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Bayou Meto Boy Scout   (B) Trail A historical hike through Jacksonville, Arkansas

To locate the start of the B Trail:      If you are coming to Jacksonville on Highway 67-167 from Little Rock, take the Air Base exit and turn right (south) on the access road. Turn left on Gregory Street by Hardee’s restaurant and go to the stop sign to North First Street. Bayou Meto cemetery will be directly ahead on North First Street to Your left. You may either park across the street at Gregory Place Shopping Center or the parking area in front of the cemetery.      If you are coming to Jacksonville on Highway 67-167 from Cabot or north of Jacksonville, take the Air Base exit and turn left on the access road. Go to the traffic signal and turn left onto North First Street. Follow North First Street to Bayou Meto cemetery, on your left. You may either park across the road at Gregory Place Shopping Center or the parking area in front of the cemetery.

     Note: the oak tree on the trail patch depicts the big oak tree that once stood in the cemetery. In 1999, this tree was struck by lightning and had to be cut down.

The beginning of the trail is the Bayou Meto Cemetery parking area.
On the marker at the entrance of the cemetery find the answers:

1. Who donated the land?

2. When was it donated?

3. How old was the white oak tree estimated to be?

     When facing the cemetery, turn left and go to the edge of the cemetery property and walk along the cemetery wall (just inside the cemetery boundary) and proceed north along North First Street. Looking into the cemetery as you walk along, find the grave site not far off the road that is marked by four tall cedar trees (one on each corner of the grave site). Go to that grave site area.

4. How many pyramid shaped blocks are on top?

5. How many tombstones are setting on top of the concrete formation?

6. Who was buried here?

     Retrace your steps to the cemetery boundary and walk on north along the boundary to the end of the cemetery and exit through the gate area. Turn right and proceed north to the second traffic signal and bear left. Proceed under Highway 67-167 overpass (Be careful of traffic), through he traffic signal and go west (Vanderburg Boulevard) to the front gate of the Air Force Base.
     On the marker in front of the C-130 find the answers:

7. When and where was the final flight to?

8. How many people were in the last flight out of Tan Son Nhut?

Across from the C-130 there is another marker:

9. What was this trail called?

10. What was this trail also known as?

Upon leaving the front gate of the Air Force Base, take a right (south) on Marshall Road, look for the Jacksonville Historical Trail A/B markers. Proceed to the red light at Marshall Road and Main Street, look for the Jacksonville Historical Trail A/B markers. Turn left on to Main Street. Follow Main Street until you get to the next marker that is just past the Firestone building.

On the marker past the Firestone building the answers to these questions can be found:

11. Who is it dedicated to?

12. What number governor was he?

Follow Main Street past McDonald’s, Jacksonville Shopping Center to the Eater Dewitt Nixon Library on the left side of the road: (Be careful crossing the intersection at McDonald’s)

The next marker will be on your left on the lawn of the Library:

13. What does this marker represent?

14. When was it placed there?

15. When will it be opened?

Proceed east in front of the library and notice the standing marker near the front entrance:

16. When was Jacksonville named?

17. After whom was it named?

Proceed east on Main Street and cross the railroad tracks:
(Look to your left to the east side of the tracks and you will see the “old” jail)

The next marker will be on your right in front of the Jacksonville Elementary School:

18. What is important about this school?

19. How many grades were taught here?

20. What type of material was it made of?

Turn right on Oak Street and go to Highway 161 and turn left. About 1.5 miles from the school there is a Jacksonville Fire Department building. Follow the road until you get to the next marker, which is at Reeds Bridge. There are two markers here. One is in the pasture and the other one is beside the road.
Note: This would be a nice place for lunch or for a long break before finishing the trail.

Questions from the marker in the pasture are:

21. What was the date of the skirmish?

22. after the command was safely over the bridge it was tarred and fired (burned). Who did it?

23. Who lead the charge to save the bridge?

Questions from the marker beside the road are:

24. How many Calvary men and who was their general?

25. How many were in the Confederate force and who was their general?

26. When did Little Rock ultimately fall to the Calvary?

At the road, go to Highway 161 north (back the way you came) to the stop sign. Turn right (east) on Highway 294 or Old Military Road.

The next marker will be on the left side of the road:

27. When did construction of this earliest road connecting Memphis and Little Rock begin?

28. When was it completed?

29. How long did it take at times to go from Memphis to Little Rock?

Follow the road to the corner of JP Wright Loop Road and Old Military Road (Bucks Country Store). Turn left on to JP Wright Loop Road. There is a sidewalk down this road.

This is the longest part of the trail:
Follow the Jacksonville Historic Trail markers until you get to the traffic light at North First street. Turn left and follow the road back to the cemetery.
Congratulations! You have finished an 11 mile hike.

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