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Photograph of Johnson Switch Building
Photograph by Brandonrush, CC BY-SA 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Johnson Switch Building

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

From the record

“The Johnson Switch Building is a historic commercial building in 3201 Main Street in Johnson, Arkansas, USA. Built in 1904, it is a single-story structure with a pressed-metal facade designed to resemble brickwork, and a gable roof obscured by a stepped parapet.”

Wikipedia article Johnson Switch Building, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 160 National Register listings published here for Washington County · listed in 1999 · 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. 3201 Main St., Johnson, 72704
  • When was it listed? February 1999
  • Category. building
  • Township. Johnson township
  • National Register reference number. 99000251 - assigned by the National Park Service when the property was listed.

Fires near this property

11 since 2005

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 11 fires within 5 miles of Johnson Switch Building between 2005 and 2017, burning about 40 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 1 was 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
Missing data/not specified/undetermined5
Debris and open burning2
Natural2
Misuse of fire by a minor1
Arson/incendiarism1

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
28 August 2012Natural3.0 acresArkansas Forestry Commissionnot named
2 August 2012Natural4.0 acresArkansas Forestry Commissionnot named
4 July 2013Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresArkansas Forestry Commissionnot named
28 July 2011Misuse of fire by a minor4.0 acresArkansas Forestry Commissionnot named
24 July 2005Debris and open burning3.0 acresArkansas Forestry Commissionnot named
11 July 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined5.0 acresArkansas Forestry Commissionnot named
10 April 2014Debris and open burning2.0 acresArkansas Forestry CommissionWAS14738950
12 February 2017Missing data/not specified/undetermined5.0 acresArkansas Forestry Commissionnot named

Every fire recorded in Washington County

Mines and quarries near this property

10 of 14 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 14 workings within 5 miles of Johnson Switch Building: 12 past producers, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Limestone, Dimension, 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
Johnson Quarry & PlantStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Mcclinton Bros CoLimestone, DimensionPast Producer
UnkLimestone, DimensionPast Producer
UnkLimestone, DimensionPast Producer
Cove Creek Pit & PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
UnkSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
UnkSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
UnkSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
UnkSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
UnkSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Washington County

