkansas National Forest's boundaries in Arkansas.

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Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission records, 1959-2016

This collection contains various records from the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission including annual reports, publications, audio of commission meetings, posters, and other material.

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Arkansas Nursing Roundtable COVID-19 survey, 2020

This collection contains a survey conducted in 2020 of nurses and their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The nurses' names were kept confidential.

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Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission records, 2017-2018

This collection contains the public hearing minutes of the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission from 2017 and 2018.

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Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Western Railroad Company letter, 1910

This collection contains one letter.

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Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Western Railroad Company stockholders notice, 1912

This collection contains an announcement of stockholders meetings from the Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Western Railroad.

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"Arkansas Patriot," 1863

This collection contains one issue of the "Arkansas Patriot" from April 4, 1863.

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Arkansas political memorabilia collection, 1990-1996

This collection houses political memorabilia from the 1990 Arkansas Governor’s race, a photograph of Winston Bryant, campaign material from Bryant, an interview with Clinton, and a copy of the Arkansas Outlook.

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Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission records, 1980-2014

The Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission records contain case records, permit applications, audio and minutes from commission meetings, and miscellaneous files and maps.

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"Arkansas Post Investigations," 1720-1760

The collection contains a 76-page typescript of selective translations from the Paris Archives Nationales, copies of which are located in the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

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Arkansas Post investigations, 1767-1785

This collection contains "Arkansas Post Investigations: Selective Translations of Archive General de Indias, Seville, Papels de Cuba," dated from April 27 1767 until August 1788.

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Arkansas postmark and stamp collection, 1910-1950

This collection consists of one scrapbook with postmarks and stamps adhered to the pages.

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Arkansas postmasters list, 1964 October 1

The postmaster list in this collection includes the town, county, class, and postmaster name.

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Arkansas Post material, 1784

This collection contains photocopies of microfilmed material related to Arkansas Post when it was in Spanish hands in 1784. All the material is written in Spanish.

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Arkansas post office murals records, 1938-1942

This collection contains research materials concerning thirteen post offices collected by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. These photocopied materials include the correspondence, contracts, and images proposed by the artists to the Fine Arts Section of the Public Buildings branch of the United States Treasury Department. Twenty-one post office murals were painted in Arkansas. Not all remain extant.

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Arkansas Post Recensement [census] [photocopy], 1723 February 18

This collection contains a photocopy of a census for Arkansas Post for 1723 in French.

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Arkansas Post-St. Phillippe Parish registers, 1744-1939

This collection contains photostat copies of registers from Arkansas Post and St. Phillippe Parish, as well as transcriptions of those registers. Both the copies and the transcriptions are in French. The collection also contains a letter from Wilfred Bovey to Mrs. Charles Dixon in which he discusses sending her copies of the registers. It also contains a copy of a paper Bovey presented on the Arkansas Post and Fort St. Phillippe.

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Arkansas Poultry Festival programs, 1963-1973

This collection contains a program for the 4th Annual South-West Arkansas Poultry Festival and two copies of a poultry recipe book produced by the Arkansas Poultry Federation.

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"Arkansas' Powell Clayton: With Knuckles Bared," 1978-1979

This collection contains correspondence and a paper "Arkansas' Powell Clayton: With Knuckles Bared" written by Westwood.

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Arkansas Press Association Bulletin, 1917

This collection contains the first Arkansas Press Association Bulletin published in 1917 and a business card for the Fayetteville Printing Company.

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Arkansas Press Association papers, 1917-1937

This collection contains souvenirs from the Arkansas Press Association's Annual Meeting in 1917 and a letter dated June 27, 1937 regarding a possible watch design.

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Arkansas Press Association ribbon, 1899 June 8-9

This collection contains a ribbon from a meeting of the Arkansas Press Association held in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

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Arkansas Prison indefinite furlough forms, 1924-1926

This collection contains three indefinite furloughs for prisoners at the Arkansas State Penitentiary. Two of the furloughs were signed by Governor Thomas McRae and one was signed by Governor Thomas J. Terral. The prisoners furloughed include C.A. Gentry and Gus Remmel. The third prisoner's name is illegible.

