Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Spigot

QUESTION: Earlier this year I took part in the Martin Luther King Jr. Marade and discovered what seemed to be a site where the general public or people in the know can access spring water. It is located right next to the Martin Luther King Jr. Heritage and Enrichment Center (3012 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive). Is this a public watering hole? What can you tell me about it?

Thanks,

-Free Water

SCUTTLEBUTT: Jessie Garrett, Executive Director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Heritage and Enrichment Center informed the Plainclothesman that for the past 100 years people have been coming from all over to this Pulaski County spring to drink.

SKINNY: FW, your question touches my heart because I know the spot, the spring you speak of that’s accessible to the public on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. In fact, it was one of the first places I visited upon my arrival to Little Rock. I passed it on my way to the infamous Sim’s Barbecue which until the past year or so was located in the Martin Luther King Jr. Neighborhood (Little Rock’s South End) on West 33^rd Street.

What impressed me most about this cool, clean, water was that it was a spring made available to all, especially in this predominantly African-American neighborhood. In my first visit to this public spring five years ago there seemed to be an endless stream of people using it. They swore by it. One person told me that he used it exclusively to water all the plants in his house, another shared that her water was cut off and she used (and was grateful for) the spring because she was able to bathe and have drinking water. People arrived with a number of one to five gallon jugs in their cars and pick-up trucks to get water. Watching this made me feel good…made me feel like this community had got it right. Water should be hassle free and available to all. I was also reminded of the first time I began to think of water as a commodity as something fought over and squandered. It was in my seventh grade social studies class. We were surveying a map of the United States and where the great rivers and bodies of water were located and where they were not. Our teacher shared with us fights states were having like Georgia, Florida and Alabama over water.

Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Spigot

According to Ms. Garrett, the spring is not the property of the Martin Luther King Heritage and Enrichment Center.  The owners of the spigot moved away from the community before the tornado of 1999.

“The January 1999 tornado outbreak sequence was a major outbreak of tornadoes from January 17 to 22 1999 across the Mississippi Valley, USA, centered in Arkansas and Tennessee. It was (and remains) by far the largest tornado outbreak ever recorded in the month of January with 150 tornadoes confirmed. The Little Rock area was slammed by a strong tornado on the evening of January 21. It tracked directly into the downtown area, making it one of the few tornadoes in recent years to directly hit the downtown area of a major city.”  (Wikipedia)

Ms. Garrett believes the owners have always made the spring available to the public. After the tornado of 1999 there was an effort on behalf of the Martin Luther King Jr. Neighborhood Association to restore its community. Residents and friends worked alongside the Heritage Center to build a small shelter for the spring. Although the spring is still running the shelter has since been torn down.

After a period of heavy rain earlier this year, the City of Little Rock and the Arkansas Department of Health found a trace of E. Coli in the spring. Their concern for this spring and any publicly used water source continues to be potential sources of contamination. The South End spring on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive is still being frequented by the public.

CHECK THIS OUT: World Water Day

World Water Day was March 22, 2010. It is an international observance initiated by a 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Here’s Secretary Hillary Clinton speaking at World Water Day 2010.

CHECK THIS OUT: Cool Water

FW, your question brought to mind this fabulous song I first heard Joni Mitchell and Willie Nelson sing called “Cool Water.” I since learned their version was a cover which goes way back to the 1940’s. According to Aussie Folk Singer, Raymond Crooke , “The best-known recording was by Vaughn Monroe and The Sons of the Pioneers in 1948. It was on the Billboard magazine chart for 13 weeks that year. Other recordings are by Hank Williams (1949), Hank Snow, Frankie Laine (1955), Fleetwood Mac (1982), Marty Robbins (1959), Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Slim Whitman, Burl Ives, Eddy Arnold, Leo Kottke, The Muppets and Joni Mitchell, with different lyrics (1988). Bob Dylan and The Band also recorded it for the Basement Tapes sessions, but it is only available on bootleg.”

Here’s Raymond Crooke singing Cool Water.

CHECK THIS OUT: Martin Luther King Jr. Heritage and Enrichment Center

Martin Luther King Jr. Heritage and Enrichment Center

The following excerpt is taken from the MLK Heritage Enrichment Center website.

“A devastating tornado in 1999 severely damaged an inhabited residence at 3012 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, located adjacent to Little Rock’s well-known artesian spring. The tornado ripped most of the roof and wall cladding from the house as well as shifted the whole house off of its foundation. Emergency remedies were enacted not only to this house but as well to the shelter above artesian spring on the lot just south of this one.

As many of our residents viewed the damage throughout the neighborhood, several members of the Martin Luther King Neighborhood Association, and its President, Mrs. Jessie M. Garrett realized an opportunity to start a campaign to revitalize the neighborhood, starting with that damaged house on 3012 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive. They had a “vision” to transform this otherwise torn and vacant house into a functional meeting place for the neighborhood association and more especially, a cultural center embodying the legacy of Dr. King for sharing and reflecting to all residents of this city. The Martin Luther King Neighborhood Association set out on a dedicated path to realize this vision.”

CHECK THIS OUT: Artesian Spring/Artesian Aquifer

Artesian Well by Andrew Dunn

An artesian aquifer is a confined aquifer containing groundwater that will flow upward through a well, called an artesian well, without the need for pumping. Water may even reach the ground surface if the natural pressure is high enough, in which case the well is called a flowing artesian well. Learn more about artesian aquifers here.