Editing Landmark, Arkansas (section)

==Early Settlement History==
Landmark is composed of prior settlements and townships; Parkers, Iron Springs, and Union Township. It was formed within the southern reaches of Pulaski County in 1859. Enoch Davis received his land patent in 1843 and was the only land owner in the area; however, by the end of the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], approximately 8 families lived in the area.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date= |title=NRHP Nomination |url=https://www.arkansasheritage.com/docs/default-source/national-registry/pu10463_nr-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=e2a2041a_0 |website= |location= |publisher=Arkansas Heritage |access-date=March 20, 2025}}</ref> Several families soon secured land patents, leaving their names on local creeks, including Brewer, Ledbetter, Treadway, and Bunch branches. These are tributaries of the protected Fourche Creek watershed system.

In 1878, Robert Parker, a store owner in northern Union Township, petitioned for a local [[post office]] under the name Bermuda. While his request for a post office was approved, the proposed name was rejected in favor of "Parkers." The post office remained in operation until its closure in 1906, after which the Parkers and Iron Springs areas were incorporated into a rural postal route managed from Little Rock.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date= |title=Post Offices |url=https://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?task=display&state=AR&county=Pulaski&searchtext=&pagenum=4 |website=Postal History |location= |publisher=Postal History |access-date=March 20, 2025}}</ref>

The name Landmark originates from the Landmark Missionary Baptist Church, established in 1885. The church and the attached cemetery are still in use today. Its founders, former members of Pine Grove Church in nearby [[Sweet Home, Arkansas|Sweet Home]], split from their [[Church (congregation)|congregation]] over a dispute about sharing their building with [[Methodist]]s and [[Presbyterian]]s. Rejecting such cooperation as a threat to their doctrinal integrity, they chose the name "Landmark" to signify adherence to traditional [[Baptist]] teachings. They were later joined by members of the East Union Baptist Church of [[Saline County, Arkansas|Saline County]] after its schoolhouse relocated. In October 1885, the congregation was accepted into the Pine Bluff Missionary Baptist Association. Squires Wright donated an acre for the church, built from locally sourced lumber, and in 1896, Joel Bunch provided land for a cemetery.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Baker |first=Russell Pierce |date=1986 |title=The Beginnings of Landmark Church and Community |url=https://www.pulaskicountyhistory.org/publications |magazine=Pulaski County Historical Review |location=Little Rock, Ark |publisher=PCHR |access-date=March 20, 2025}}</ref>

Following the Civil War, there was a greater need for a [[State school|public school]]. One was established; however, the schoolhouse relocated multiple times over the years. In 1877, the Iron Springs School operated near Lorance Creek in the township’s southern region. A schoolhouse was later built on Hickory Hill, east of the church, which itself served as a schoolhouse from 1918 to 1921. In 1920, the district was consolidated into a countywide system. Today, Landmark Elementary School remains part of the [[Pulaski County Special School District]], located on Arch Street Pike, north of the church. It has been in continuous operation since 1921, with the currently building completed in the 1970s.<ref>{{cite web |last=Teske |first=Steven |date=January 30, 2025 |title=Landmark Community |url=https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/landmark-pulaski-county-7203/ |website=Encyclopedia of Arkansas |location= |publisher=Central Ark Library System |access-date=March 20, 2025}}</ref>