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Arkansas Profitable Farming Bureau scrapbook, 1919

This collection consists of a scrapbook of news clippings highlighting the activities of the Arkansas Profitable Farming Bureau. The scrapbook was created by Henry M. Cottrell (1864-1926), who served as the bureau's agriculturalist from January 1919 until July 1921.

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Arkansas Railroad and Tax Commissions records, 1937

This collection contains two letters.

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Arkansas Railroad Club records, 1932-2010

This collection largely consists of materials used for research and content development for the Arkansas Railroader, the official newsletter for the Arkansas Railroad Club. The types of material included are issues of the Arkansas Railroader, newspaper clippings, articles, photographs, newsletter mock-ups, railroad-related publications, and ephemera such as train timetables, tickets, and advertisements.

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Arkansas Railroad Club records, 1970-2012

This first record group in this collection consists of materials used for research and content development for the Arkansas Railroader, the official newsletter for the Arkansas Railroad Club. The types of material included are issues of the Arkansas Railroader, newspaper clippings, articles, photographs, newsletter mock-ups, railroad-related publications, and ephemera such as train timetables, tickets, and advertisements. The second record group in the collection contains administrative material for the Arkansas Railroad Club, including correspondence, by-laws and lease agreements, photographs, financial material, and material related to club events and book projects.

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Arkansas Razorback origin letter, 1964 April 1

This collection contains a letter from Kenneth Johnson, University of Arkansas Director of information Services, to Robert Goff, Oconto, Wisconsin, regarding the origin and history of the name of the Arkansas Razorbacks.

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Arkansas real estate coupon note, 1925

This collection contains an Arkansas Real Estate Coupon Note.

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Arkansas River bridges at Little Rock records, SMC.056.014

This collection contains specifications and correspondence regarding proposed bridges over the Arkansas River at Little Rock, Arkansas in the 1890s.

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Arkansas River Valley Immigration Company contract, 1870 June 3

This collection contains a labor contract between the Arkansas River Valley Immigration Company and a Chinese immigrant named Map Sam, signed in 1870. Map Sam agrees to work on Arkansas plantations for a term of three years in exchange for food, board, and salary. Administrative Information Publication Information

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"Arkansas' Role in the War Between the States," 1986

This collection contains a paper written by Hellice Burton entitled "Arkansas' Role in the War Between the States, 1861-1865" written in 1986.

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Arkansas Rural School Committee report, circa 1906

This collection contains a report from the Arkansas Rural School Committee from 1906.

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Arkansas School for the Blind list of staff and students, 1885

This collection contains a list of staff and students in 1885 at the Arkansas School for the Blind.

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Arkansas School for the Blind records, 1885

This collection contains material for the Arkansas School for the Blind.

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Arkansas Secession Convention vouchers, 1861

This collection contains vouchers issued by the Secession Convention to various persons for expenses.

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Arkansas Secession Ordinance, 1861 May 6

This collection contains the document that authorized Arkansas's secession from the Union.

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Arkansas Secretary of State: Elections Division records, 1950-2014

This collection contains records transferred from the Arkansas Secretary of State Elections Division. The records include reports required by the Arkansas Secretary of State for campaign contributions, expenditures, statements of financial interest, and carryover funds of state and district candidates. They include files on political action committees, lobbyist registrations and reports, oaths of office, and other materials related to elections.

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Arkansas Secretary of State pamphlet and Democrat Litho. Co. Song Books, undated

This collection contains two song books printed by the Democrat Litho. Co. and one pamphlet published by the Arkansas Secretary of State and the Arkansas Publicity Commission.

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Arkansas Section, Society of American Foresters records, 1929-1982

This collection contains minutes, correspondence, public notices, membership lists, committee assignments, and copies of the state publication, "The Ozark Reporter." The majority of the organizational papers involve the Ozark Section of the American Foresters, which included portions of northwestern Arkansas, southern Missouri, and eastern Oklahoma.

