The Bauxite Community Center Constructed for its employees in 1926 by the Aluminum Company of America, this old Southern Colonial meeting hall solidly stands today as a testament to the joyous memories of the people who once lived and worked in Bauxite. It is still a gracious host to the annual Bauxite Reunion and countless other meetings, parties, dinners and other special events throughout the year. My 50th birthday surprise party was held in this memorable old building on September 25th, 2003. My name is Steven Hicks and beginning in 1959, I attended Bauxite Public Schools all 12 years of my elementary and secondary education. I graduated from Bauxite High School in 1971. I am old enough to remember Bauxite as a town filled with people, homes, churches, stores, ball parks and fun activities. My parents and grandparents were born in Saline County, Arkansas near the town of Bauxite. My father, grandfather, four uncles, an aunt, my brother and brother-in-law have all worked in the bauxite mines and refining plants. My brother began working for the Aluminum Company of America at age 17 and has recently retired in 1999. He was one of the few remaining employees of ALCOA at Bauxite, Arkansas. My inspiration for creating these pages comes from my own memories and the book, A Written and Pictorial History of Bauxite, by Gordon Scott Bachus, Ed.D. Dr. Bachus was my World History teacher at Bauxite High School. His book is accurate, thorough and filled with many accounts and photos of life in Bauxite during the early years. Originally published in 1968, it has recently been reprinted and is available through the Bauxite Museum. The Museum is staffed by volunteers and is located in the Community Center and is open to the public every Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and Sundays from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The annual Bauxite Reunion is always held in May, on the Saturday before Memorial Day at the Community Hall. There is always a short program at 1:00pm, including the announcement of new AEDA officers and a treasurer's report. |
Bauxite, Arkansas is a page from the past. Bauxite was, in its peak, home to more than 7000 people who lived and worked there to mine and refine bauxite ore, the raw material for aluminum. America's massive aluminum industry has its roots in Bauxite, Arkansas. Today, all that remain are the Community Center, the High School and decades of fond memories. The houses and businesses were removed in the 1950s and 60s and all but a small area was strip mined in the 1970s and 80s. The mining is now complete, the land has been beautifully reclaimed, but the town is gone forever. It was a story book town--clean, inviting and peaceful. There was no other place like Bauxite. There was no police department and no jail. True, it was a mining town, but not dirty and sooty like the coal mining towns in the Appalachians. In fact, the dust that settled onto the town from the aluminum refineries was a harmless white powder called alumina. It collected on the hats and boots of every refinery worker. Make no mistake, however, mining the clay-like bauxite ore was a muddy and treacherous job. Bauxite miners were rugged, hard working individuals who subjected themselves to many of the same dangers as coal miners. That same fearless and determined spirit remains today, embodied in Bauxite's championship high school football and athletic teams, the "Bauxite Miners". - Steven Hicks
|
