Exploring Izard County

New Video: EIC in HD!

2012-01-02T14:36:00.000-06:00

Full 1080p, Baby! Hope this short video teases you well!

2011 Lunenburg Sorghum Harvest: Makin' Molasses

2011-11-24T09:14:00.009-06:00

Following is a video covering the delightful 2011 Sorghum harvest and molasses making in Lunenburg that occurred in the last days of September. Several Lunenburg families joined in to make memories come alive by cultivating cane plots, helping in the harvest, providing various equipment and livestock, and processing the sorghum cane into sweet Ozark molasses! Thanks to the Teague and Tate families along with all others who helped make this amazing cultural event happen!

ENJOY!

Autumn in Izard: Chandler's Cave

2011-11-08T09:38:00.005-06:00

Below is the first of at least two videos covering our activities during the Fall of 2011. In this video, Jim and I travel to Guion and along the River Road back to Gid. Then we join Elvada Walker, a Jeffery Family descendant, and members of her family for a trip to what we believe to be Chandler's Cave - a "Rock House" shelter with two openings that has significant connections to the history of early pioneers, Old Jesse and Young Jesse Jeffery.

ENJOY!

Live at Flat Rock Hollow: "Don't Stop Please!"

2011-10-04T16:02:00.009-05:00

After Yardsale, $10 gets you Entertainment and a Meal!

2011-09-27T15:56:00.000-05:00

Video: Twisted Tree on Jumbo Road & Jeffery Cemetery

2011-08-28T18:55:00.000-05:00

Video: Southern Creeks Traverse

2011-08-21T09:44:00.001-05:00

An impromptu Road Trip last week took Rick and I to the southern part of the county where we traversed Rocky Bayou, East and West Lafferty, and Wilson Creeks.

Enjoy!

A History of Izard County: Civil-War (Follow-Up)

2011-08-14T21:42:00.006-05:00

When dealing with Izard County's Civil-War history in the book, A History of Izard County, one message resounds: People from bygone eras were captives of the customs of their environment and period in which they lived. The author's admonition is clear: People from bygone eras should be forgiven for evils done out of the pervading ignorance of their time. Perhaps this is so. Those evils done, however, should not be forgotten. History, however damning it may be to a people, is still vital in teaching lessons that ultimately lead to progress.

Last week, I suggested that Mr. Shannon's lack of detailed coverage of the evil and hardships of the Civil War in Izard County was likely due to the sensitivities among Izard County residents in the time of his writing. Though over 80 years since the war had ended, there were still deep scars left among the citizens and even among families. Because he knew his audience would be people with connections to Izard County and its families, Karr likely smoothed over the rough edges. In many cases...the very rough edges. It's very likely also that Shannon knew the history was available and being preserved and would be available for future historians to share with the Izard County public once the deep grudges and resentments had faded.

Despite writing an unusually lengthy post on Karr Shannon's take on the Civil War in Izard County last week, there are some things that were left unsaid. While pondering Karr's writing and giving thought to the post, there were a couple of important items I had in mind to share but failed to include in the article. A friend e-mailed to remind me of those items and included some information from his own outstanding research that I will share below.

Roger Harvell, like Karr Shannon himself, was raised in Lunenburg and continues working on his long career in journalism as an editorial cartoonist. Roger is also an relentless student of his own family history as well as Izard County's Civil-War history...especially that of the Skirmish at Lunenburg in January of 1864. In the first e-mail he sent me on the subject of last weeks post, Roger reminded me of the items I had failed to include:

"Note Karr referred to the "northern soldier" killed at Lunenburg. The northern soldier was from Van Buren County, Arkansas.

"The story of the Sipe brothers killed in November and December of 1864 was not mentioned. These boys were members of Company D of the 4th Arkansas Mounted Infantry (Company A of the 4th attacked Lunenburg.) The eldest son, Marcus Philo, was killed 18 Nov 1864, his brothers William Sidney and Jacob Pickney were killed on the 18th of December."

The "Northern" soldier was not a "yankee" at all. He was a born and bred Arkansas boy!

The Sipes brothers didn't die in battle, either. They were brutally murdered because of their service with the Union. William and Jacob Sipe were awoken at night and slain in their home in Lafferty...likely by people who knew their family well.

