COLLEGE CITY Lawrence County Arkansas Genealogy Trails College City is the home of Williams Baptist College, which is located a few miles from Walnut Ridge at what was once known as the Walnut Ridge Army Flying School. Williams began as Southern Baptist College in the fall of 1941. It was located in Pocahontas, on the site of the present Pocahontas High School. H. E. Williams, who founded the college and served for 32 years as its first president, was pastor of First Baptist Church in Pocahontas at the time the school opened its doors. A fire on the Pocahontas campus in late 1946 led to a hasty relocation to the current site. The college used the former army buildings for many years before gradually replacing them with more modern structures. Williams Baptist College moved from a two-year to a four-year college in 1984. It offers 25 majors for students seeking bachelor's degrees. In 1991 it was renamed from Southern to Williams in honor of founder H. E. Williams. Source: THE WILLIAMS TELLER, Vol. 14, No. 2, Winter 2006-07. ©2006 Arkansas Genealogy Trails |