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Photograph of Damascus Gymnasium
Photograph by Valis55, CC BY-SA 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Damascus Gymnasium

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

From the record

“The Damascus Gymnasium is a historic school building on Arkansas Highway 285 in Damascus, Arkansas. It is a rustic wood-frame structure, with a central clerestory section covered by a gable-on-hip roof, and side wings covered by a shed roof.”

Wikipedia article Damascus Gymnasium, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 15 National Register listings published here for Van Buren County · listed in 1992 · category: Building.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
  • Address. AR 285, Damascus, 72039
  • When was it listed? September 1992
  • Category. building
  • Also known as. Public Schools in the Ozarks MPS
  • Township. Barnett township
  • National Register reference number. 92001122 - assigned by the National Park Service when the property was listed.

Fires near this property

74 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 74 fires within 5 miles of Damascus Gymnasium between 1997 and 2020, burning about 1,149 acres in total. 4 started naturally. 20 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 burning26
Arson/incendiarism20
Missing data/not specified/undetermined18
Equipment and vehicle use6
Natural4

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
9 September 1999Debris and open burning40 acresArkansas Forestry Commissionnot named
6 September 2010Missing data/not specified/undetermined3.0 acresArkansas Forestry Commissionnot named
5 September 2013Missing data/not specified/undetermined19 acresArkansas Forestry Commissionnot named
5 September 2010Arson/incendiarism75 acresArkansas Forestry CommissionDOCS LANE
4 September 2000Natural3.0 acresArkansas Forestry Commissionnot named
27 September 2000Debris and open burning15 acresArkansas Forestry Commissionnot named
21 September 2010Debris and open burning20 acresArkansas Forestry Commissionnot named
16 September 1997Equipment and vehicle use55 acresArkansas Forestry Commissionnot named

Every fire recorded in Van Buren County

Mines and quarries near this property

3 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Damascus Gymnasium: 2 past producers, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Stell Pit & PlantStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
UnkSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
UnkStonePast Producer

