Jacob and Rebecca Barkman were among Clark County’s earliest residents, arriving about 1811 from Kentucky and constructing a cabin near the Caddo River on land acquired from Indians. Jacob Barkman quickly established himself as an entrepreneur and leader in river commerce. He opened the area’s first cotton gin and became the first to operate a steamboat on the Ouachita River. Barkman owned a huge amount of land, amassing holdings of approximately 22,000 acres during his lifetime. So significant was his impact on the area’s economic growth and development, he is often called “The Father of Clark County.”

Jacob’s wife, Rebecca, was an equally fascinating figure. The daughter of legendary bear hunter Zachariah Davis, one man stated that Rebecca “chewed tobacco, smoked a pipe, drank whiskey, and cursed and swore as heartily as any backwoodsman, all at the same time.” Another described her as “weighing along in the latitude of 200. She is ill-bred, or rather not bred at all, smokes a dirty pipe, talks all manner of nonsense, and never had a bonnet on her head in her life.”

The Barkmans lived approximately five miles from Arkadelphia, along the Military Road, the primary transportation artery which ran from St. Louis to Little Rock to Mexico and the Southwest. Jacob and Rebecca first built a cabin on the Caddo River, then constructed a two-story house made of sun-dried bricks. The Barkman residence was the site of much political and economic activity. Clark County’s first post office was located there, and following the creation of Clark County in 1818, also served as the county seat. The property served as a stop for stagecoaches, and even performed duty as the county jail.

One of the distinctive aspects of Jacob and Rebecca Barkman’s land was the race track Jacob built near their home. It circled an old Indian mound. Local legend says that people came from as far away as Kentucky and Tennessee to wager on their favorite horses. Today, what remains of the mound is extremely difficult to see in the summer months, due to thick vegetation. However, in the winter, travelers headed southwest on Interstate 30 can still catch a glimpse of it: Simply look slightly to the right of the highway while crossing the Caddo River bridge to see the site.