The Arkansas Historical Association and the Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives (NEARA), a branch of the Arkansas State Archives, are happy to make the annual call for the NEARA Award paper submissions. The Award is given for best original and unpublished research paper using any archival materials from NEARA, particularly from the Lawrence County Territorial Papers (1815-1836).
Established by the family of Eugene Sloan, in partnership with the Arkansas Historical Association, the annual award includes a $1,000 cash prize and a framed certificate of recognition. The winner will be announced at the 2023 AHA’s Annual Conference Awards Banquet. Entries must reference at least one primary resource housed in NEARA. The deadline for submitting papers is February 1, 2024.
Details about NEARA’s holdings are available on http://archives.arkansas.gov/ and some digital records can be located at https://digitalheritage.arkansas.gov/. NEARA’s collections include court and county records dating to the 1815 creation of Lawrence County by the Missouri Territorial Assembly, as well as records of local business organizations, family papers, photographs, and church records.
Anyone, professional or amateur, is eligible to submit a manuscript. The winner will be determined by a three-member panel consisting of representatives from NEARA and the Arkansas Historical Association.
The NEARA Award honors volunteers from the Lawrence County Historical Society (LCHS), who saved the Powhatan courthouse records when the town of Powhatan was abandoned as a county seat in 1963. LCHS began lobbying for a regional archive to house these records early on, and their efforts were realized in 2011 with the opening of the Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives.
The award is funded by the family of Eugene Sloan (1892-1981), a Jonesboro-based lawyer and landowner, who was born in Powhatan. Throughout his life, he supported his hometown and the preservation efforts of the Lawrence County Historical Society.
NEARA is located on 11 Seventh Street in Powhatan, Arkansas. The facility is open for research on Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except on state holidays. For more information, please, call 870-878-6521 or e-mail [email protected].
Located in Little Rock, the Arkansas State Archives is the official state archives, within the Division of Arkansas Heritage, and has two branches: the Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives in Powhatan and the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives in Washington.
The Arkansas Historical Association, headquartered in Fayetteville, is a membership organization that promotes the preservation, writing, publishing, teaching, and understanding of Arkansas history through the publication of the Arkansas Historical Quarterly and other activities, including a respected awards program.