Cultural Landscape Report: Erbie Rural Historic District

National Park Service; Mundus Bishop

This Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) for Erbie Rural Historic District addresses homesites, farmsteads, agricultural fields, and features of the historic community of Erbie, as well as the forests, campgrounds, a boat launch, and trails in this area of Buffalo National River. This CLR is the primary treatment document for the district. It presents detailed documentation of the historical development, existing condition, analysis of integrity, and identification of contributing features of the district. This document establishes a treatment philosophy and recommendations to guide long-term care and stewardship of the cultural landscape. This report builds upon previously developed studies, investigations, and documentation for Erbie Rural Historic District. The development of Erbie by Euro-Americans began in the early 1800s and increased with the establishment and subsequent homesteading of Newton County, Arkansas after 1842. The center of the Erbie community developed near the confluence of Buffalo River and Cecil Creek and included a church, store, post office, school, and dwellings. The extreme topographic changes of these tributary valleys limited the size and scale of agricultural operations to subsistence farming. Agriculture remained the primary occupation of Erbie residents into the twentieth century. Traditional agriculture practices of the remote and rugged Buffalo River valley were unprofitable, and many people left the community after World War II. Buffalo National River was established in 1972 as the first national river in the United States, and most buildings and structures associated with Erbie were removed between 1972 and 1982. This CLR addresses the need to preserve and repair the cultural landscape of Erbie Rural Historic District. This document provides baseline documentation, records changes to the cultural landscape over time, supplements existing historical data, and provides recommendations for further study and holistic guidance for treatment of the cultural landscape and resource protection.

Cultural Landscape Report: Erbie Rural Historic District

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