Fred and Madge McCuistion Papers

Collection

Identifier: MC 1582

Staff Only
Select files to request

Scope and Contents

The collection contains the personal and professional papers of Fred and Madge McCuistion of Prairie Grove, Arkansas, including materials related to their involvement with organizations supporting the Prairie Grove Battlefield Park. Other materials relate to Fred McCuistion's military service during World War I; his work as a scholar and educator; and to his travels throughout Europe, Mexico, and the United States. Additional materials relate to family members of the McCuistions, including to Ed Barnby and his military service in Alaska. The collection includes correspondence, diaries, photographs, vital records, property records, and other materials.

Dates

1903-2004

Creator

McCuistion, Fred, 1892-1969 (Person)

Language of Materials

Collection materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

Please call (479) 575-8444 or email specoll@uark.edu at least two weeks in advance of your arrival to ensure availability of the materials.

Conditions Governing Use

No Use Restrictions Apply.

No Interlibrary Loan.

Standard Federal Copyright Laws Apply (U.S. Title 17).

Biographical / Historical

Fred McCuistion (1892-1969) and Madge Kathryn Haslett McCuistion (1904-2004) were longtime residents of Prairie Grove, Arkansas, and active in the establishment and support of both the Prairie Grove Battlefield Park and the Clothesline Fair. They were married in 1926, and moved to Prairie Grove in 1950.

Fred S. McCuistion and his twin brother, Ed McCuistion, were born April 11, 1892 to John Franklin and Julia Ann Kennedy McCuistion. Fred McCuistion graduated from Hendrix College in 1919; he went on to work with the Julius Rosenwald Fund and later the Rockefeller Foundation, including serving as associate director of the General Education Board and engaging in other projects focused on the education of Black Americans. In Prairie Grove, he was an active member of the Lions Club and a founding member of the Prairie Grove Battlefield Memorial Foundation. He passed away March 13, 1969.

Madge Haslett was born January 16, 1904 to Robert LeRoy and Clare Elizabeth Haslett in Netawaka, Kansas. She was a charter member of the Prairie Grove Woman’s Club, a member of the Ozark Guild of Artists and Craftsmen, a board member of the Arts Center of the Ozarks, and a chairman of the Prairie Grove Battlefield Park Auxiliary, among other community roles. She was named Prairie Grove’s Citizen of the Year in 1990. Madge Haslett McCuistion passed away May 15, 2004 at the age of 100.

Extent

4.06 Linear Feet (3 boxes)

Additional Description

Arrangement

Materials are arranged by format and by topic.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Fred and Madge McCuistion Papers were donated to Special Collections by Joan P. and Dr. R. Calvin Bain of Bella Vista, Arkansas, on December 1, 2004.

Separated Materials

Most publications received as part of the collection were transferred to the Arkansas Collection; these materials include published writings by Fred McCuistion.

Processing Information

Preliminary processing was done by Special Collections staff circa 2007. Processing was completed and finding aid was created by Katrina Windon in February 2024.