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This Day in Arkansas History

November 5, 1915

Scholar and linguist Ben Kimpel was born in Fort Smith (Sebastian County). A professor of English at the University of Arkansas (UA) in Fayetteville (Washington County), Kimpel wrote the definitive biography of the eighteenth-century novelist Samuel Richardson with UA colleague Duncan Eaves.

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James Lawrence

Several of Arkansas’s seventy-five counties are named in honor of military veterans. One such county is Lawrence County, which was formed in 1815, originally as part of the Missouri Territory. The county was named for War of 1812 naval hero James Lawrence, who, as captain of the ship Chesapeake, was mortally wounded in an 1813 naval engagement with the English ship HMS Shannon. Lawrence is perhaps best remembered for his exclamation, “Don’t give up the ship,” although those may not have been his exact words.

 

Several of Arkansas’s seventy-five counties are named in honor of military veterans. One such county is Lawrence County, which was formed in 1815, originally as part of the Missouri Territory. The county was named for War of 1812 naval hero James Lawrence, who, as captain of the ship Chesapeake, was mortally wounded in an 1813 naval engagement with the English ship HMS Shannon. Lawrence is perhaps best remembered for his exclamation, “Don’t give up the ship,” although those may not have been his exact words.

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About the Encyclopedia

The CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas is a free, authoritative source of information about the rich history, geography, and culture of Arkansas. It is updated regularly to ensure the people of Arkansas have an accurate and accessible resource to explore our heritage. We invite you to browse our text entries and media galleries to learn more about the people, places, events, legends, and lore of the 25th state. We are continually adding new entries, photographs, maps, videos, quizzes, lesson plans, and more, so check back frequently to see what’s new.

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