Publications
Our Publications
Flashback is the quarterly historical publication of the society and has been published since 1951. It is regularly used as a research tool by researchers all over the country. Many libraries subscribe for use in their reference sections. It has been indexed since its inception which makes the research possible. Individual copies of most issues are available for purchase. Please check for Flashback at the WCHS Bookstore on this website, or call the WCHS office at (479) 521- 2970.
Digitized copies of Flashback are now available through the Internet Archive. These include issues beginning with the launch of the journal in 1951. These digitized copies can be accessed at https://archive.org/details/flashbackcollection. Files can be searched by year of publication. We also have on this website a selection of PDFs of old editions.
FlashForward is the newsletter of the Washington County Historical Society. It is mailed to members. There is an online version of our FlashForward available now! You can download a FlashForward PDF (1.6M) of the most recent edition here: Flashforward May 2026
The Washington County Historical Society and Flashback sponsor an annual writing competition which awards two prizes, each carries an honorarium of $250.
- The Walter J. Lemke Prize for best article on Washington County history, with a preference given to subjects outside Fayetteville;
- The Lessie Stringfellow Read Prize for best article on Washington County history, with a focus on Fayetteville.
Writers interested in participating should see WCHS paper competition submission guidelines here or contact the WCHS at 479-521-2970. Winning articles are published in Flashback.
Recent award winners:
2024 WCHS Writing Awards
Walter J. Lemke Prize: Denele Campbell, for "Samuel Gallitzen Newton, Pioneer Missionary."
Lessie Stringfellow Read Prize: Katrina Windon, "The Shadow-Catcher and the Baker: Martha and William Henry of Fayetteville."
2024 Arkansas Historical Association Awards
AHA Walter L. Brown Award for County or Local Journal - Flashback - Honorable Mention.
AHA Best Biography, Autobiography, or Memoir in a County or Local Journal - "The 'Otherness' of Forrestina Bradley Campbell aka White River Red," by Denele Campbell.
AHA Best Community History - "Fayetteville: Mecca for Writers," by J.B. Hogan.
2023 Preserve Arkansas Ned Shank Award
The 2023 Ned Shank Award for Outstanding Preservation Publication: Andrea Cantrell, "Cy Sutherland: Architect, Educator, Preservationist." Published in Flashback, Vol. 73, No. 1 (Spring 2023).
2023 WCHS Writing Awards
Walter J. Lemke Prize: Susan Parks-Spencer, "Remembering the Lives of Robert Kidd and William Clingman Raper."
Lessie Stringfellow Read Prize: Andrea Cantrell, "Fayetteville's Early Women's Clubs."
2022 WCHS Writing Awards
Walter J. Lemke Prize: Denele Campbell, “The Story of Forrestina Bradley Campbell aka White River Red.”
Lessie Stringfellow Read Prize: Katrina Windon, “Solid People in Unstable Times: Tabitha and William Taylor of Fayetteville, Arkansas.”
2021 WCHS Writing Awards
Walter J. Lemke Prize: Andrea Cantrell, “Working Together and Helping Others; Washington County Women’s Extension Clubs.”
Lessie Stringfellow Read Prize: Amanda Bancroft, “Mail Clerk to Marine: A WWI Marine from Washington County.”
2020 WCHS Writing Awards
Walter J. Lemke Prize: John Marinoni, “First Impressions of Fayetteville in 1905: An Italian Professor Finds His ‘American Dream.’”
Lessie Stringfellow Read Prize: Dan Durning, “’Fayetteville Freddie’ Hawn: A Good Life in Baseball.”
2019 WCHS Writing Awards
Walter J. Lemke Prize: No award given.
Lessie Stringfellow Read Prize: Denele Campbell, “Roy Brumfield and Fayetteville’s Downtown Motor Lodge: A History of the Mountain Inn”
2018 WCHS Writing Awards
Walter J. Lemke Prize: No award given.
Lessie Stringfellow Read Prize: Amanda Bancroft, “The Historic Johnson Farm: Preserving History and Ecology, Parts I and II.”
2017 WCHS Writing Awards
Walter J. Lemke Prize: No award given.
Lessie Stringfellow Read Prize: Amanda Bancroft, “The Historic Johnson Farm: Preserving History and Ecology, Part II.”
2016 WCHS Writing Awards
Walter J. Lemke Prize: No award given.
Lessie Stringfellow Read Prize: James E. Stice, “A Biography of Fenner Stice."
Books and Pamphlets
The Washington County Historical Society has published numerous books and bulletins over the years. Issues can be purchased through the society’s online bookstore.
