Talk:Camden, Arkansas
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Camden citizen speaking: I'm not sure about all the facts in the trivia section. 1. Lt. Stokeley Morgan of Camden fired the opening shots of the Spanish-American War from a battleship in Manilia Harbor, Phillipines. response - I've heard it before, but haven't read it anywhere. 2. Edgar Allen Poe worked for the Camden Herald Newspaper for three months in 1847. response - This one's been worked up a lot. We'll never know for sure because the Herald's archives were destroyed in a fire in the latter part of the 19th century, but the story's earliest printed reference is as a story from a grandmother who said she heard it as a child. Unless someone could somehow conclusively prove the route Poe used to hop around newspaper jobs, it can't be proven or disproven. 3. Elvis Presley played the Camden auditorium three times in 1955. response - I've never heard that before. 4. Sam Walton lived and worked here before he founded Wal-Mart. response - I've never heard this one either. 5. Part of the Civil War mini-series North and South was filmed here. TRUE 6. The 1970s David Caradine movie Boxcar Bertha was filmed here. TRUE 7. Carrie Nation the famous prohibitionist held a rally here in 1906. No idea. 8. Will Rogers performed here in 1928. No idea. 9. Wild Bill Hickcock served here during the Union Army’s occupation of Camden. No idea. 10. Red Adair the famous oil well fire fighter was arrested for murder here and later cleared. Never even heard of Red Adair. There being plenty of oil wells just a quick drive down the road from Camden, it's got a good backdrop of plausibility, though. 11. Huey P. Long delivered a stump-speech as he campaigned for Hattie Carraway in Camden in 1936. Wasn't Huey Long shot in 1935? Huey_Long Yes, he was...as a matter of fact, Hattie_Caraway ran for Senator in 1932, 1938, and 1944. A dead man campaigning for a Senator that wasn't running is a little much of a stretch? ;) 12. Jim Ed Brown, famous country-western singer, hauled wood here before he became famous. No idea. 13. Governor Goerge Hays, Governor Ben Laney, Senator John McClellen and Governor/Senator David Pryor were from Camden. George Hays, Ben Laney, and David Pryor were born in Camden. John McClellan was born in Sheridan and moved to Camden later in life. So, this one, correct. 14. Matilda Crockett, Davy Crockett’s sister, is buried here. Never heard it. 15. Porter Clay, brother of Henry Clay the leading US Senator prior to the Civil War, is buried here. Correct. You can see his grave at the Confederate Cematary IIRC. 16. Robert Hite, one of Jimmy Doolittle’s Raiders, lives in Camden. Correct. 17. Nick McDonald is the Dallas Police officer who captured Lee Harvey Oswald after he assassinated President Kennedy. Never heard it. 18. Matthew Ruthert from Camden headed the effort to successfully have “In God We Trust” placed on our currency. I believe this one is true.
Just trying to shed some light. I think it's rather unencyclopedic right now, but a full history of the city (which would probably easily be done) could incorporate these facts and give a good understanding of the city.
Things we should include if we choose that path:
- Camden's early years and founding
- Camden in the Civil War
- Camden as a port on the Ouachita River
- Ordnance plant in East Camden during WWII
Thanks, I will look for more sources on the unverifiable claims :) --206.255.185.237 7 July 2005 04:53 (UTC)