At home in Stuttgart, Arkansas

May 9-15, 2016

About Stuttgart:

By Kay Bona

The Stuttgart Commercial Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007 for its association with the development of Stuttgart and for its collection of late 19th and early 20th century architectural styles. The district is bounded by 1st Street, College, 6th and Maple. There are 4 buildings individually listed on the National Register in downtown Stuttgart – the Arkansas County Courthouse, Northern District (NR-listed 1992), Riceland Hotel (NR-listed 1986), Standard Ice Company Building (NR-listed 1979), and the Stuttgart Post Office (NR-listed 2004).

Stuttgart is located in a geographical sub-region of the Mississippi Delta called the Grand Prairie. The Grand Prairie encompasses Arkansas, Lonoke, Monroe, and Prairie counties. Historically, the Grand Prairie consisted of about 320,000 acres of tallgrass prairie.

Reverend George Adam Buerkle is considered the founding father of Stuttgart. Buerkle was born in Plattenhardt, Germany, and came to the U.S. with his family in 1852. In 1878 Rev. Buerkle purchased 7,749 acres of the old Gum Pond Plantation and brought the first group of families (65 people), including 17 Lutheran ministers, to the Grand Prairie.

In 1880 Rev. Buerkle established a post office in his home and called it Stuttgart after his old home in Germany.

In 1921 the Arkansas Rice Growers Cooperative Association was formed to provide security for producers’ future earnings. This co-op exists today as Riceland Foods, Incorporated. Producers Rice Mill, Inc., was started by local farmers in 1943. Together, Riceland and Producers handle 40 percent of the nation’s rice crop, making Stuttgart the Rice Capital of the World.

Every fall, ducks and other waterfowl make a pit-stop on their way south to feed on the remnants of rice left in the fields. This made Stuttgart a popular destination for duck hunters and tourists, eventually leading to its title as the Duck Hunting Capital of the World. In 1936 the first World’s Championship Duck Calling Contest was held as part of the Rice Carnival. The Duck Calling Contest is now held during the annual Wings Over the Prairie Festival, which takes place in Stuttgart the weekend after Thanksgiving each year.

The Standard Ice Company Building was constructed in 1926 in the Spanish Revival style with a glazed brick façade and a tile roof. At the time of its construction, icehouses manufactured blocks of ice for residential and commercial use. The building remained in operation for over 50 years. In 1933 the Standard Ice Co. sold to the Standard Ice Co. of Arkansas. In 1978 the Standard Ice Co. of Arkansas merged with the Southern Ice Co., and the building was abandoned. After in-home refrigerators cut into their business, the lost revenue was made up by freezing and packing strawberries in the building as well as processing and freezing ducks killed by local hunters.

Historical information was obtained from The Encyclopedia of Arkansas, “Walks Through History” by Rachel Silva.

PHOTOS BY KAY BONA