Roger explains the Sipe Brothers' connection with the Union Army in a further e-mail that includes the wonderful research on many of the men who participated in the Skirmish at Lunenburg:

"Denny, while on the subject of the action at Lunenburg on 20 Jan 1864 let me tell you what I have learned of the participants.
Company F, Freeman's Regiment, commanded by Captain Christopher Columbus Cook.
Anderson, James R., PVT: born circa 1847, James' mother-in-law was Susan Fulbright Dobbs, daughter of my uncle Theodore Fulbright's great-grandfather.".

"Arnold, William J., PVT: born circa 1834, son of Elisha & Mary Kirwin Arnold. Married Rebecca Landers, sister of Elijah Gilliam Landers who married William A Hinkle's sister, Martha.Arnold,

"William O., PVT: born circa 1847, married Charity Gray granddaughter of my 2nd great-grandparents John Thomas Gray and and Elizabeth Chism.

"Beaver, Jesse R., PVT: born 24 May 1820, Harold Blevins' 2nd great-grandfather. Lived on Weakley Creek in Giles County, TN, with my Harvells before moving to Izard County.

"Bishop, Asa, PVT: born circa 1836, brother of John and Zachariah below.

"Bishop, John H., PVT: born circa 1834, brother of Asa and Zachariah.

"Bishop, Zachariah T., PVT: born circa 1844, Zachariah's invalid pension application contained a"n affidivit from grandfather Walker. Zachariah's daughter married John Henry Harvell. This John Henry was the son of great-grandfather Harvell's brother George and his wife Mary Jane Reeves.

"Byler, John A., PVT: born 26 Feb 1828, my 2nd great-granduncle, brother of Joseph Love Byler.

"Byler, Joseph L., PVT: born 1 Oct 1834, my 2nd great-grandfather.

"Cook, Christopher C., CPT: the town of Cooks Station, Missouri, was named for him.

"Cook, J.L., 1LT: John Lafayette Cook, the captain's younger brother.

"Cornelius, George W., PVT: born circa 1841, Buried in Lunenburg Cemetery. George married Rebecca Landers. He was present at the duel between Confederate Generals Marmaduke and Walker. The last recorded duel in Arkansas (Walker was killed.)

"Cypert, Thomas P., PVT: born 1 Mar 1820. This is our late English teacher, Mrs Vera Cypert Jacobs' grandfather.

"Hinkle, Ballis D., 1SGT: I believe this should read Baltis Hinkle. Unsure of the relationship to William A. Hinkle.

"Hinkle, William A., PVT: We cannot find William listed on Freeman's rosters. The only roster I have found was from Price's army which was after William's death at Lunenburg.

"Landers, Elijah G., PVT: born 7 May 1846, married Martha Hinkle, William's half-sister. One of Elijah Gilliam Lander's granddaughters married the late congressman Wilbur D. Mills. Our Jean Blair Blankenship, wife of Newt, is a great-granddaughter.

"Lawrence, William, 1SGT: born circa 1821. William was the great-grandfather of the late Malcolm Lawrence.

"Love, Joseph B., LtCOL: Captain Cook's boss, commander of Company F.

"Marchant, W.B., PVT: born circa 1830, Nora Marchant Miller's great-grandfather, 4th great-grandfather of my brother Wayne's kids. 2nd great-grandfather of former senator Paul Gray Miller.

"Richardson, Simeon, PVT: born 3 Jun 1835, my great-granduncle, the husband of Sarah Serina Harvell.

"Smith, Solomon R., PVT: born 13 Aug 1834, my granduncle, married grandfather Walker's sister, Jane. Lost a leg at the Little Blue River. Grandfather said he was standing next to him. Mountain Howitzers with the 11th Kansas did the deed. Rutch was captured there on 21 Oct 1864.

"Walker, Christopher G., PVT: born 14 Nov 1846, grandfather Christopher Greenleaf Titsworth Walker.

"Walker, Hartwell B., PVT: born 5 Jan 1825, grandfather Walker's cousin.

"Walker, John A., PVT: born circa 1837, granduncle.

"Walker, Robert F., PVT: born circa 1832, granduncle captured in Mound City, Kansas, 24 Oct 1864 while on Price's Raid.

"Walker, William M., PVT: born circa 1832, granduncle.

Macy Williams Brother of Asa

"As you know, Company A of the 4th Arkansas Mounted Infantry under Captain Taylor A. Baxter attacked the Confederates at Lunenburg. Asa Anderson Williams, the Union soldier killed was from Van Buren County, Arkansas.

