Jonesboro bicentennial project being planned; old pictures sought

The Jonesboro Bi-Centennial Committee is already planning to celebrate next year’s 200th anniversary of the founding of Jonesboro in 1818.  

The committee is looking for old pictures of  individuals, groups, organizations, buildings, businesses, advertisements – anything 50 years or older.  

Photographs within the rural areas included in the Jonesboro School District may also be submitted.  

The committee hopes to have every rural school that consolidated with the Jonesboro Grade School represented, as well as the churches in and around Jonesboro (which includes the Mill Creek area). 

Plans are to incorporate a collection of Jonesboro area photos into a book, which will be available to the public.

The committee is planning to work on scanning photographs for the project.

The first day for copying (scanning images to a computer) is planned from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 5, at Jonesboro City Hall. The city hall is located on the square in Jonesboro.

The committee asks that those who bring in pictures  be prepared to identify the pictures by name, location and any people who may be included.  

Also, if the date of the picture is uncertain, a best estimate for the time period will be helpful. Photos will be scanned and returned to those who bring them in while they wait.

The committee notes that it is not guaranteed that all pictures will be used in the book. However, they will be preserved on a computer disk for future generations.  

Those who may want to send digital photos can email them to hileman14@frontier.com.  

For more information about the project, call the Jonesboro City Hall at 833-2712.