Smithville Public School Building Explained

Smithville Public School Building
Location:	AR 117, Smithville, Arkansas
Coordinates:	36.08°N -91.3056°W
Builder:	Works Progress Administration
Architecture:	Bungalow/American craftsman, Plain Traditional
Added:	January 14, 1993
Refnum:	92001219

The Smithville Public School Building is a historic school building on Arkansas Highway 117 in the small community of Smithville, Arkansas. It is a single-story T-shaped fieldstone structure with a cross-gable roof.

History

It was built in 1936 with funding from the Works Progress Administration in an attempt to bolster the community's economy, which had been affected by the Great Depression, and by the loss of its status as county seat when Sharp County was separated from Lawrence County.^[1]

In the 1980s, the building was in poor condition, so state legislators distributed 140,000 dollars to repair the building.^[2]

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 11, 1993.^[3] It now functions as a fire station.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Lawrence County, Arkansas

Notes and References

1. Web site: NRHP nomination for Smithville Public School Building. Arkansas Preservation. 2014-12-24.
2. Web site: School Building - Smithville AR. Living New Deal. en-US. 2020-04-18.
3. Book: Service, National Park. National Register of Historic Places, 1966 to 1994: Cumulative List Through January 1, 1994. 1994. National Park Service. 978-0-89133-254-1. en.