"I haven't looked closely at other members of Company F, but Company D of the 4th has some very interesting connections to the community. The commander of Company D was Moses Ford. Moses Ford's brother was Lt.COL Barney Ford of Freeman's Regiment!! Moses Ford's grandson married Julia Ann Harvell, my great-grandfather James Henry Clay Harvell's niece. Most of the men of Company D were from the Lafferty community.

"Sergeant Henry A. Miller of Company D married Susan Sipe. They were the grandparents of Nora Miller who married Jeff Copeland and Irene who married Leslie Harvell. In other words, he was Donnie and Paul Gulley's 3rd great-grandfather.

"Marcus Philo Sipe, also a sergeant in Company D was Henry Miller's brother-in-law. He was killed on 18 Nov 1864.

"John T. Bramblett who's daughter married Doplh Moser. John was the maternal grandfather of Velma, Bud, and Zelma Brooks.

"Henry C. Clark a brother of Lonnie Clark's maternal grandfather, Silas M. Clark. Lonnie was a Free Will Baptist preacher who used to preach at the old Bethel Church near Lunenburg.

"David H. Grimes was Frank Grimes' grandfather. Great-grandfather of Emmett, Richard and Nana Mae Grimes. Nana Mae married 2nd to our cousin Ira Harvell.

"Elisha Bell Johnson, Connie Johnson and Vohn Weaver's great-grandfather. Elisha's brother John L. and William D. were also in Company D.

"Burrel A. Moser and John "Professor Jake" Moser, sons of Barnett Moser were in Company D. Burrel was married to Catherine Celia Sipe, a sister to Henry Miller's wife and the Sipe brothers.

"John Painter, the family for whom Painter's Bluff is named. John's sister was married to Jeremiah Clark. They were Lonnie Clark's grandparents.

"The other sipe brothers were William Sidney, Jacob Pinkney, Franklin and Rufus. William Sidney and Jacob Pinkney were killed on 18 Dec 1864 a month to the day that their brother Marcus was killed.

"Many of the members of the 4th Arkansas Mounted Infantry were former Confederates.
From the roster of the 27th Arkansas Infantry (CSA)...

"SIPE, M P Sergeant—Enlisted in Independence county, Arkansas, July 22, 1862; age 29; absent sick in hospital at Monroe, Louisiana, since August 1, 1863.

"SIPE, RUFUS M (Rufus Monroe Sipe) Private—Enlisted in Independence county, Arkansas, August 11, 1862; age 25; deserted, September 10, 1863.

"Both Marcus Philo and Rufus Monroe joined Company D of Elisha Baxter's 4th Arkansas Mounted Infantry (Union) on January 1, 1864. is somewhat ironic that Rufus Sipe has a CSA headstone at his grave in Texas that reads Company B of the 27th Arkansas."

One cannot read Roger's excellent research and not come away with the strong impression that the evils of war affected not just a few...but was pervasive among most if not all of Izard County's families.


Jackie Blue/Moser Cabin

Roger's initial e-mail to me on the subject also reminded me of another incident which occurred during the conflict within a mile of the Sipe brothers' home. At that time, a family of Mosers lived in what we know now as the Jackie Blue Cabin which still stands today along East Lafferty Creek. One morning, the woman of the home heard shots fired in the field where her husband was working and soon a pair of bushwhackers came to the home and demanded to be shown where the family's valuables were hidden. When the Moser woman would not tell them, one of the assailants took her 18-month old baby to the rooftop of the house and dangled the terrified child above the smoking chimney while his companion stayed with the mother. The two demanded she reveal the hiding place of the family's precious items or they would drop the child into the fire below. It so angered the mother that she grabbed a nearby ax and began attacking the brigand who had stayed below with her. This so surprised the pair that they fled the scene leaving child and mother unharmed. The father, it is told, was killed in the field where he was working.

The Civil-War was a brutal affair in many places. And despite Karr Shannon's assurances, history testifies that the brutality was common in Izard County even between folk who had been peaceful neighbors before the Confederacy declared its independence from the Union.

A question arises from many of the dates of the worst brutality against Union Sympathizers in the year 1864. The evil acts and harassment towards those who had rejected the confederacy seems to have escalated during that year. Perhaps it was because the rebels had realized they were defeated and took out their frustrations on the most vulnerable enemy they could find. Or...very likely as well...many Izard County confederates held deep resentment after the Skirmish at Lunenburg left one of their young men from a prominent family, William A. Hinkle dead at only 19-years old. Perhaps in some way that incident inspired neighbors to either run their Union enemies next door from the county or to kill them at work or in sleep.

