Arkansas

Arkansas Post Offices

Van Buren Arkansas Post Office

February 22, 2019 By David W. Gates Jr.

ADDRESS: 22 S. 7th St. Van Buren, Arkansas 72956
ARTIST: E. Martin Hennings
TITLE: The Chosen Site
MEDIUM: Oil on canvas (mural)
STATUS: The Van Buren post office is still an active, operating facility, and the mural can be viewed by interested members of the public. It resides in the lobby on the wall above the postmaster’s door.
YEAR: 1938

Van Buren was another stop during our April 2018 vacation. It is Monday night Christmas Eve as I’m writing this last article for my current Arkansas collection. February 16, 2019, I’m just getting to editing this and posting it.

The bad news is I think I’m caught up with all the buildings I have photos of. The good news is the kids wants to go back to Arkansas and dig for diamonds again at the Crater of Diamonds State Park, so we most likely will be heading down here agin soon. Enjoy the pictures.

I’ve been busy getting the Wisconsin Books together so stay tuned for those. This new WordPress editor is taking some getting used to. argh!! Just venting.

Take care and thanks for following along.

David W. Gates Jr.

Van Buren Arkansas Post Office 72956 Cornerstone

Van Buren Arkansas Post Office 72956 Mural Center

Van Buren Arkansas Post Office 72956 Mural Detail

Van Buren Arkansas Post Office 72956 Mural Signature

Van Buren Arkansas Post Office 72956 Mural Left Side

Van Buren Arkansas Post Office 72956 Mural Right Side

an Buren Arkansas Post Office 72956 Mural Detail

Van Buren Arkansas Post Office 72956 Mural Full

Sources

Personal visit on 4/25/2018 by David W. Gates Jr.
United States Postal Service
(affiliate link) Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal: [Hardcover] Marlene Park, Gerald E. Markowitz
(affiliate link) University of Central Arkansas
(affiliate link) Post masters: Arkansas post office art in the new deal
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Reference Number (98000918).
National Archives Records and Administration Identifier Number (26139424).

Former Pocahontas Arkansas Post Office

December 15, 2018 By David W. Gates Jr.

ADDRESS: 109 N Van Bibber St., Pocahontas, Arkansas, 72455

Here is the original Pocahontas, Arkansas post office. This was from our trip in April of 2018.

I remember getting there late in the day. It was difficult to photograph as the sun was setting behind the building. The photographs you see below reflect this challenge. I also seem to remember it was around dinner time and we were all hungry and the family wanted me to be done with this post office thing for the day. Ha! those are the funny things I remember and laugh about now.

You may have noticed, my preference is to get a straight on photograph of the building as I’m standing directly in front of the building. I’m not really a fan of the angle image you see featured at the top of this article, but sometimes that is all I’m able to get for a quality picture.

If I have any expert photographers out there who can shed some light on how best to get a picture while the bright sun is setting behind your subject I’d love to learn how to achieve this.

For now we’ll have to enjoy the ones I do have.

By the way the former post office is now the Star Herald.

And now onto the pictures. Thanks for following along.

David W. Gates Jr.

Former Pocahontas Arkansas Post Office 72455

Former Pocahontas Arkansas Post Office 72455 Cornerstone

Sources

Personal visit on 4/25/2018 by David W. Gates Jr.
Star Herald (www.starheraldnews.com)

Pocahontas Arkansas Post Office

December 7, 2018 By David W. Gates Jr.

ADDRESS: 501 Broadway St., Pocahontas, Arkansas, 72455

This was another post office we visited during our vacation in April of this year. Luckily we also found the former building which I’ll post another day.

I don’t have any record of the original Pocahontas building contains artwork, so this one is puzzling. Does anyone out there know the name or artist of this mural? Needless to say I was quite surprised when I saw this one in the lobby.

From the signature I make out the name “Lisa Kung-Smith. A basic online search does NOT revel much. So I’m going to TAG this post for Help from the audience? Who knows more about this piece? Any other resources I’m overlooking?

We had a nice visit to Arkansas and I’m anxious to return.

Thanks,

David W. Gates Jr.