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| LOCATION WHERE FOOD STAMPS WERE SECRETLY & SECURELY STORED BY DHS |
DHS Central Mail (923 W. 4th / 4th & Chester) - This secure, unmarked building at one time housed thousands of dollars in Food Stamps that the Arkansas Department of Human Services mailed to recipients statewide.
It's existence and location is (until now) a highly guarded secret. Only specially vetted DHS employees are permitted by the armed security guard to enter.
The building is secured by an alarm and CCTV camera system. A bank type vault was used to secure the food coupon booklets.
The Food Stamp program ended in the early 2000's and was replaced by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Instead of sending out monthly food coupons, an Electronic Benefit Transfer card (EBT) is mailed to a qualified recipient and is used to purchase eligible food items. The EBT card is also used by individuals that receive Transitional Employment Assistance (TEA) funds that are used to reduce the dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting work so that children may be cared for in their own homes or in the homes of relatives. It is believed that DHS still uses the building to process the EBT cards.
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There is also a secret elevator in the building that goes from bank vault area (located near the underground loading dock) up through the executive office level of the bank and ends at the 5th floor in a restricted access room. A former Regions Bank Regional President used the elevator to get his lady friends in and out of the building, hoping to avoid detection. Alas, the elevator has hidden cameras as funds are moved in it from the basement vault to the bank branch in the lobby.
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Central Arkansas Water Pump Station (11700 W. Markham Street) - This out-of-place structure houses a pump on a 60 inch pipe that brings water to Little Rock from Lake Winona, located 35 miles west of Little Rock in the Ouachita National Forrest, to the Ozark Point Treatment Plant in the Heights/Hillcrest development district.
It was built before the area changed from potential residential development to a commercial business corridor. It resembles one of the Tiny Houses featured on HGTV's Tiny House Nation show.
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| SECRET STRUCTURE AT THE REGIONS TOWER |
The Regions Tower Building (400 W. Capitol Avenue) - What looks like a giant concrete planter at the southwest corner of the building is actually a critical piece of building infrastructure. It's the fresh air intake for then entire building.
Shortly after the September 11 attacks, building management and Regions Corporate Security thought terrorists might try and introduce anthrax or some other chemical agent into the building via the fresh air intake. Covert cameras and alarms were installed to monitor the critical structure. Video was monitored by the banks contracted armed security guards that were on site 24/7. Due to their ever present vigilance, no terrorist was able to mount an assault on the building or its occupants.
The cameras were removed when the bank remodeled their lobby in 2008 and the terror threat was no longer perceived as an issue.
There is also a secret elevator in the building that goes from bank vault area (located near the underground loading dock) up through the executive office level of the bank and ends at the 5th floor in a restricted access room. A former Regions Bank Regional President used the elevator to get his lady friends in and out of the building, hoping to avoid detection. Alas, the elevator has hidden cameras as funds are moved in it from the basement vault to the bank branch in the lobby.
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| THIS IS NOT THE HOME OF A SWEET OLD LADY THAT THE CITY GREW AROUND |
It was built before the area changed from potential residential development to a commercial business corridor. It resembles one of the Tiny Houses featured on HGTV's Tiny House Nation show.
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By 1961, with only eight Confederate widows remaining as patients, the legislature decided to close the institution and transfer its remaining occupants to area nursing homes. The home finally closed its doors in 1963, and the building was transferred to the Schools for the Blind and Deaf, where it is still used for school purposes.
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| CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS HOME ON THE GROUNDS OF THE ARK. SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND |
Confederate Soldiers Home (2600 W. Markham) - The Arkansas Confederate Home was opened late in 1890 in a small remodeled residence on some sixty acres near Sweet Home (Pulaski County) through the efforts of the Ex-Confederate Association of Arkansas. This organization, composed of a group of philanthropic-minded Confederate veterans, founded the home to care for indigent Confederate veterans, along with their widows and orphans, in Arkansas. At its peak, it housed over 200.
On May 21, 1890, the Sweet Home site, consisting of sixty acres and a frame building, was purchased by the association for $3,000. The legislature made its first appropriation of $10,000 for the upkeep of the home in 1891. At that time, the facility included the original frame structure and two buildings referred to as “the barracks.” The home was maintained chiefly by private funds until it was sold to the state in 1892.
On May 21, 1890, the Sweet Home site, consisting of sixty acres and a frame building, was purchased by the association for $3,000. The legislature made its first appropriation of $10,000 for the upkeep of the home in 1891. At that time, the facility included the original frame structure and two buildings referred to as “the barracks.” The home was maintained chiefly by private funds until it was sold to the state in 1892.
In 1903, two new buildings were constructed and an annex and hospital were added in 1907. The main building was remodeled in 1911.
Over the years, the number of residents living at the home steadily declined. By 1953, only forty-three Confederate widows occupied the home.
Bauxite mining, which threatened the grounds, was being conducted as early as the 1940s. In 1943, a commission was established by the legislature to determine the value of the ore on the home grounds. It was then determined that profits acquired from the lease of mineral rights would be used to construct a new home. By 1952, the mineral rights had been sold to the Dulin Bauxite Company, which began active mining in April. The next year, the legislature appropriated funds to build a permanent home on state property.
Over the years, the number of residents living at the home steadily declined. By 1953, only forty-three Confederate widows occupied the home.
Bauxite mining, which threatened the grounds, was being conducted as early as the 1940s. In 1943, a commission was established by the legislature to determine the value of the ore on the home grounds. It was then determined that profits acquired from the lease of mineral rights would be used to construct a new home. By 1952, the mineral rights had been sold to the Dulin Bauxite Company, which began active mining in April. The next year, the legislature appropriated funds to build a permanent home on state property.
In 1955, the old home was vacated, and a new, smaller facility was built on the grounds of the Schools for the Blind and Deaf in Little Rock (Pulaski County). The old buildings were razed.
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| ONLY REMAINING STRUCTURE OF ORIGINAL CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS HOME IN SWEET HOME |
By 1961, with only eight Confederate widows remaining as patients, the legislature decided to close the institution and transfer its remaining occupants to area nursing homes. The home finally closed its doors in 1963, and the building was transferred to the Schools for the Blind and Deaf, where it is still used for school purposes.
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