Special thanks to Roger Harvell for allowing me to include his own hard work in a post on this blog. We in Izard County are lucky to have him as a fellow citizen...one who understands the importance of the lessons of history!

Vintage Ads from the 1950s

2011-08-07T14:41:00.004-05:00

We thought it would be fun to show some of the ads from The Melbourne Times during the 1950s. Below are ads copied from three separate issues: May 31, 1951, June 14, 1951, and June 20, 1957.

Enjoy!

Update! Photo of Bank of Melbourne and Qzark Theater from Danny Taylor on facebook!
Note - We've ssen this photo before and the man in the frame is none other than...Karr Shannon/

A History of Izard County: The Civil War

2011-08-04T19:27:00.006-05:00

While perusing Karr Shannon's book, A History of Izard County, last week for his writings about Lunenburg and the people who lived there, I was side-tracked by the author's avoidance of details about the American Civil War. As I looked for items about the skirmish that occurred along Rocky Bayou in January of 1865, I noticed that little information about any part of the conflict was offered to the reader. The most significant item I found about the Civil War and Lunenburg throughout the 1947 book was Karr's depiction of the "stranger" who was accidentally hung and then "buried in a grave from which a northerner had been exhumed a short time before." (Karr Shannon)

Mr. Shannon actually begins his comments in the chapter, "Izard County and Wars" with a description of the area as serene and peaceful having little conflict throughout it's history:

"We appreciate the fact that the history of Izard County does not have to deal with downfalls and uprisings of any vaunted civilization. This has never been a section of conflicts. The people have been intelligent, kind, and hospitable. Scarcely any murders have been committed throughout the entire history of the county. It is enough for us to know that our forefathers were human beings - they lived and acted their parts, and all they did contributed to everything that now prevails. They were here first and did their work as human beings unmanacled by prejudice and disagreement."

After his apology for Izard County's citiizens throughout its history, Karr goes on to write an apology for an Izard County that embraced slavery:

"It would be useless to go into detail here and tell about the cause of the Civil War. Nothing needs to be said about the conventions held in the South for the purpose of discussing the question of secession. Arkansas happened to be located in the Southland, and Izard County happened to be located in Arkansas. Negro Slaves were needed in the hot fields, and, like other sections of the South, Izard County used its share of these people. There is no room here for discussing the question of slavery. As environment must have its course, the people of Izard County gave very little thought to the question of whether it was right or wrong to use negro slaves. The rest of the South used slaves, and Izard County used slaves."

Shannon's reasoning here was sound, if not a little blunt. However, this is truly an apology for the actions of the earlier pioneers of the county. His remarks on the Civil War coninue:

"Several companies of soldiers were raised within the county for service in the Confederate Army. One, gathered by Captain Deason, served in the Seventh Arkansas Regiment. Four, commanded respectively by Capts. C. C. Elkins, T. N. Smith, Hugh A. Barnett and T. A. Mason, became a part of the Ninth Arkansas Regiment. Two, commanded respectively by Capts. C.Cook and Richard Powell, served in Colonel Freeman's regiment of cavalry. Three, commanded respectively by capts. T. M. Gibson, R. C. Matthews and Samuel Taylor, formed a part of Shaler's regiment. Also a portion of the company was raised in Independence County. A part of another was raised by Capt. James Huddleston, the other part being recruited in what is now Sharp County. Some individuals went out and joined other companies being established for the Southern Army.

"At the beginning of the war there were several Union men in the county. They left the county and went to Rolla, Missouri, where they were organized into a company by Capt. L. D. Toney and served in the Federal army. Izard was very faithful to the cause. All the able-bodied men in the county and many boys under twenty years of age enlisted in the armies. Only the old, the feeble, and the invalids were left at home with the women and children.

"There was no fighting or bushwhacking among the citizens on Izard County soil, but the county was frequently overrun by scouting parties from the opposing forces and all stock and provisions carried away. This caused suffering among the citizens for food. It is said that parties of women, each accompanied by an old man, frequently hauled cotton inside the Union lines and exchanged it for salt and other necessities.

