Clark County Historical Association

The Clark County Historical Association will meet Tuesday, June 7, at Western Sizzlin’ in Arkadelphia. Everyone is invited to hear a special presentation about an Arkansas man’s participation in a very significant event in our nation’s history. Samuel Hamblen, an officer in the United States Army, was stationed in Cairo, Illinois, to recruit soldiers during the Civil War. Following President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in April of 1865, he was given the distinction of being chosen as Guard of Honor at President Abraham Lincoln’s funeral. Hamblen recorded his participation in and reaction to the event in his diary, and later recounted the activities in his unpublished autobiography, which he wrote while living in Hot Springs, Arkansas. After the Civil War, Hamblen worked for the federal government in several capacities, including service as Superintendent of the Hot Springs Reservation (later Hot Springs National Park). One of his major contributions to the development of Hot Springs was involvement in the construction of the arch spanning Hot Springs Creek along Central Avenue. Jane Wilkerson, Hamblen’s great-granddaughter and an Archival Manager at the Arkansas State Archives, will tell the story in a presentation entitled, “ ‘Their Hearts Were in the Coffin’: Samuel Hamblen’s First-Hand Account of President Lincoln’s Funeral.” The public is invited to arrive in time for lunch (11:30), and/or attend the program, which begins at noon.