The Orr School is a historic school building at 831 Laurel Street in

Texarkana, Arkansas Texarkana is a city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Miller County, on the southwest border of the state. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 29,387. The city is located across the state line from its twin city ...

. It is a single story wood-frame structure, with a hip roof that has exposed rafters. It is clad in white shiplap siding. The interior has a long, narrow hallway dividing classrooms on either side. The school was built c. 1880, and is the only surviving building in Texarkana associated with the life of the noted

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

composer

Scott Joplin Scott Joplin ( 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Because of the fame achieved for his ragtime compositions, he was dubbed the "King of Ragtime." During his career, he wrote over 40 original ragtime pieces, one ra ...

(1868-1917), the "father of American

Ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...

". The building was originally two stories in height, but was reduced to one in 1920, when then hip roof and some of its Craftsman-style window treatment was added. It was purchased from the city by the City Federation of Women's Clubs in 1958. The building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1976.

References

School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas School buildings completed in 1880 Buildings and structures in Texarkana, Arkansas National Register of Historic Places in Miller County, Arkansas Scott Joplin {{MillerCountyAR-NRHP-stub

See also

References