THE MUTUAL AID UNION BUILDING  ("POPLAR PLAZA")

One of Rogers’ most imposing downtown buildings is today known as "Poplar Plaza." Restored in 1982 by Collins Haynes, this three-story red brick structure was designed by A.O. Clarke and built in 1914 to house the Mutual Aid Union, a cooperative insurance company which served members in Arkansas and surrounding states.

The Mutual Aid Union was founded in 1907 by R.H. Whitlow, hoping to assist the ordinary farmer and working man, for whom affordable life insurance was not readily available at the turn of the 20^th century. Whitlow took on two partners, John E. Felker and J.W. Walker, and the company began
to grow rapidly. By 1913 the organization needed
larger offices, and purchased the property at the
corner of Second and Poplar from the Presbyterian
Church for $4,000.

Photo: The Mutual Aid Union building, Second and Poplar, circa 1915. (Negative #N009514)

The Mutual Aid Union brought benefits not only to its members, but also to Rogers, since it employed over 40 local residents, many of them young women who otherwise might have had difficulty finding office employment in Rogers.

In 1927 Whitlow sold his interest to his partners, who reorganized the company and renamed it the Progressive Life Insurance Company. That company operated out of the building at Second and Poplar until it went out of business in 1966.