Streets named for soldiers in battle

Editor’s note: The following is from Billie Jines’ 1996 booklet, “The Streets of Pea Ridge.” It has been updated to include new streets and those scheduled for future development.

All north-south streets are named after Union participants of the Battle of Pea Ridge; all east-west ones for their Confederate counterparts.

Confederate names

• Black Street — Leads from North Davis Street to the Blackhawk Stadium Football Field. Honors Lt. John M. Black of Co. F, 34th Arkansas. He lived in the Pea Ridge area, and is buried at Bentonville. Among his descendants are three who have served as sheriff of Benton County, John Black of Bentonville, his brother, the late Hugh “Tater” Black, who was serving as a U.S. Marshal when he died in 1996, and their cousin, Bill Black.

• Brooks Street — Honors Maj. W.H. Brooks of the 1st Arkansas Cavalry Battery. Located in the Tyler Estates, which is on the north side of Hayden Road (Ark. Hwy. 265), and was approved by the Pea Ridge Planning Commission in 1996.

• Carden Road — Turns east off of South Curtis Avenue just before the highway (Curtis Avenue) goes off the ridge down into Little Sugar Creek Valley. It honors William Lewis Carden, who was with the 15th Northwest Arkansas Mounted Rifles. He came to Pea Ridge area as a 3-year-old with his parents from Tennessee. After the war, he settled northeast of town and reared his family there. He drew a Confederate pension here in Benton County and was buried in the Carden Cemetery near here.

• Drew Lane — Named for Col. John Drew, who led the 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles. Drew Lane turns west off of Weston Street between the Little League Park and Slack Street.

• Earle Lane — Connects the Union street of Halleck to a double one called North and South Poten Spur. No Earl or Earle could be located on participant lists, so it was decided by the Pea Ridge Planning Commission to name as the honoree Major Fontaine R. Earle of Washington County. He apparently did not participate in the Battle of Pea Ridge but did in the Battle of Prairie Grove the next December. As part of the 34th Arkansas Infantry, he did fight with some for whom local streets were named, such as C.L. Pickens, John Black and John M. Pace. All were photographed together at a reunion of the 34th in 1891. The Earle Camp No. 1453 Sons of Confederate Veterans in Washington County honors his name. He was the first president of Cane Hill College, now the University of the Ozarks and located at Clarksville.

• Erwin Lane — Turns west off of South Curtis Avenue before Carden Road turns east. Named for Col. William H. Erwin of the Confederacy’s 1st Infantry of Rains’ 8th Division.

• Franklin Avenue — Located in the Givens Place development, which was added in 1996. Honors Wm. B. Franklin of Co. K, 4th Arkansas. Presumed killed at the Battle of Pea Ridge.

To be continued …