Big Buffalo Valley Historic District
National Register of Historic Places

Big Buffalo Valley Historic District

Ponca, Newton County, Arkansas
Listed
July 28, 1987
Type
District
Period
Civil War
Ref No.
87000110

About this property

The Big Buffalo Valley Historic District, also known as the Boxley Valley Historic District, is notable as a cultural landscape in Buffalo National River. It comprises the Boxley Valley in northern Arkansas, near the town of Ponca. The valley includes a number of family-operated farms, primarily dating between 1870 and 1930. The farms are situated on either side of the road that parallels the river, Highway 43. Many of these farms are still operated by the descendants of the original homesteaders. However, of fifty residences in the valley, thirty were vacant in 1987, at the time of historic designation. The Old-Ozarks-Frontier phase, comprising the period of the 1830s to the 1870s, focusing on settlement and homesteading, with a continuing tradition of log construction extending to the 1930s. The Cosmopolitan-Ozarks phase, from circa 1895 to 1950, in which a more urban style was used for housing, with large barns and the appearance of specialized buildings for shops and services. The New-Ozarks-Frontier phase, from 1950 to the present, with a suburban design influence. The district includes Villines Mill, listed separately on the National Register of Historic Places.

Location

Ponca, Newton County, Arkansas
36.01119, -93.36346

Categories

PREHISTORICLANDSCAPE ARCHITECTUREHISTORIC - NON-ABORIGINALAGRICULTUREARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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This page lists Big Buffalo Valley Historic District. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

Villines Mill
Industrial
2.5 mi
Little Buffalo River Bridge
Industrial
8.2 mi
Dr. Hudson Sanitarium Agricultural Building Historic District
Industrial
9 mi
Parker-Hickman Farm Historic District
Listed
9 mi
Bunch Store
Industrial
9 mi

Questions about this property

When was Big Buffalo Valley Historic District listed on the National Register?

Big Buffalo Valley Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 28, 1987.

What type of historic resource is Big Buffalo Valley Historic District?

Big Buffalo Valley Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Big Buffalo Valley Historic District?

The period of significance for Big Buffalo Valley Historic District is recorded as the civil_war era, specifically around 1870.

Can I research the history near Big Buffalo Valley Historic District?

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