Streets of Pea Ridge

Editor's Note: The following is from Billie Jines' 1996 booklet, "The Streets of Pea Ridge." It has been updated to include new streets and those scheduled for future development. It is continued from previous columns.

All north-south streets are named after Union participants of the Battle of Pea Ridge; all east-west ones for their Confederate counterparts.

Union

Union soldiers honored on names of north-south streets

• Reed Street -- Leaves West Pickens Road as the last street to the right before reaching Hayden Road (Ark. Hwy. 265). It starts eastward as it cuts behind a residence, then turns north. It passes two houses on the right, but it passes the back of several houses, which actually are on the next street (Park Circle) facing west. Reed turns right and ends beside a residence. It honors Private William Reed, who served with the First Flying Battery led by Capt. Gustavus M. Elbert. This was the "MS Horse Artillery." Reed was killed at this battle.

• Ryan Road -- Turns left (south) off of Slack Street (Ark. Hwy. 72) between Curtis Avenue and the Church of the Nazarene. This is a part of "the old highway" that later was replaced by Ark. Hwy. 94. Ryan is inside the city limits for a distance, then becomes the city limits a ways and finally is a county road. It honors Samuel Ryan, a private in Davidson's Batt., 2nd Illinois Light Artillery. By coincidence, perhaps, the Union commander at Pea Ridge was Gen. Samuel Ryan Curtis.

• Sigel Street -- Located in the Givens Place development, which was added in 1996. Honors Brig. Gen. Franz Sigel, one of three Union generals at the Battle of Pea Ridge. Gen. Sigel was an 1843 graduate of the Karlsruhe Military Academy, who had taken part in the unsuccessful revolutionary movements in Germany in 1849. He fled to the United States, and was director of the St. Louis public schools before the Civil War.

• Smith Street -- Starts on Lee Town Road, the first street turning north. Goes past Tinnin Street and ends at a residence facing Smith Street. Honors Zimry Smith of Co. G, Phelps Regiment from Springfield, Mo., area. Smith was reported missing at the Battle of Pea Ridge.

• Webb Street -- The first street off of McNair Street in Ridgemoor Estates. It honors Private Sebastian Webb of the Benton Fussars, who were with the 5th Missouri Cavalry serving under Col. Joseph Nemett. They were said to have been mostly Germans.