The history of 2,000 land parcels and many of the oldest homes in Russellville, Ark., is now preserved due to the efforts of 30 Arkansas Tech University students who participated in an interdisciplinary project-based class during the spring 2025 semester.
“Getting the chance to learn about architecture and preservation through hands-on experiences and working with professionals has been a fantastic opportunity,” said Blake Huffman, an ATU student from Omaha.
Under the direction of Dr. Julie Mikles-Schluterman, ATU professor of sociology, and Dr. Patrick Hagge, ATU professor of geography, the Arkansas Tech students invested several months documenting historic neighborhoods in Russellville.
“The work this class has done has tremendously helped in providing historical information about Russellville,” said Gracen Roberts, an ATU student from Springdale. “Through this course, I think important historical fabric within Russellville has come to light along with a stronger sense of community.”
As a result of a partnership with Sara Jondahl, director of sustainability and resilience for the city of Russellville, the students validated home ages with county assessment data, performed GIS mapping and other geographic verifications, completed 300 historic preservation surveys in accordance with guidelines established by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program and sought out oral histories about unique architectural homes in the area.
Jondahl described the experience as one that “introduced students to the principles of historic preservation” and “provided an invaluable service to the city.”
Once complete, the information was presented to the Russellville Historic District Commission, which is chaired by Betsy McGuire. She and fellow commission member Greg Barborek visited the class as guest speakers during the spring 2025 semester.
“It has been such a rewarding experience to see students become so committed to learning and doing a good job for the Russellville Historic District Commission,” said Mikles-Schluterman. “We are thankful for the assistance of Sara Jondahl and Betsy McGuire during the spring semester. This collaboration represents the important connections between ATU and the city of Russellville.”
Hagge explained the majority of data collection occurred in the El Paso neighborhood south of ATU and the tentatively named “Agricultural School” neighborhood east of the university.
“Our students thrived in this experiential class setting,” said Hagge. “Some days, students would meet in the Pope County Library to dig through archives. Other days, students would go door-to-door on El Paso Avenue. I would recommend future ATU students to enroll in as many project-based courses as they can.”
In addition to McGuire and Barborek, other members of the Russellville Historic District Commission in attendance at the students’ presentation included Suzanne Alford-Hodges, Judy Galloway, Beverly Hooten, Dr. Kelly Jones (ATU professor of history), JP Leonard, Steve Newby, Regina Watkins and Paul Gray (city liaison).
“Working with the city and other students that studied something other than my major was an amazingly eye-opening experience and helped me gain a lot of new knowledge and skills that I hope to use in my future,” said Alexis Wilf, an ATU student from Bentonville. “Seeing things from other people’s perspective while working throughout the course was one of my favorite parts, and I hope that future students can experience the same thing through the continuation of the course.”
Earlier in the semester, the ATU students took a guided walking tour of Little Rock’s Hillcrest neighborhood and participated in a detailed exploration of Russellville’s historic Latimore House.
“Looking to the future, the Russellville Historic District Commission may use the collected data for further analysis of Russellville’s historic neighborhoods, as well as for assessment related to potential inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places,” said Hagge.
After the public presentation, the class members provided all of their final maps, surveys and data to the city of Russellville.
“Being able to stand before city hall and present our work to help in the creation of historic neighborhoods has been a true work experience that I will carry forever,” said Huffman.
Learn more about the ATU College of Arts and Humanities at www.atu.edu/humanities.
