Who was Rodney Parham ave named for?

Answer 1

Rodney Parham was a young mentally disabled Arkansas boy. When the Union army bivouacked near his home he was fascinated. He was caught watching them from a short distance and abducted.

An inexperienced Union officer hanged him for a spy. The inept soldiers failed to fashion a proper knot and the poor poor hung by his neck in agony for almost an hour before dying of exhaustion.

Many landmarks in the area are named in honor of his tragic sacrifice.

I know this is an old post, but I wanted to clarify some wrong info. I think the person on that Answers website is confusing Rodney Parham for David O. Dodd. There is not much info on the web about Mr. Parham, but apparently he was an influential Judge and a mover and shaker in LR in the 1950's. There was a Rodney H. Parham who was a standard-bearer for public education in Arkansas in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but I assume the street is named for the 1950's Parham.

David O. Dodd was the "boy martyr of the Confederacy" who was ineptly hanged. Although much of the detail in the above account is incorrect, too.

Answer 2

Rodney Parham Avenue was named after Rodney Parham, a former Arkansas state senator who served in the 1970s. Shocking, I know. It's like naming a street after the guy or something. But hey, at least now you know who to thank for the joy of navigating that lovely avenue.