The post office in Kingsland is officially the Kingsland Johnny Cash Post Office.
On June 3, 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed HR 7180 to designate the post office Kingsland Johnny Cash Post Office. The bill was sponsored by Arkansas 4th District U.S. Congressman Bruce Westerman. It was co-sponsored by Arkansas Congressmen Steve Womack, French Hill and Rick Crawford.
The House vote was confirmed by the Senate on Dec. 20, 2024, and in one of his last official acts, President Biden signed it into law on Jan. 4, 2025.
Upon introducing the bill on the floor for vote, Westerman said, “Johnny Cash and the entire Cash family’s roots run deep in Arkansas.”
He further stated how on March 31, 1994, Cash, wife June and all his surviving siblings were present for the dedication of the then new Kingsland Post Office. They performed a free concert for the postal facility dedication in front of 3,000 audience members.
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On that day Cash is quoted as having said, “This has probably been the best day of my life.”
Westerman concluded his comments on the House floor before the vote saying, “Thirty years after that dedication, I ask my colleagues to join me in dedicating the Kingsland Johnny Cash Post Office to enshrine in law the legacy he left behind by his service to his country, his iconic music and the deep respect he had for our state.”
He thanked House Chairman of Oversight Committee James Comer, Kingsland Mayor Sharon Crosby, Cleveland County Judge Jimmy Cummings and Arkansas State Sen. Ben Gilmore.
Following the vote, Westerman released this statement. “The unanimous passage of this bill is a testament to the legacy Johnny Cash left behind … and the deep impact he and his family have had on the Natural State.”
Once the bill cleared the Senate, U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., released the statement, “Johnny Cash’s legendary career helped define a generation and still inspires artists today. We are incredibly proud to call him an Arkansas native. I’m pleased this legislation to bestow the postal facility in his birthplace of Kingsland with his name is now headed to the president’s desk to serve as another reminder of his iconic and lasting impact.”
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., also responded with, “Johnny Cash was an Arkansas original with an unparalleled legacy in the Natural State. There is no more appropriate honor for Cash than for the post office in the hometown of Kingsland that he loved so dearly to bear his name.”
World-renowned Arkansas native and country music star Johnny Cash was born “J.R. Cash” in Cleveland County on Feb. 26, 1932, on the Rivers’ Farm, a dozen miles north of Kingsland. The fourth of seven children, Cash went on to become one of the largest selling artists in the history of the music business, as well as an ordained minister.
Upon joining the U.S. Air Force in 1950, he was required to have an actual name rather than just initials. He chose to enlist as “John R. Cash.” In 1958 when he signed his first record deal with Sun Records, producer Sam Phillips re-dubbed him “Johnny Cash” for marketing purposes.
On Sept. 25, 1993, the Postal Service released a Carter Family stamp commemorating Cash’s in-laws, wife June’s parents with her siblings. That 29 cent stamp was made available on the day of the March 1994 post office dedication along with a “Johnny Cash Station” cancellation stamp.
In 2013 — 10 years following Johnny’s death in 2003 — the Postal Service issued the Johnny Cash forever stamp. On that date, June 5, 2013, a second Johnny Cash “First Day of Sale” cancellation stamp was also introduced and available at the Kingsland Post Office.
“Renaming of the Kingsland Post Office in his honor completes the process,” Cash cousin Wayne Cash said. “I’m not sure if anyone else has ever had a postage stamp, post office, and two cancellation stamps issued in their name.”
A number of other significant events surrounding the Cash legacy have also transpired in recent months, including the June 28, 2024, debut of his fifth posthumously released, “Songwriter” album. This was Cash’s 72nd studio record and features a dozen previously unheard original compositions.
The old Kingsland Post Office, located one block west of the current one, was added to Arkansas Historic Register on Aug. 7, 2024.
On Sept. 24, 2024, a Johnny Cash statue by Kevin Kresse was unveiled in the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. It is one of two Arkansans (the other, Daisy Bates) on display and the only entertainer’s likeness represented in Statuary Hall.
Another recent development is return of the Nudie Cohen suit worn by Johnny Cash at Rison’s Wildcat Stadium for his Bi-Centennial March 20, 1976, concert appearance. It is now on permanent display in the main hall of the Cleveland County Courthouse. It previously stood on display in Cleveland, Ohio’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame from 2016-2017 before finding its way to a place of prominence in the Dyess Colony Museum where tens of thousands visiting the Cash boyhood home viewed the piece of music history.
There are four Arkansas Heritage Johnny Cash historic markers in Cleveland County, one of which is located adjacent to the old Post Office in Kingsland. In addition, another is found at Crossroads Cemetery north of Kingsland near Cash’s birthplace. A third is at the Cleveland County Courthouse and a final one outside Wildcat stadium in Rison. Each one contains a QR code linked to an audio presentation by Rosanne Cash sharing the significance of each location in her father’s storied life.
This photo shows country music stars Johnny Cash, right, and Johnny Horton (of Battle of New Orleans fame) in front of the old Kingsland Post Office in May 1959. (Special to The Commercial)
Cleveland County Judge Jimmy Cummings stands next to the Nudie Cohen-designed suit worn by Johnny Cash during his March 20, 1976, Bi-Centennial concert in Rison’s Wildcat Stadium. Following many years absent, the historic garment is now on permanent display in the main lobby of the Cleveland County Courthouse. (Special to The Commercial/Richard Ledbetter)