ANSWERS: 1
  • Originally known as Prospect Bluff, the town was founded in 1840 by Erastus Gregory. In 1871 a Baptist school, Judson University, was established in the area. A few months later the name Prospect Bluff was changed to Judsonia to help promote the school, which drew many northerners to the area. Though the school died in 1883, the town streets still bear the names of several well known 19th century Baptists: Judson and Hasseltine (after Baptist missionary Adoniram Judson and his wife, Ann Hasseltine Judson), Wayland (after Francis Wayland, president of Brown University in Rhode Island), Wade (after missionary Jonathan Wade) and Boardman (after missionary George D. Boardman, whose widow, Sarah Hall Boardman became Judson's second wife). On the evening of March 21, 1952, tornadoes swept Arkansas leaving 111 dead. Fifty of those fatalities were in Judsonia and the near vicinity. It was reported that the only building in the town not damaged was the Methodist church. "That's Judsonia" by William Ewing Orr (1957, White County, ArkansasWhite County Printing Company) is the most complete history of the community. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judsonia%2C_Arkansas

Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC

Answerbag | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy