Historic walking tour comes to Calico Rock

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Photo: The Arkansas Historic Preservation Division’s Walk Through History Tour made its way to Calico Rock earlier this month.

The Arkansas Department of Parks, Tourism & Heritage brought its Walk Through History Walking Tour series to Calico Rock earlier this month. The tour is sponsored by the Division of Historic Preservation. It highlights historic locations and communities throughout Arkansas.

This is the second time the historic tour has come to Calico Rock. The tour included the Main Street Historic District and the East Calico Historic District. The oldest building in town was built in 1896 and was originally the Bluff City Bank. After the bank merged with the Peoples Bank down the street to form the State Bank of Calico Rock (now First National Bank of Izard County), the building became the U.S. Post Office. Later is became city hall and is now part of the Calico Rock Museum & Visitor Center.

The other buildings on upper Main Street were built in about 1905. The lower Main Street buildings were all rebuilt about 1926, after a fire from a spark by a passing locomotive destroyed all of those buildings.

The East Calico Historic District was once the booming commerce center of town. One of the most photographed buildings in this part of town is the original city jail. The jail is the only building in East Calico where guests can walk into the structure and gain an understanding of the past.

For more information on historic Calico Rock, visit Calico Rock Museum or call 870-297-6100.

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