"Conditions became so severe that meat had to be concealed from the scouting parties by hiding it in straw beds, under brush heaps, and in piles of rocks. Some saved their corn by shelling it and hiding it in the hollow walls of houses between the weatherboarding and the inside-boarding. A hole at the bottom served the convenience of drawing out the grain as it was needed. Salt became a luxury. Many dug up the dirt in their smokehouses and boiled out the salt. Bed clothes and other garments were sometimes carried off by the scouting parties and burned in the woods.

"But the destructive effects of the war in Izard County were far short of what they were in a number of other sections of the South where actual battles were fought and hundreds in their youthful prime were shot down."

The war in Izard County probably was not quite as bloody as other places but it seems that Karr sugar-coated his remarks about the conflict in this area of the country in general. It wasn't likely to be because of ignorance on Karr Shannon's part, though, because his own writings tell us that as a youngster in Lunenburg, he frequently hung around the store and blacksmith shops listening to the old-timers swapping stories. As he was born only 37 years after the end of the Civil-War, it's highly probable that some of those conversations, at l;east, were about Civil-War experiences. Karr Shannon was an avid reader and observer all of his life. If there were stories told, he probably remembered them. He was a newsman...a teacher...a historian. One would think he would have gone into more detail about how the war affected the lives of family and family friends.

For instance - Surely Karr knew about the Byler family. Surely he knew about the plight of Judge William L. Byler and his family.

In the October 1982 edition of The Izard County Historian, (Volume 13 Number 4, Edgar D. Byler III writes:

"Between 1850 and 1861, William L. Byler amassed a large amount of land in the Sage area of Izard. During the War of Rebellion, he elected to remain loyal to the Union. He was warned that he should leave the county or be imprisoned. He and his brother-in-law, Shadrach H. Wren, packed up all their belongings and moved to Rolla, Missouri for the duration of the War. William’s lands were confiscated by the Con-federate government and never recovered. When he returned to Izard in 1865, he was able to buy back his original homestead south of Sage.

"From 1868 to 1874, William L. Byler served as County Judge of Izard County and also as Probate Judge. It is not known whether he was appointed by the military governor of Arkansas or was elected. Further research is needed in this area."

If this did not deserve mention on its own, perhaps combined with the biographies of Williams only two brothers living at the time, it would have.

Edgar D. Byler says further of the family:

"John Adkinson Byler was born 26 February 1828 in Bedford County, Tennessee. He married on 17 April 1855 in Izard County to Mahala Rose, who was born in Tennessee in 1836. John A. Byler served in Company F, of Colonel Freeman’s Regiment, Confederate Army from 1 September 1861 until the close of the war. He is buried in the Lunenburg Cemetery. John and Mahala Rose Byler were the parents of eight children:..."

It is entirely possible that John A. Byler was a participant in the action in Cooper Valley near Lunenburg!

Edgar Byler goes on:

"Joseph Love Byler was born 1 October 1834 in Bedford County, Tennessee. He married in 1854 to Rachel R. Gray, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Chism Gray."

* * * * * *

"According to Goodspeed’s History of Northeast Arkansas, Joseph L. Byler “served in the Confederate Army under Captain Gibson and Col. Shaler from 1861 to 1865, being in the infantry and was a participant in a number of battles.” He owned a mill and cotton gin at Lunenberg and also ran a “mercantile establishment.” In 1888, Joseph L. Byler became postmaster at Adler, and in 1903 was appointed postmaster at Guion."

William L. Byler, future County Judge, was run out of the county and had his land stolen from him. His were his enemy. That is worthy of mention.

As is the story of the Dixon brothers.

Owen and Ruth Dixon along with Frances Thompson write in their excellent work on the Matthew Dixon Family:

John "Brushy" Dixon

"John B. Dixon, better known as “Brushy”, was a farmer, wagon and cabinet maker, in all of which occupations - as well as with the fiddle and bow - he ranked in a class by himself. It mattered not what “Uncle Brushy” undertook to do; he accomplished it highly satisfactorily to all concerned.

"Soon after coming to Arkansas, he built a wagon shop at his home and began to build the wood work of wagons, while Jim Cooper, a black-smith, did the iron work for him. And so well finished and substantially constructed was his product that he was depended upon to make wagons for the people of the entire community. He would go to the woods and personally select his timber, cut and split it, haul it to the shop and let it season at least one year before using it in his wagon work. He entered 240 acres of land at $1.25 an acre, and he and his children opened up a nice little farm. Most all his children, both boys and girls, played the violin - some very efficiently. His home was 3 miles west from where Melbourne now is. He was one of the fiddlers supplying music for dances at the Centennial celebration held at Newburg, July 4, 1876.

