Old State House Museum Collections Blog

   Recently the Old State House Museum acquired a group of letters, 2010.003.01-03, dating from territorial Arkansas.  The documents, authored by Gov. John Pope, Chester Ashley, and a man named Aaron Goza, describe a land transaction between Goza and the State of Arkansas.  Goza purchased a portion of thousands of acres of land granted to the state by U.S. Congress in late 1832 to fund the construction of a state capitol.  The result of this project and the money that it generated was what is today known as the Old State House, the oldest surviving state capitol west of the Mississippi.
Below is an incomplete transcript and scan of the earliest of the three documents:

Little Rock A/ Dec. 28th 1832
To his Excellency
John Pope, Governor of the Territory of Arkansas

Sir
I hereby apply to [illegible]ane of you three hundred twenty acres of the inappropriated lands of the United States in the territory of Arkansas by virtue of the authority [illegible]fided to you by an act of Congress for the sale of ten sections of land appropriated by Congress to erect a public building at Little Rock for the use of the Territory of Arkansas, which land is yet unsurveyed is situated in township fourteen, South of range two West of fifth principal meridian. Tis the land that will be contained by the lines of the public surveys when made- designated by those surveys on the South half of section twenty four [this section crossed out] in the township & range [illegible] this said land including my present [illegible] &[illegible] lately purchased by me of Daniel W. Hampton and including no other involvement of any bonafide [illegible] & improved in the actual occupancy[illegible] of the same, the purchase to be made in conformity with your proclamation except that of with the right to pay the [illegible] of the money unpaid in three payments on the first days of March 1834, 1835, 1836.
Respectfully yours,
Aaron Goza

I am willing to select & sell to Mr. Aaron Goza the land described in the within application so far as it can be surveyed & approved by the Surveyor General he shall have all the little I am authorized to [illegible] by virtue of the act of Congress passed at the last session of Congress. Concerning the within mentioned ten sections of land granted to the People of the Territory for a Public Building at Little Rock, he can have it on the terms mentioned in his application & by proclamation reserving to myself the full right and privilege of reselling the said lands provided the monies shall not be paid within ninety days after the time limited for the payment of each several installments. Mr. Goza's payment to C. Ashley of the monies now to be paid stating[illegible] his benefit for same will be equivalent to a payment to myself.

Little Rock, Dec. 28th 1832.

John Pope

Click the images below to enlarge.