Our History

The Modern News Building has been a staple in the Harrisburg community since its opening. Although it has a slightly different purpose today, it still serves the Harrisburg community. An account in a Modern News article, revealed the correct date of construction to be 1896, rather than the more commonly believed date of 1888. Prior to 1896, it is believed the newspaper was run from the Poinsett County Courthouse. L.D. Freeman purchased the newspaper in Harrisburg and changed its name in 1888. Before Freeman bought the business, the newspaper was called The Arkansas Tribune, and it is unclear of what date that started, though it would have been around 1873. It is local folklore that the original printing press that was being replaced was too large and heavy to remove from the structure. To remedy this, someone went under the building, dug a hole deep enough for the press to fit, cut the floor out from underneath it, and buried it, sealing it with a new concrete floor throughout. It is a great pride to the people of Harrisburg, Arkansas that we possess almost all of the original prints of the Modern News Paper in their original binding. Poinsett County Historical Society has worked with the Poinsett County Library to document these fragile historical documents by use of a scanner to help digitize them so they are more accessible to the public. The scans can be seen and studied at the local library just around the corner from the newspaper building. In addition to the collection of Modern News papers, several dozen original copies of The Arkansas Tribune from the 1870s are also still in existence. The building was sold in 2019 after the newspaper closed its door. After an extensive renovation to the building, it was reopened in 2024 as the event venue it is today.