Reprinted here by special permission of the author, Cindy Beckman, a retired Conway High School history teacher who writes local history.

In the 1940s, Hwy. 65 was re-routed away from downtown. Its new path followed Harkrider Street through Conway before it continued northward through Greenbrier to Damascus.

Hwy. 64, coming from the east, merged with Hwy. 65, coming from the south, at Oak and Harkrider and then split again at what locals called the “Y” with 64 going west and 65 continuing north. The “Y” is still evident in front of Wal-Mart Supercenter.

The development of this new thoroughfare and the rise of the automobile led to Continue reading →