Overview

Fort Smith, Arkansas, in the 1910s was no longer a rough western town. Electric lights, fancy hotels, new theaters, trolleys, and automobiles were changing how people traveled, did business, worshiped and enjoyed themselves. Citizens viewed it as a modern city where life was ""worth living."" Until the night of March 23, 1912 when violence overtook Garrison Avenue--beginning with the shooting of a popular lawman, Andy Carr, and ending with the lynching of an innocent young black man, Sanford Lewis.

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9781943267651

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Reviews

A good read where legend, fact and people come together in a narrative of racism, murder, greed and universal human nature. Everything is here and it really happened. There was a black man named Sanford Lewis and a white policeman named Andy Carr. They came together in an incident that left them both dead and a community stained for over a hundred years. Joyce Faulkner and Micki Voelkel have made them live again and speak to us today. Judge Jim Spears, author of JUSTICE DIVIDED: A Judicial History of Sebastian County *** Garrison Avenue is historical fiction plucked from newspaper articles, archives, and court records of the time. Joyce Faulkner and Micki Voelkel have expertly crafted a heart-wrenching and engaging tale of a young woman's struggle to find her niche in the early 1900s, and her attempts to reconcile a senseless and cruel act against her friend, Sanford (Sandy) Lewis. Sandra Miller Linhart, award-winning author of Monica, Lost and coauthor of Frozen Tears: The Fort Wood MP Murders *** Joyce Faulkner describes a city facing a new era, becoming what had always been brewing under the surface--a southern town. Her characters are full of life--including Sanford Lewis, a quiet, gentle man who loses his life. Faulkner's story affects not only Sanford, but his family, the black community, the townspeople, and city government. Sadly, it is story of people--good people--facing life when a force larger than all of them swept the soul of this quiet town down Garrison Avenue. Angela Walton-Raji, Historian and Genealogist *** While working for the Sebastian County Circuit Clerk's office, I found the court records of the lynching on Garrison Avenue my mother and grandmother talked about. I am intrigued to see its story come out of hiding for others to read. I would encourage others to visit the Records department and research those historical records. Reginald Moore, Historian, Researcher, and Reenactor *** Wow! What a great book. I feel like I am walking down Garrison Avenue with my ancestors. Having grown up in Fort Smith, this book brought back memories of my childhood. It also mentions things about Fort Smith that we might like to forget, but that are very important in the history of my home town. George Simmons, Great Nephew of John B. Williams *** A one, two punch! An enjoyable novel with characters that draw you in, and an important accounting of one of Fort Smith's most tragic and reprehensible events. Tom Wing, Assistant Professor of History, Director-Drennen-Scott Historic Site, University of Arkansas-Fort Smith

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