"At the outbreak of the Civil War, his sympathies being with the Union, he and his family were treated somewhat of contempt by most of the people in that country. They stole his stock, and even threatened his life. His father let him have his horse one year to make a crop. To keep it from being stolen, they kept it hidden of nights in a pine thicket. One evening, Amanda went out to feed the horse and came upon two men just ready to take it away. She grabbed the reins and was in the act of mounting the horse when they overpowered her and took it. Threats against Brushy’s life forced him to stay hidden every night. One night however, he slipped in home to spend an hour or two with his family, when two men entered to take him away. A general fight ensued - most of the girls being well grown and strong, they succeeded in driving the intruders off. They then decided, for their protection, to refugee to Missouri, near Rolla, where was stationed a Union fort. Uncle Brushy went on ahead to make preparations for the family, they following in ox-drawn wagons. The wagons being filled with household goods, the family had to walk. Within a few miles of their destination, the oxen gave out. Driving them off the road a short way, they stopped. The oxen lay down and died. Two of the girls walked on to the Fort to secure aid to take them on. A detachment was sent after them - their father going with them when they were taken to their destination. The next year the war closed and they returned to their home.

"A year or so later, Uncle Brushy was elected Justice of the Peace, his Court being held in his home. Thus, this house - now standing, was the first house where law and order were meted out since some time before, and during the war. Wm. C. Dixon kept the records for him."

There was conflict among the citizens of Izard County. That cannot be erased away. People were treated brutally for their loyalty to the nation of their birth. Even among families, loyalties cut deep.

The group also writes in the Matthew Dixon Family article about "Uncle Brushy's" brother, Hilliard:

"Hilliard Dixon - farmer and country school teacher - was a plain, unassuming, inoffensive man of rather reserved and passive disposition, small in stature - approaching the effeminate - yet with all strong and determined in favor of the right as he saw it. Against secession from principle, he believed and advocated the perpetuation of the Union. Yet, when his adopted state declared in favor of secession five of his sons, with his hearty approval went forth to battle for the cause of the South."

While avoiding the conflicts among Izard County's families Karr also fails to mention the Mill Creek Peace Oraganization Society, an affiliate of the Arkansas Peace Organization Society , an organization of people against the war and not willing to fight for either side. These were families that worked together for self-preservation in the midst of the conflict. They just wanted to live their lives in peace without having to choose sides against their neighbor.

However, there were men in Izard County at the time who complied and even enforced Governor Rector's order to round these people up. They were forced via threats of execution to join the Confederacy.

This certainly deserved to have been mentioned by Karr Shannon in his A History of Izard County. The subject deserved more than his suggestion that a few men were opposed to the war early on but eventually joined the confederacy on their own.

There were some men actually executed!

Why would Karr Shannon, journalist, historian, faithful lover of Izard County, have left these things out? I believe it was because of the very same thing historians have to deal with every day. It's certainly something I have had to deal with concerning the way I approach writing about some of the events that have occurred in Izard County. There are still piercing sensitivities about certain events in our county's history.Those sensitivities are ignored at the peril of the writer.

Ironically, one event I have not had the freedom to write about is the very event I believe motivated Karr Shannon to write his 1947 work on the history of his beloved Izard, the Murder of Sheriff James Lawrence Harber and the trial of Rubert Byler that followed. The Izard County community was sharply divided about the event surrounding the tragedy back when it happened and those divisions and perceptions still exist today! The slightest indication of taking sides one way or another can and do result in rebukes from those who still have those sensitivities.

This is why I think Karr's coverage of the Civil-War in Izard County was so obscure and even sugar-coated a bit. The children who were affected by the War Between the States were the leaders during the time Karr grew up in Lunenburg. Likely, many of the resentments among family members and between citizens still existed. Perhaps it was not a lack of knowledge about the events that occurred only a few short decades before. Perhaps it was his writer sensitivity.

Where's "Sweet Lips"?

2011-08-02T20:56:00.000-05:00

Now that we've got your attention, click over to the History Investigator blog and find out just what the title means. I think it will interest you.

