BlockFrom the record
One of 41 National Register listings published here for Dallas County · listed in 1983 · category: Building.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article
Jessie B. Smith House
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The listing
- What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
- Listed as. Smith, Jessie B., House - the National Register files a house under its owner's surname.
- Address. Off US 79, Fordyce, 71742
- When was it listed? October 1983
- Category. building
- Also known as. Dallas County MRA
- Township. Fordyce township
- National Register reference number. 83003541 - assigned by the National Park Service when the property was listed.
Fires near this property
62 since 1998Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 62 fires within 5 miles of Jessie B. Smith House between 1998 and 2020, burning about 686 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 9 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 22 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 19 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 9 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 5 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 4 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 September 1998 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 6 September 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 2.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 16 September 2015 | Debris and open burning | 4.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 7 August 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 7 August 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 28 August 2009 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 10 August 2011 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
| 10 August 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | Arkansas Forestry Commission | not named |
Mines and quarries near this property
8 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 8 workings within 5 miles of Jessie B. Smith House: 7 unknowns, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas County Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unk | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Unk | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Unk | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Unk | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Unk | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Unk | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Unk | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown |
Storms near this property
60 of 64 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Fordyce, the town this property stands in, in 64 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 37 thunderstorm wind, 14 hail, 9 flash flood, 3 heavy rain. The reports record 2 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | 2 hurt | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | $150,000 | Trees and power lines were blown down in Fordyce, causing numerous power outages. Awnings were blown down on some downtown businesses, and several businesses and residences suffered roof damage. |
| October 2009 | Flash Flood | Fordyce | $150,000 | Arkansas Highway 229 north of Fordyce was closed. Many other roads in Dallas County were closed. Impassable Dallas County roads included 124 near Ramsey, 113 at Eaglette, and 139 at Holly Springs. Arkansas Highway 8 west of Fordyce had several inches of water over it. A few cars washed off roads. The basement of the county courthouse in Fordyce had water in it. |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds knocked down several trees and damaged some roofs. |
| November 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | $50,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew down some trees and power lines. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | $30,000 | Several trees were blown down. Two houses were damaged by the falling trees. |
| May 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | $15,000 | Trees were blown down in the Fordyce area. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | $15,000 | Trees and power lines were blown down. |
| October 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | $15,000 | Trees and power lines were blown down. |
| April 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | $5,000 | Trees were blown down. |
| January 2007 | Flash Flood | Fordyce | $3,000 | Several secondary roads across Dallas County were flooded due to heavy rainfall. |
| October 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | $1,000 | A large tree was down. |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | A tree was blown down onto a house in Fordyce. |
| April 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | Fordyce police dispatch reported that power was out to most of Fordyce due to severe winds that moved across the town. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | Trees were down along Hwy. 8 east of Fordyce. Time was estimated from radar. |
| January 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | A tree was blown down on Hwy 229 near Hwy 8 and both lanes were blocked. |
| May 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | A tree was blown down just south of Fordyce on Hwy. 8 South. |
| May 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | Trees were reported to be blown down. |
| April 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | North Fordyce | - | Local law enforcement reported several trees down along Highway 229. |
| April 2016 | Hail | Fordyce | - | Marble to nickle size hail was reported. |
| July 2016 | Flash Flood | Fordyce | - | There was street flooding was reported on Highway 79. |
| August 2012 | Heavy Rain | Fordyce | - | Rainfall measured 6.10 inches in 24 hours. |
| February 2011 | Hail | Fordyce | - | Penny size hail covered the ground in Fordyce. The police department reported that there was so much hail on the ground that it looked like it had snowed. |
| December 2009 | Heavy Rain | Fordyce | - | Rain that fell on December 23rd assured that 2009 would be the wettest year ever recorded in Fordyce. Total rainfall for the year was 81.72 inches, breaking the record of 75.50 inches set in 1945. |
| May 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | Large limbs were down in the area. |
| October 2009 | Heavy Rain | Fordyce | - | In Fordyce, October was the wettest month ever recorded. |
| May 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | A tree was down in the area. |
| March 2007 | Flash Flood | Fordyce | - | Water was over portions of Arkansas Highway 8. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | Thunderstorm winds blew the tops out of two large trees. |
| August 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | Thunderstorm winds pulled roofing material off a builder's supply store and downed several trees. |
| April 2004 | Tornado (F1) | Fordyce | - | An F1 tornado touched down 2 miles west-southwest of Fordyce and was on the ground for about 2 miles before lifting 1.5 miles northwest of Fordyce. The path of this tornado was almost entirely within the city limits of Fordyce, on the west side of town. At a discount store, patio furniture and swing sets were destroyed and a garden center was damaged. A church steeple was blown off and some wood fences were knocked down. Several large trees were uprooted, with one tree landing on a house. Dozens of moderate to large size tree limbs were also knocked down. |
| June 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | Thunderstorm winds downed some power lines. |
| May 2004 | Flash Flood | Fordyce | - | Street flooding was reported at Fordyce. |
| June 2003 | Flash Flood | Fordyce | - | Heavy rains brought flash flooding to parts of Fordyce. Several roads were under water and ditches were overflowing for a short period of time. |
| June 2003 | Flash Flood | Fordyce | - | Heavy rains caused flash flooding to occur in Fordyce. Several streets were covered by high water and impassible for a few hours. |
| June 2003 | Flash Flood | Fordyce | - | Heavy rains caused flash flooding to occur in and around the Fordyce area. Several streets were flooded and closed for a few hours due to the high water levels. |
| May 2002 | Flash Flood | Fordyce | - | Heavy rainfall caused flash flooding to occur in the Fordyce area. Several roads, including Highway 8, were covered by high water for several hours. |
| May 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | Some trees were knocked down in and around Fordyce. |
| August 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | Thunderstorm winds knocked down some power lines. |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | Thunderstorm winds caused roof damage to a building. |
| November 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | Several trees were blown down. |
| February 2011 | Hail | Fordyce | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | no account filed |
| April 2003 | Hail | Fordyce | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Fordyce | - | no account filed |
| February 2000 | Hail | Fordyce | - | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | no account filed |
| May 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | no account filed |
| August 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | no account filed |
| November 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | no account filed |
| August 1997 | Hail | Fordyce | - | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Hail | Fordyce | - | no account filed |
| November 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | no account filed |
| November 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fordyce | - | no account filed |
| April 1996 | Hail | Fordyce | - | no account filed |
| March 1996 | Hail | Fordyce | - | no account filed |
Map coverage status
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Listed places nearby
6 within 8 milesOther National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Rock Island Railway Depot | 0.2 miles | 1983 |
| Fordyce Overpass | 0.2 miles | 2023 | |
 | Charlotte Street Historic District | 0.2 miles | 1987 |
 | Tennessee, Alabama & Georgia Railway Steam Locomotive #101 | 0.3 miles | 2008 |
 | First United Methodist Church | 0.3 miles | 1983 |
 | Nutt-Trussell Building | 0.3 miles | 2001 |
Sources for this property
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 83003541 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Dallas County | All 41 listed properties in this county. |
Provenance
- Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
- Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
- How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
- Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
- Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
- Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.