Building History: Blytheville Greyhound Bus Station

If the walls of the Blytheville Greyhound Bus Station could talk, they’d undoubtedly share pieces of this small northeast Arkansas town’s past. Since its 1937 construction, the building has witnessed WWII soldiers solemnly arrive for training at the town’s air force base—and also depart for battle. It has seen spirited blues musicians travel the route from Memphis to Chicago to play their next gig. And, it has watched as families were reunited or set off for a holiday to destinations untold.

Operating for more than 60 years, the Art Moderne-style structure became a beacon in the town until the last bus on the Dixie Line route pulled out of the station in 2001. For several years, the building fell into disrepair until, through his work with a state leadership program, resident David Gullic was able to secure a grant from the Arkansas Department of Transportation. The funding, along with numerous generous donations, allowed for proper restoration of the building, bringing it back to its former glory and allowing future generations to enjoy its iconic place in the community’s history.

Today, the bus station is home to Main Street Blytheville, an organization dedicated to preserving and growing the historic downtown, and it also serves as an event venue and town visitor center. Guided tours with knowledgeable local docents are available by appointment. Inside, the original ticket booth, the divided entrances and waiting rooms that were a part of segregation, and numerous relics from the station’s decades of operation are available for viewing. “We have people from all over the world who stop in to see the station, and many of them want to come in and tell their story of catching the bus or riding through here,” says Main Street Blytheville board president Amy Brothers Riston. “If it wasn’t here, our town wouldn’t be the same.”