[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 50 (Thursday, March 21, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S2510]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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               150TH ANNIVERSARY OF CHARLESTON, ARKANSAS

 Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 
150th anniversary of Charleston, AR.
  This city in western Arkansas, incorporated in 1874, has a rich 
history as an education, business, and government hub.
  Located within the former territorial area acquired by the United 
States in the Louisiana Purchase, the community was eventually named 
for one of its first settlers, Charles R. Kellum, who moved to Arkansas 
from Massachusetts. He operated a general store, organized a Baptist 
church, and was appointed as Charleston's first postmaster.
  In the decades that followed, Charleston became a stop along the 
Butterfield Overland Mail Company route and served as a home to many 
businesses. Its first school was established in 1855 and soon had more 
than 100 students.
  During the Civil War, skirmishes between Union and Confederate 
soldiers resulted in a tragic consequence when most of the city's 
buildings and homes were burned. This didn't stop the resolve of 
Charleston residents. When the war ended, citizens returned to rebuild 
and laid out a new community.
  Because Franklin County was divided in half by the Arkansas River, 
the State legislature created a second county seat in Charleston to 
serve the southern portion of the county in 1885. The community was an 
important stop for the railroad and flourished with cotton, coal, and 
eventually natural gas.
  World War II brought new opportunities to Charleston with the 
creation of Camp Chaffee less than a mile from the city limits. The new 
Army fort brought jobs and helped develop a strong economic and 
cultural bond between the city and military members.
  Charleston is also noted as the first school district in Arkansas to 
desegregate after the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. 
Board of Education. Just days after the ruling, the schoolboard voted 
to enroll 11 Black students in the Charleston School System.
  The community is proud of its native son, Dale Bumpers, who was the 
38th Governor of Arkansas before being elected to the U.S. Senate, 
where he served for 24 years. Bumpers was a soldier and a statesman who 
was born and raised in Charleston. He was known as the Senate's best 
orator. In his decades of service, one role he held was the chairman of 
the Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee, which led him to promote 
agriculture in Arkansas tirelessly. The results of his advocacy 
continue to impact farming and rural support programs in the State 
today.
  His story is just one of many that help define the city's growth and 
progress over more than a century.
  Congratulations to the entire community on this 150th anniversary. 
Charleston continues to be a place people are proud to call home. I am 
excited to recognize this milestone and look forward to continuing to 
work with area leaders to support this great Arkansas city and its 
bright future.

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