Video: Izard County's "Trail of Trees"

2011-07-31T15:03:00.002-05:00

A History of Izard County: Lunenburg

2011-07-28T23:14:00.004-05:00

Old Lunenburg School - Courtesy, Jennifer McSparren

Henry Karr Shannon, as has been repeated several times in our posts, was known as "The Sage of Lunenburg".
It's appropriate that we first take a look at his intimate connection with the Lunenburg community before getting into his writings about the places and people of his childhood home. A couple of paragraphs from Shannon Roe's excellent biographical article about Karr in The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture does this best:

"Born on March 1, 1902, at Lunenburg (Izard County), Karr Shannon was the only child of farmers Robert Nathan and Allie Maud (Estes) Shannon. A bout with scarlet fever and measles at age three left Shannon with only thirty percent of normal hearing. When he was five, his mother died of tuberculosis, and his father moved to New Mexico, where he, too, died of tuberculosis three years later. Shannon stayed behind in Lunenburg with his widowed aunt, Lucy Estes Horton, who took him to live with her and her grandfather, Thomas Estes.

"As a child, Shannon divided his time between farm work and Lunenburg’s one-room school through eighth grade. He completed high school in Melbourne (Izard County) and junior college at Mountain Home Academy and College in Baxter County. He then studied pharmacy at Little Rock College, became a licensed pharmacist in 1924, and worked at Mac Curlee’s drug store in Mountain Home until he developed allergies to pharmaceutical chemicals.
Following his brief stint as a pharmacist, Shannon passed the state teachers’ exam and taught school at Franklin (Izard County) and Melbourne, where he also served as principal. In 1926, he became Izard County superintendent of schools at the age of twenty-four."

In the January, 1973 issue of the Izard County Historian (Volume 4 Number 1), Karr Shannon's widow, Ollie Fudge Shannon (also known as Mrs. Karr) wrote:

"Shannon lived at Lunenburg until he was 18 years of age. During his early childhood, he suffered every childhood disease known -having measles, whooping cough, and typhoid fever the same year. Either disease might have been enough to kill any small child, however, he survived. His numerous bouts with disease left his hearing impaired for life. He often said this "was an asset." It enabled him to read and concentrate with people talking all around him. He loved to read and during his last years read constantly. I'm sure he read 200 or more books during his last year."


Karr Shannon at "Poss" Haley's Store

Mr. Shannon shared a lot about his childhood in Lunenburg in his "Just Nozzin' Around" series of articles he wrote while at The Melbourne Times. One example can be found in the April, 1984 issue of the Izard County Historian which had been printed in "The Times'" August 27, 1970:

"I remember the old blacksmith shop at Lunenburg. The bellows for the forge were of the most antiquated pattern, badly worn, ponderous, working with a groan at every move -sounding like some huge animal dying in agony. The bellows leaked mysteriously so that faster pumping was required to put the white heat into the metal on the forge.

"The village smithy was usually a fair carpenter. He made a specialty of building coffins for the demise of families too poor to invest in a store-bought container. During my sojourn in Izard County I patronized eight different blacksmiths and never did business with one who was not strictly honest. I never knew one who over-charged. As a boy, I spent many an hour around the old shop, waiting for plowpoints to be sharpened, waiting for a horse to be shod, or just enjoying the pastime of watching the sparks fly from the anvil. There was a time when there possibly were 20 to 25 blacksmith shops in Izard County, at least one for just about every town and hamlet. I wonder how many are in operation today."

Karr Shannon clearly adored Lunenburg and treasured his childhood there. Another disappointment with his 1947 book, A History of Izard County, however, is the lack of details about the history of this little community Perhaps, again, it can be attributed to his overlying purpose in writing the book which was to paint the area as normal and progressive on the heels of bad publicity. It appears that a lot of history was omitted in his effort.

Following are the passages about Lunenburg from Karr's 1947 work:

The Place

"Lunenburg is an old settlement. It was a pretty fair town for several years before the Civil War, but a post office was not established there until February 3, 1868. Robert R. Case was the first postmaster. The office was discontinued May 12, 1868. Exactly two years later, it was re-established with John Carney as postmaster. It was again discontinued Novemeber 8, 1872. It was re-established August 11, 1873, with Harvey R. Landers as postmaster. The office played out again April 9, 1883, but resumed permanent operation April 13, 1891, with William G. Cypert as postmaster.

"When the post office was established the first time, the question of a name came up. There was already a general store in operation. The merchant, "Bob" Case, asked a group of loafers what to name the post office. An old German man, who liked his "dram," was pretty well organized at the time, and probably seeing visions of his old town left behind said: "Call her Lunenburg, by God!"