Storms near this property

46 since 1998

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Johnson, the town this property stands in, in 46 storm reports between 1998 and 2026: 16 hail, 16 flash flood, 10 thunderstorm wind, 2 flood. The reports record 1 death 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
March 2008Flash FloodJohnson1 killedHeavy rain caused flooding which resulted in roads being closed in the central portion of Washington County. A 48 year old man tried to drive through a flooded low water crossing near West Fork and his vehicle became stranded. He was washed downstream and was found 7 miles away in the White River.
March 2022Tornado (EF3)Johnson7 hurt, $20,000,000This tornado developed south of Joyce Boulevard and east of Steele Boulevard, southwest of the Northwest Arkansas Mall. The tornado damaged businesses, blew down trees, rolled a van, and then moved across the western portion of the mall. As it moved north-northeast from near the mall, the tornado blew down a cellular phone tower, and destroyed a building near Main Drive. As it continued north-northeast, it damaged numerous homes and businesses, and blew down numerous trees. Major portions of the roofs of several homes were blown off on Pagosa Street, and a vehicle was flipped over in a driveway. The tornado then destroyed the gymnasium at George Elementary School, which was a metal building structure. A home just north of the gym was severely damaged, and a couple nearby large, wooden electrical poles were snapped. A large, metal building structure was destroyed as the tornado neared Highway 412, with several other businesses nearby severely damaged. A hangar was destroyed and other buildings were damaged on the east side of the Springdale Airport. Minor damage to trees and to the roofs of homes continued until the tornado neared Emma Avenue, where it appeared to dissipate. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in the tornado was 135 to 145 mph. Debris from the tornado was carried into Benton County. This tornado injured seven people, and damaged or destroyed at least 135 homes, and damaged or destroyed at least 40 businesses.
May 2020HailJohnson$250,000Grapefruit size hail damaged vehicles, homes, and businesses.
May 2020HailJohnson$200,000Hailstones were measured to five inches in diameter by a resident on Buckingham Drive. Hail damaged vehicles and homes in this area.
July 2013Flash FloodJohnson$200,000Locally heavy rainfall resulted in small creeks coming out of their banks and flooding a nursing home, from which 20 people were evacuated. A dozen homes were also flooded along with vehicles and portions of Hewitt Road, Ball Street, Wilkerson Road, and Main Drive. Constuction in this portion of Johnson may have been a factor in the flooding.
June 1999LightningJohnson$75,000Lightning caused a fire that heavily damaged a duplex in Johnson.
June 2023HailJohnson$20,000Ping pong ball size hail damaged homes and vehicles.
May 2020HailJohnson$20,000Ping pong ball size hail damaged vehicles and homes.
July 2018HailJohnson$15,000no account filed
April 2011HailJohnson$15,000no account filed
June 2023Thunderstorm WindJohnson$10,000Strong thunderstorm wind blew down a large tent at the Northwest Arkansas Mall parking lot.
June 2019HailJohnson$10,000no account filed
July 2010Flash FloodJohnson$5,000A vehicle was submerged in flood waters just southwest of town.
August 2025Thunderstorm WindJohnson$2,000Strong thunderstorm wind snapped large limbs and damaged a privacy fence.
August 2025Thunderstorm WindJohnson$2,000Strong thunderstorm wind snapped large tree limbs and blew down power lines.
June 2019Thunderstorm WindJohnson$2,000Strong thunderstorm wind blew shingles from the roof of a home near W Shady Grove Road and Highway 71B.
August 2006Thunderstorm WindJohnson$1,000Thunderstorm wind estimated at 70 miles blew a semi off of Interstate 540. Several trees in the city of Johnson were blown down.
August 2024Thunderstorm WindJohnson-Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated to 60 mph.
December 2021Flash FloodJohnson-Emergency management reported multiple roadways in and around Johnson were flooded.
October 2019Flash FloodJohnson-Portions of Ball Street in Johnson were closed due to flooding.
October 2019Flash FloodJohnson-Portions of several roads were flooded west of Shady Grove.
February 2019Flash FloodJohnson-Several roads were flooded in and around Wheeler.
October 2019Flash FloodJohnson-Highway 112 was closed in both directions between W Van Asche Drive and Highway 49 due to flooding.
June 2019Thunderstorm WindJohnson-Strong thunderstorm wind snapped large tree limbs south of Arvest Ballpark.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindJohnson-Strong thunderstorm wind blew down a tree onto a road.
April 2017Flash FloodJohnson-Heavy rainfall resulted in numerous streets and parking lots to be flooded in town.
December 2015FloodJohnson-Ball Street in Johnson was closed due to high water.
December 2015FloodJohnson-Ball Street in Johnson was closed due to flooding.
July 2015Flash FloodJohnson-Portions of Wilkerson Road were closed due to flooding.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindJohnson-Strong thunderstorm wind blew down several large tree limbs.
May 2013Flash FloodJohnson-Several roads across northern Washington County were reported flooded.
April 2013Flash FloodJohnson-Portions of Old Missouri Road northeast of Fayetteville were reported flooded.
March 2012Flash FloodJohnson-Ball Street was closed due to high water.
April 2011Flash FloodJohnson-Mudd Creek flooded portions of Paradise Valley Golf Course as well as several roads in the area.
July 2010Flash FloodJohnson-A spotter reported low water crossings covered by four feet of water.
September 2008Flash FloodJohnson-Heavy rains caused flooding which required a few roads in and near Johnson and Fayetteville to be closed.
March 2026HailJohnson-no account filed
March 2026HailJohnson-no account filed
February 2023HailJohnson-no account filed
May 2022HailJohnson-no account filed
May 2021HailJohnson-no account filed
April 2015HailJohnson-no account filed
July 2012HailJohnson-no account filed
July 2012HailJohnson-no account filed
July 2002Thunderstorm WindJohnson-no account filed
February 1998HailJohnson-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Washington 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
Jackson House0.7 miles1982
Johnson House and Mill0.7 miles1976
Strengthen the Arm of Liberty Monument1.5 miles2012
Weathers House2.0 miles2023
Hemingway House and Barn2.5 miles1982
Butterfield Overland Mail Route Fayetteville Segments Historic District2.7 miles2009

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 99000251 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Washington CountyAll 160 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.