When the Spanish expedition of Hernando de Soto crossed the Mississippi River on June 28, 1541 (June 18 on the Julian calendar, which was used at the time), it entered what is now Arkansas. It spent the next 11 months roaming around the state until de Soto s death on May 31, 1542 (May 21 on the Julian calendar). After his death, the survivors made their way to Mexico.
The small, rural community of Sweet Home is a majority-Black community in Pulaski County. Of more than two dozen communities in Arkansas named Sweet Home to have obtained a post office (on May 29, 1877), this is the only community to have maintained it to the present.
The Columbia County Courthouse in Magnolia, Arkansas has been awarded a grant as part of the County Courthouse Restoration Grant program. The grant, totaling $15,000, will be used for a master plan and condition assessment, further preserving this historic landmark.