Every working recorded in Van Buren County

Storms near this property

47 since 1996

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Damascus, the town this property stands in, in 47 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 29 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail, 5 heavy rain, 4 flash flood. The reports record 3 deaths and 7 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
May 2008Tornado (EF3)Damascus3 killed, 6 hurt, $10,000,000This tornado moved out of Conway County, east of Center Ridge, and entered Van Buren County, west-southwest of Damascus. The tornado destroyed 17 permanent homes and 8 mobile homes. It caused major damage to 30 homes and minor damage to 19 homes. Four chicken houses were destroyed, 8 horses were killed, and one bull was killed. A feed mill was destroyed and three businesses received major damage. One church was destroyed and another was severely damaged. A 4 year-old girl and her grandparents were killed when their house was destroyed on Scroggins Creek Rd. (County Road 65). The tornado exited Van Buren County, east-northeast of Morganton, and moved into Cleburne County, northwest of Crossroads.
December 2007LightningDamascus1 hurtA man in his early 20's was injured by lightning while working outside on a farm. He complained of tingling and numbness and was treated at a hospital.
April 2009Thunderstorm WindDamascus$50,000Trees were down in the area. A roof was blown off a barn. Siding was damaged on a house.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindDamascus$30,000A tree fell on a house.
July 2012Thunderstorm WindDamascus$25,000Two structures had minor damage, and numerous trees and power lines were blown down.
March 2012Thunderstorm WindDamascus$25,000Roofs were blown off two barns and some trees were blown down.
March 2012Thunderstorm WindDamascus$20,000A home anemometer measured a 73 mph wind gust. Several roofs in the area were damaged and a few trees were blown down.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindDamascus$20,000Part of the roof was blown off of a barn.
March 2017Thunderstorm WindDamascus$10,000Trees and power lines were down. A tree was reported on a house.
September 2009Flash FloodDamascus$10,000A dam at a small pond was washed away and water emptied.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindDamascus$5,000A shed was destroyed.
March 2023Thunderstorm WindDamascus$5,000Shingles were blown off a house in Damascus. Multiple trees were blown down across northern Faulkner County.
May 2019Thunderstorm WindDamascus$5,000A metal roof was blown off of a shop just north of Damascus.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindDamascus$5,000Roof damage to a home was reported about 1 mile south of the Van Buren and Faulkner County line on Highway 65.
September 2009Flash FloodDamascus$5,000Pine Mountain Creek was well over its banks, and flooded Bricky Road.
September 2012Thunderstorm WindDamascus$2,000Large limbs were blown down. One limb fell on a house, causing minor roof damage.
August 2011LightningDamascus$2,000Lightning started a grass fire on Oak Tree Rd., set fire to a shed on North Rd., and ignited fumes at a gas well on Arkansas 285, all in a stretch of only 19 minutes.
July 2012Thunderstorm WindDamascus$1,000Several pieces of siding were blown off the co-operative observer's house.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindDamascus$1,000Tree limbs were blown down and hail 1/2 inch in diameter covered the ground.
September 2009Flash FloodDamascus$1,000Jack Hall Road was impassable.
January 2025Flash FloodDamascus-COOP observer reported that 4.3 inches of total rainfall had fallen over the course of the heavy rain event with high water over multiple local roads and low water bridges in and around the community of Damascus.
October 2024Thunderstorm WindDamascus-Numerous power poles and trees down along multiple roadways just northeast of the town of Damascus, report via COOP observer.
July 2024Heavy RainDamascus-A 24 hour rainfall total of 3.53 inches was measured at Damascus.
June 2023HailDamascus-Half dollar and golf ball sized hail fell covering Arkansas Highway 65 in Damascus.
June 2023HailDamascus-Hen egg sized hail fell in Damascus.
March 2023Thunderstorm WindDamascus-Peak winds were estimated to be between 70 and 80 mph. Damage |occurred along and parallel to US 65 S, along Gravesville Cutoff |Road between Highway 124 and Black Hill Road, and portions of Black |Hill Road east of Gravesville Cutoff Road. Along the damage path, |softwood trees were uprooted and snapped with several small |outbuildings either completely destroyed or missing significant |portions of the roof. Roofing material was scattered downstream |into a field in the direction of storm movement. The swath of wind |damage was estimated at 1000 yards wide and 3.2 miles in length |with maximum winds of 80 mph.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindDamascus-The observer had a few trees down around his house.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindDamascus-The wind speed was estimated by the COOP observer.
April 2017Thunderstorm WindDamascus-Several trees were downed in the city of Damascus in about a 100 yard swath.
April 2017Heavy RainDamascus-The 24 hour rainfall total was 4.28 inches.
August 2017Heavy RainDamascus-The 24 hour total was 7.20 inches...although nearly all of the rain fell in the previous 3-4 hours.
August 2016Thunderstorm WindDamascus-A tree was blown down.
November 2011Heavy RainDamascus-The Damascus reporting station recorded the wettest November ever. Rainfall of 15.35 inches broke the record of 10.82 inches set in 1940.
August 2010Thunderstorm WindDamascus-Large limbs were blown down.
October 2009Heavy RainDamascus-In Damascus, it was the wettest October ever recorded.
May 2008Tornado (EF1)Damascus-Damage was limited to some trees being knocked down. This was a satellite tornado of the EF3 tornado that traveled about one-half mile to the northwest.
June 2007Thunderstorm WindDamascus-Corn crops were blown down.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindDamascus-Two barns were destroyed with several trees downed.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindDamascus-A roof was partially torn off of a home about 4 miles west of Damascus.
August 2003Thunderstorm WindDamascus-Thunderstorm winds blew some shingles off the roofs of several homes. The roof of a feed store was also blown off.
March 2017HailDamascus-no account filed
April 2006HailDamascus-no account filed
June 2004HailDamascus-no account filed
May 1999Thunderstorm WindDamascus-no account filed
April 1999Thunderstorm WindDamascus-no account filed
February 1997Thunderstorm WindDamascus-no account filed
March 1996Thunderstorm WindDamascus-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Van Buren County

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 miles

Other 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 PropertyDistance Listed
Carl and Esther Lee House0.1 miles2005
Melvin Chrisco House0.7 miles2005
Damascus CCC Camp, Co. No. 3781 Historic District1.0 miles2002
Titan II ICBM Launch Complex 374-7 Site3.3 miles2000
South Side High School Sign5.3 miles2023
Collums-Baker House5.4 miles1992

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 92001122 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Van Buren CountyAll 15 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.