Missouri-Pacific Depot, Clarksville Arkansas
Clarksville was chosen as the Johnson County seat in 1836, the year Arkansas became a state, but it wasn't incorporated until 1848. The hills around Clarksville and southern Johnson County had long been mined for coal, which was loaded onto steamboats and shipped via the Arkansas River. By the early 20th century, the region also became known for its peach crops, boosting its appeal and economic growth.
The first railroad through the area, the Little Rock-Fort Smith Railroad, laid tracks in Clarksville in 1871. Financial troubles halted construction until 1873, when railroad magnate Jay Gould took over and completed the line. The railroad, combined with access to the Arkansas River, significantly expanded trade opportunities, bringing prosperity to the city well into the 20th century.
In 1910, the Missouri-Pacific Railroad built this depot as part of its national expansion of passenger and freight services.
Building Description
The Missouri-Pacific Depot in Clarksville is a single-story, brick masonry freight and passenger railroad depot designed in the Mediterranean style that was popular for this building type during the first quarter of the twentieth century. Constructed circa 1910, the Clarksville depot was originally covered by a ceramic tile roof, the primary feature which gave the depot a Mediterranean flavor. Although composition shingles now cover the hipped roof, the original Italianate brackets under the wide projecting eaves remain as does the unique parapeted cross gable over the three-sided telegrapher's bay. Two brick chimneys rise through the ridge line and are placed symmetrically behind the projecting telegrapher's bay. A continuous, cast concrete foundation supports the entire structure.
The eastern elevation is lighted with an assortment of one-over-one wood sash, one-over-one wood sash with transom, and tri-partite windows. A single-leaf entrance near the center of the elevation is flanked by half-sidelights, and an open porch finishes both the northern and southern ends of the elevation, as it does the western elevation opposite. This elevation is dominated by the central telegrapher's bay, which is lighted by a central, tri-partite window on the front and a single window on each of its sides. A single-leaf entrance accesses the wall surface to either side of this bay, and an assortment of windows finishes the elevation.
The wall of the southern elevation, beneath the porch roof, is blank; the northern elevation is punctuated by a central, single-leaf entrance flanked by two single windows.
Significant exterior details include the Italianate brackets that ornament the broad, spreading cornice, the formed stone sills and lintels, and the parapeted roof dormer with its central window that rises above the telegrapher's bay on the western elevation.
The depot is currently owned by the Clarksville Chamber of Commerce.
View from northeast (1990)
