“U.S. Presidents” Volvelle

US Presidents volvelle, circa 1931Donated by  Bill Stamper

As Emily Marinker of the New York Academy of Medicine writes, “[A volvelle is] a (brilliantly) simple paper construction of moving parts; layers of rotating discs with information on them.”

This “Biographies of U.S. Presidents” volvelle was produced by Arthur Sichel of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and has a copyright date of 1931. Information for each president includes birthplace, religion, ancestry, years in office, inauguration year, the order in which he served, party affiliation, profession before becoming president, final resting place, and the vice president who served with him. The religions listed on the volvelle include Baptist, Disciples of Christ, Episcopal, Society of Friends (Quaker), Methodist, No Claim, Presbyterian, Reformed Dutch, and Unitarian. Five ancestries are listed: Dutch, English, Scotch, Scotch-Irish, and Welsh. Below each president’s image is his name, birth date, and death date. 

A German immigrant, Arthur Sichel (1887–1955) arrived in America in 1903, settled in Pennsylvania, became a naturalized citizen of the U.S. in 1927, and married Kamma Riegelsen from Denmark in 1932.  In the 1930 census, Arthur Sichel listed his occupation as  “advertising salesman.”

The volvelle was found by the donor when he bought the former home of the John A. and Margaret Long Phillips family of Huntsville (Madison County). John Phillips served as Madison County’s sheriff from 1926 until he was shot and killed by 80-year-old county resident Jason Matlock on December 22, 1930. Sheriff Phillips less than ten days left in office; Arkansas Governor Henry Parnell appointed Margaret Phillips to finish out her husband’s term. According to the Madison County Record (December 30, 1930), as she “assisted [Sheriff Phillips] all the time with the clerical duties of the office and is better qualified than anyone else to wind up the affairs in the office. She will appoint deputies to look after any work outside needing attention.”

U. S. Presidents volvelle, 1931

Donated by  Bill Stamper

As Emily Marinker of the New York Academy of Medicine writes, “[A volvelle is] a (brilliantly) simple paper construction of moving parts; layers of rotating discs with information on them.”

This “Biographies of U.S. Presidents” volvelle was produced by Arthur Sichel of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and has a copyright date of 1931. Information for each president includes birthplace, religion, ancestry, years in office, inauguration year, the order in which he served, party affiliation, profession before becoming president, final resting place, and the vice president who served with him. The religions listed on the volvelle include Baptist, Disciples of Christ, Episcopal, Society of Friends (Quaker), Methodist, No Claim, Presbyterian, Reformed Dutch, and Unitarian. Five ancestries are listed: Dutch, English, Scotch, Scotch-Irish, and Welsh. Below each president’s image is his name, birth date, and death date. 

A German immigrant, Arthur Sichel (1887–1955) arrived in America in 1903, settled in Pennsylvania, became a naturalized citizen of the U.S. in 1927, and married Kamma Riegelsen from Denmark in 1932.  In the 1930 census, Arthur Sichel listed his occupation as  “advertising salesman.”

The volvelle was found by the donor when he bought the former home of the John A. and Margaret Long Phillips family of Huntsville (Madison County). John Phillips served as Madison County’s sheriff from 1926 until he was shot and killed by 80-year-old county resident Jason Matlock on December 22, 1930. Sheriff Phillips less than ten days left in office; Arkansas Governor Henry Parnell appointed Margaret Phillips to finish out her husband’s term. According to the Madison County Record (December 30, 1930), as she “assisted [Sheriff Phillips] all the time with the clerical duties of the office and is better qualified than anyone else to wind up the affairs in the office. She will appoint deputies to look after any work outside needing attention.”

Orval Faubus’s Hat

Gov. Orval Faubus (in dark suit) at the Springdale Savings and Loan Association dedication, June 11, 1960. Howard Clark, photographer/Caroline Price Clark Collection (S-2001-82-375)

Donated by James McNally

This circa 1960 hat was made for Gov. Orval Faubus by Harry Rolnick, co-owner and designer of Resistol Hats. Rolnick and E.R. Byer founded Byer-Rolnick Company in Dallas in 1927. Byer-Rolnick specialized in Western and dress hats branded Resistol for “resist all weather.” Resistol hats quickly became famous for their trademarked “Self-Conforming Band” and “Kitten Finish” (a method of processing felt which produced a softer texture than conventionally-made felt).

Gov. Orval Faubus (in dark suit) at the Springdale Savings and Loan Association dedication, June 11, 1960. Howard Clark, photographer/Caroline Price Clark Collection (S-2001-82-375)

Donated by James McNally

This circa 1960 hat was made for Gov. Orval Faubus by Harry Rolnick, co-owner and designer of Resistol Hats. Rolnick and E.R. Byer founded Byer-Rolnick Company in Dallas in 1927. Byer-Rolnick specialized in Western and dress hats branded Resistol for “resist all weather.” Resistol hats quickly became famous for their trademarked “Self-Conforming Band” and “Kitten Finish” (a method of processing felt which produced a softer texture than conventionally-made felt).

Campaign Clicker

Donated by Martha Lankford

John Paul Hammerschmidt (1922-2015) served Arkansas’s Third District in the U. S. House of Representatives for twenty-six years. A native of Harrison (Boone County), he attended the Citadel in South Carolina before receiving an appointment to the Naval Academy at Annapolis. He was later granted a request to change that appointment to West Point. Before making the transfer, he attended the University of Arkansas for the 1940-41 school year. Upon the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hammerschmidt decided to go to work for a naval yard in California to aid in the war effort. Foregoing his appointment to West Point, he joined the Army Air Corps and served as a combat pilot in the China-Burma-India Theater, where he flew 217 combat missions.

Hammerschmidt’s political career started in Harrison and eventually led to challenging and defeating Democrat Jim Trimble for the Third District seat. He retired from Congress in 1993 but continued to be actively involved in public life as he served on several state and national committees.

Congressman John Paul Hammerschmidt (third from left) at a National Chamber of Commerce convention in Washington, D. C., April 1973. Also pictured, from left: Springdale businessman Sandy Boone, Virginia Hammerschmidt, and Springdale Chamber of Commerce president Lee Zachary. Springdale Chamber of Commerce Collection (S-77-9-283)

1888 Presidential Campaign Button

Donated by Dorothy Gill Leslie

Benjamin Harrison (left) and Levi Morton distributed badges like this during their 1888 campaign as the Republican nominees for president and vice president. They lost the popular vote by 90,000 but managed to beat President Grover Cleveland in the electoral college vote of 233 to 168.

This badge belonged to John Rees Gill He and his wife, Della Ahart Gill, lived for a time in the Madison County community of Pettigrew, where John Gill became the town’s first postmaster in 1898.

Radar Unit

Donated by the Springdale Police Department

The Springdale Police Department used this Dominator radar unit to catch drivers exceeding the speed limit in the mid-1960s. One officer sat in a squad car with the radar unit, clocking the speed of a vehicle as it passed. When there was a violation, he radioed another officer waiting in a squad car down the road who would then pull the speeding driver over and issue a ticket.

“Radar Will Getcha If You Don’t Watch Out” was the caption for an April 12, 1965, Springdale News photo feature describing the department’s two-man radar operation. One officer (Karl Martens, pictured here) sat in a squad car with the radar unit, clocking speeds of cars as they passed. When there was a violation, he radioed another officer waiting in a car down the road who would then stop and ticket violators. Charles Bickford, photographer/Springdale News Collection