Marche

Marche (pronounced "Mar-Shay") is a community located in Pulaski County twelve miles north of Little Rock, Arkansas. The community began as a rural post office stop on the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad.

Polish Settlement

The town, originally called Warren, was settled by Poles. The name was changed to reduce confusion with a Bradley County town of same name. The population of Marche in 1892 was about 37 people. The postmaster at the time was Miss S. Choinski. A vinegar factory operated here under E. W. Choinski and a general store under Miss Helen Choinski.

White Oak Bayou

Marche is situated inside the forty-two square mile White Oak Bayou watershed, comprising fourteen hundred acres of wetland in Pulaski County. The bayou originates withing the boundaries of Camp Robinson. The White Oak Bayou empties into the Arkansas River at Burns Park. Natural areas in the watershed are characterized by mixed forest. Trees found in the forest include blackjack oak, bur oak, cherry bark oak, green ash, loblolly pine, overcup oak, post oak, shagbark hickory, short leaf pine, southern red oak, and willow oak. The bayou is populated with bald cypress and water tupelo.

References

• 1890 Personal Property Tax rolls, Pulaski County, Arkansas
• Arkansas History Commission & State Archives, Map Archive #230 & #231.
• Arkansas State Gazetteer and Business Directory (Chicago, IL: R.L. Polk Company, 1892).
• Arkansas State Highway Commission in Cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Public Roads, General Highways and Transportation Maps, Pulaski County, Arkansas, Pyeatte and Worthen Townships, 1936.
• Harry S. Ashmore, Arkansas: A History (New York: Norton Press, 1984), 115-116.
• Bernie Babcock, "First Settlers of Marche," Arkansas Gazette, February 6, 1938.
• Julia G. Besancon-Alford, "The History of Marche, Arkansas," Pulaski County Historical Review 41.4 (Winter 1993): 78-90.
• Cary Bradburn, "Marche Concerned Over Polish Crisis," Arkansas Democrat, December 19, 1981.
• Celebrating 125 Years of the Foundation of the Church of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Marche, 1878, 2003, booklet, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Marche, Arkansas, 2003.
• Trish Costello, "Father Robert Dienert: Returning to a Church from His Past," North Little Rock Times, June 6, 2002.
• "Count Led Settlers to Arkansas," Arkansas Gazette, August 26, 1989.
• Sandra Cox, "Marche Residents Hope Wetlands Drown I-40 Interchange Project," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette,
• Jerry Dean, "Polish Town Sees Identity Fading Away," Arkansas Gazette, August 26, 1989.
• Ernie Deane, "European Settlers Helped Build Arkansas," Arkansas Gazette, July 9, 1961.
• Stephanie Dixon, "Marche: Time Hasn't Eroded Its Distinctly Polish Flavor," North Little Rock Times, November 12, 1981.
• "Fourth of July at Warren," Arkansas Gazette, July 2, 1876.
• L.E. Hebb, "Pioneer Settlers of Marche Still Retail Customs of Native Poland," Arkansas Democrat, June 21, 1936.
• Gene Herrington, "Polish Heritage Lives on in Marche," North Little Rock Times, Newcomers Guide, 1998.
• Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 1878-1978 Centennial Souvenir Copy, Marche, Arkansas, 1978.
• "Land Hunters," St. Louis Commercial Gazette, March 29, 1877.
• "Little Rock & Fort Smith Railroad: The Feeder to Little Rock and the Pride of the State," Arkansas Gazette, April 30, 1876.
• Richard McCue and Louise McCue, "Giving Homes for Defense Enlargement of Camp Robinson for Training Area Causes Removal of 340 Farm Families from Pulaski and Faulkner Counties in Mid-Winter," Arkansas Gazette, December 29, 1940.
• Tom McDonald, "A Back to the Future Look at Pulaski County," Maumelle Monitor, March 11, 1993.
• Linda Mills, "Marche Mock Polish Wedding Draws 250," Maumelle Monitor, February 25, 1993.
• Andrew W. Modelski, Railroad Maps of North America: The First Hundred Years (Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1984).
• "The Poles," Arkansas Gazette, September 29, 1877.
• "Polish Immigrants: Fifty Thousand Acres of Land in One Tract Wanted for Five Hundred Actual Settlers," Arkansas Gazette, March 10, 1877.
• "Polish Settlement of Marche Founded by Refugees in 1870," Arkansas Gazette, July 13, 1941.
• Kate Richardson, "Polish Defector at Home in Marche; Catholic Parish Welcomes Couple," North Little Rock Times, June 11, 1987.
• Margaret Ross, "Old Town of Bartlett Turned Out to Be Only Frustrated Dreams - and Schemes," Arkansas Gazette, February 5, 1967.
• Margaret Ross, "Old Town of Bartlett Got a New Name - Warren - But is Remembered as Marche," Arkansas Gazette, February 12, 1967.
• Margaret Ross, "Plans for Polish Community at Marche Began with Letter to Editor of Gazette," Arkansas Gazette, February 19, 1967.
• Margaret Ross, "Squatters Rights, Part II. Crystal Hill – Maumelle – Palarm: Settlers Prior to 1814," Pulaski County Historical Review 4 (September 1956): 33-50.
• Deborah Roush, "Holding On To History: Polish Roots, Traditions Still Central to Community," Maumelle Monitor, September 17, 2003.
• Jan Sarna, ed., "Marche, Arkansas: A Personal Reminiscence of Life and Customs," Arkansas Historical Quarterly 36.1 (Spring 1977): 31-49.
• Marcia Schnedler, "Proud People's Past Rests Behind Doors of Marche Church," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, March 26, 2000.
• Lisa Sharp, "The Heritage of Marche in Pulaski County: A Community of Values," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, December 8, 1994.
• Ladislas Sickanjec, "The Poles of Arkansas," The Polish American, April 10, 1971.
• "State News," Arkansas Gazette, August 8, 1877.
• "Tornado Tears Through Marche," Arkansas Gazette, May 5, 1908.
• Beverly Watkins, "Efforts to Encourage Immigration to Arkansas, 1865–1874," Arkansas Historical Quarterly 38 (Spring 1979): 60-62.

External links

• Maumelle Wetlands Task Force