The papers of Ted R. Worley consist mainly of his writings on Arkansas. From rough drafts to off‑prints, the topics include Arkansas banking, folklore and myths, as well as the history of the Arkansas State Teachers College (ASTC) in Conway. In addition there are his notes from college history courses, reviews of books dealing with the South, and notes from his numerous speeches. As a prolific writer, his articles appeared in such publications as the Arkansas Historical Quarterly, Journal of Southern History, the Mississippi Valley Historical Review – now called the Journal of American History.
Worley, a life-long Arkansan, was born on June 1, 1906 in Pope County to Ernest C. Worley and Dollie (Koone) Worley. After attending the public schools of Pope County, Worley went to Conway where he received his B.S.E. in 1934 at ASTC. In 1939 he received his M.A. from the University of Texas at Austin. After his return to Arkansas, Worley became a professor at ASTC and held that position until 1953 with the exception of a 4 year stint in the Navy during World War II.
The year of 1953 saw Worley become the Executive Secretary of the Arkansas History Commission and the editor of the official publication of the Arkansas Historical Association, the Arkansas Historical Quarterly. By the 1960’s illness caused Worley to retire from both positions. Worley remained as active as he could in the field of Arkansas history until his death on January 1, 1969.
Arrangement: The Worley papers are arranged into two series that include Personal Correspondences and General Materials, and his writing on Arkansas. Moreover, the second series, Writings on Arkansas, is divided into subseries I, Published materials, and subseries II, unpublished material.
NOTE: When requesting material please specify collection number [M86-08], box and file number.
Tracings: Archives, Artists and Writers, Banks and Banking, Bibliographics, Biographies – C.F.M. Noland, Cities and Towns – Conway, Cities and Towns – Helena, Cities and Towns – Des Arc, Colleges and Universities – UCA (ASTC), Folklore/Myths, Religion, Sports – Hunting, Worley, Ted R.
Series I – Correspondence and General Materials
Box 1
File 1 – Correspondence, 1946-1963 of Professional activities.
File 2 – Letters of Appreciation, 1968 (Bound), letter from Winthrop Rockefeller
File 3 – Typed book reviews from Arkansas Gazette, Mississippi Valley Historical Review and South West Historical Quarterly
File 4 – Newspaper Articles and Book Review Clippings
File 5 – Census Records for White River Township (Prairie County, 1850) and Mt. Vernon (Faulkner County, 1880)
File 6 – Class notes: French and Russian Revolution
File 7 – Class notes: Civil War and The South
File 8 – Class notes: Tudor England and the American Historical Association
File 9 – Bibliographies: The Civil War and The History of the Old South
File 10- Speeches on Arkansas Topics (1 of 2)
File 11- Speeches on Arkansas Topics (2 of 2)
File 12- General Materials – Pelzer History Award, AHA award certified, Hall of History Pamphlet, Index Card of Arkansas Maps.
File 13- Copy of “The First Sermon Preached in Arkansas…”
File 14- Manuscript – “The History of ASTC” (1 of 4)
File 15- Manuscript – “The History of ASTC” (2 of 4)
File 16- Manuscript – “The History of ASTC” (3 of 4)
File 17- Manuscript – “The History of ASTC” (4 of 4)
File 18- Manuscript of the Introducation to “Pete Whelston of Devil’s Folk” by Worley and Eugene A. Nolte
File 19- Manuscript to “Notes on the Early History of Conway”
File 20- Manuscript to “The Arkansas State Bank”
File 21- Manuscript to “The Junior Historian”
File 22- Manuscript to “Bypaths of Arkansas History”
File 23- Manuscript to “The War Broadsides in the Eno Collection”
File 24- Manuscript to “Arkansas ‑ Land of Opportunity for Historians”
File 25- Offprint of “Early History of Des Arc and its People”
File 26- Offprint of “The Arkansas Peace Society of 1861: A Study in Mountain Unionism”
File 27- Offprint of ” Arkansas and the Money Crisis of 1836-1837″
File 28- Offprint of “The Control of the Real Estate Bank of the State of Arkansas, 1836-1855″
File 29- Offprint of ” An Early Arkansas Sportsman: C.F.M. Noland”
File 30- Offprint of “Helena on the Mississippi”
File 31- Manuscript to “Beginning of State Banking in Arkansas, 1836-1838”
File 32- Manuscript to “Practical Problems of State Archival Work”
File 33- Manuscript to “Origins of the Arkansas Myth”
File 34- Manuscript to “The Folk Origins of the Arkansas Myth”
File 35- Manuscript to “Notes on the Orgins and Use of the Term `Rackensack'”
File 36- Manuscript to “Schoolcraft’s Ozarks: A Hunter’s Paradise”
File 37- Manuscript to [Arkansas History: 1836-1861]
Item 1 – Typed Manuscript in a Large Binder,“History of Arkansas State Teachers College” (Undated)
Item 2 – Photograph of Will S. Hays boat, undated
Item 3 – One page lithograph, collection of photographic portraits of 65 men, Albert Pike is in center, 1881
End of Box 1
End of Collection