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Arkansas Selective Service records, 1940-1946, 1964-1975

This collection contains news releases, letters, advisory council minutes, commission summaries, circulars, memoranda, and a copy of the Selective Service Act of 1948.

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Arkansas Senate Standing Committees list, 1852

The list in this collection includes standing committees in the Arkansas Senate from the year 1852.

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Arkansas soil conservation districts records, 1936-1945

This collection contains the records of Arkansas's 50 soil conservation districts. While the records vary for each of the districts, minimally they include general correspondence, petitions for creation of districts, notices of hearing and determination of need for organization of district.

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Arkansas State Archives disc collection, 1994-2016

This collection contains CDs and DVDs relating to Arkansas, spanning from 1994 to 2016.

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Arkansas State Attorney General opinions, 1877-2021

This collection contains opinions issued by the Attorney General on a variety of legal issues. Also included are summaries of opinions issued in a particular year and indices of opinions arranged by subject for a period of years. The opinions are arranged by the opinion number assigned to them at the time they were received by the Attorney General's office. However, the opinions from 1985 to 1990 are arranged chronologically according to when the opinions were issued. Numbers may be missing from the sequence, because the question was withdrawn by the requestor. Summaries of opinions released for each month are included when available.

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Arkansas State Auditor letterbook, 1836-1874

The letterbook in this collection contains material from 1836 to 1874.

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Arkansas State Auditor's ledger, 1838-1851

This collection contains an unbound ledger from the office of the Auditor of the State of Arkansas. Transactions recorded in the ledger include information such as the date, warrant number, voucher number, payee name, and amount. Also included in the collection is a color photocopy of the ledger's pages and a USB storage device containing scans.

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Arkansas State Auditor tax rates notification, 1881 August 1

The tax rates in the notification in this collection are for the year 1881.

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Arkansas State Bar Association records, 1882-1889

This collection contains the proceedings of the Arkansas State Bar Association from 1882 through 1889. The years 1885 and 1886 are missing.

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Arkansas State Board of Barber Examiners records, 1937-2018

This collection contains records relating to the Arkansas State Board of Barber Examiners. Files in this collection typically contain applications in chronological order, a certificate of barber school or training, photographs, renewal of barber license forms, applications of enrollment into barber school, cards with test results, exams taken by barber, health reports, letters between the applicant and the Barber Board, board file cards reflecting an inactive status, and an obituary newspaper clipping on the inactive barber, if available.

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Arkansas State Board of Chiropractic Examiners records, 1915-1981

These files typically contain: applications in chronological order, certificate or transcript of chiropractic school or training; photographs, renewal of chiropractic license, cards with test results, correspondence between the applicant and the Chiropractic Board, board file cards reflecting an inactive status, and an obituary news clipping on the inactive chiropractor if available. These files require 48 hour notice before viewing, due to restrictions.

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Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners records, 1978-2014

This collections consists of the records of the Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners. It includes reimbursements paid to each Arkansas county for the cost of holding elections. These files are organized alphabetically by county. The files include information on reimbursement for costs such as commissioner training, poll worker pay and training, ballot printing, and supply and programming costs. It also includes information on voting systems and voting machines that were used or considered for use in past elections for voting and ballot counting. The collection also contains sound recordings of board meetings and headshot photographs of various election commissioners from 1995 to 2011.

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Arkansas State Board of Health instructions to midwives, c. 1920

This collection contains one pamphlet, "Instructions to Midwives," Arkansas State Board of Health, Bureau of Statistics, circa 1920.

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Arkansas State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors electrical panel board directory, 1930-1970

The collection consists of one CD and an electrical panel board directory of 20 areas, two of which were segregated. This is demonstrated by use of the racial epithet "colored" for rooms designated for blacks.

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Arkansas State Boundary letters, 1941-1944

This collection contains three letters.

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Arkansas State Capitol building contract, 1903

This collection contains a building contract for the new Arkansas State Capitol.

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Arkansas State Capitol Commission report, 1915

This collection contains a report.