"Mrs. Zelda Banning is the present postmaster . NOTE - The post -office was finally discontinued July 31, 1955

" A school building, with a lodge hall upstairs, was built shortly after the close of the Civil War and remained in use for school purposes until a few years ago when the district built a new stone building. The old school building is now used as a church house by the Baptists. The school bell which is still in use is said to be the first bell ever brought to the county.

"The Rocky Bayou Baptist Association, still active and growing over a large area, had its birth here over 100 years ago. NOTE - The Rocky Bayou Baptist Association is still in existence.

The People

"Mack Cypert, for many years surveyor of Izard County, was born in the Hidden Creek area, near Luinenburg. After complete\ing courses in the common schools, he attended the Lacrosse Collegiate Institute for two years. He attended the Southwest Texas State Normal, San Marcos, Texas, in 1915-16. He taught school a total of about 30 years. He first became surveyor of the county in 1906, and served at intervals for years, being in this capacity at the time of his death January 19, 1931.

"Mr. Cypert was well read and a pretty good authority on most anything. He was a good stenographer, well versed in both law and engineering, and once wrote a song which sold well as sheet music. He never married.

* * * * *

" E.G. Landers, one of the pioneer merchants of Izard County, was born in Tennessee May 7, 1846, and came with his parents to Arkansas in 1854. He began operating a cotton gin at Lunenburg at the age of 22 and also followed the carpenter's trade for some time. In 1864 he joined the Confederate army, remaining about a year when he surrendered at Jacksonport, Arkansas.

" After the close of the war, he returned to Lunenburg and in 1877 engaged in the mercantile business there. In 1880 he established a business in Melbourne known by the firm name of Landers & Company. The business is still being operated, and is the oldest established mercantile business in the county. Mr. Landers was also interested in farming and livestock and had considerable real estate holdings when he died April 10, 1927.

" Associated with E.G. Landers in business for many years was his son, J. Hayden Landers, who was born at Lunenburg March 12, 1881. He entered the mercantile business with his father in 1901. He operated the store until his death in November, 1946. The latter Mr. Landers was also an extensive landowner and interested in fine livestock. He was an official in the Bank of Melbourne for years, chairman of the board of deacons of the Melbourne Baptist Church for 20 years, and was a member of the various boards connected with civic and agricultural improvements. His widow lives at Melbourne and his two sons, Earl Landers and Dr. Gardner Landers, live at Batesville. Dr. Landers was a colonel in the last World War."

Thus is basically the sum total of Shannon's remarks about his childhood home in A History of Izard County. One must wonder why he didn't at least mention the skirmish that took place here in January of 1864. Especially since he does mention the following:

"Shortly after the Civil War a resident of near Lunenburg, a Mr. Nail, had been robbed of a considerable amount of money. At about the same time, a suspicious stranger appeared at the town. A group of citizens, some of whom were later prominent in the business and professional affairs of the county, according to a story that was familiar years ago, took the stranger in custody for the purpose of questioning him. He proved to be a stubborn and uncommunicative chap. As an inducement toward supplying wanted information a rope was placed about his neck and passed over a limb of a sycamore tree. It would be drawn tight so that the stranger's toes would barely touch the ground and at his signal would be relaxed, but on each occasion he would refuse to talk. It was decided to scare the man into loquaciousness. But the questioners miscalculated their strength and the man's neck was snapped. He was buried in a grave from which a northerner had been exhumed a short time before. No investigation or arrest was ever made."

The open grave where the stranger was buried was the one in which Asa.A. Williams of the 4th Arkansas Mounted Infantry was buried after being slain during the Lunenburg Skirmish, January 20th, 1864. It was the Williams family who exhumed his body and contrary the passage above, was not from the North but from Arkansas.

We'll be sticking to the theme of Lunenburg over the next week on the blog. This weekend, we'll quote other sources and share more information about Lunenburg. For a mid-week post next week, we'll learn about Karr Shannon's remarks on the Civil War in Izard County and discuss them as well.

Photo of Karr Shannon at "Poss" Haley's Store from October 1976 issue of Izard County Historian (Volume 7 Number 4)

Vintage Photo: Macy M. Williams, 4th Arkansas Mounted Infantry

2011-07-25T21:28:00.006-05:00

ATTENTION! Important Historical Re-Discovery Below!

Macy M. Williams. Company A 4th Arkansas Mounted Cavalry

Pictured above is Macy M. Williams, a member of Company A of the 4th Arkansas Mounted Infantry (USA) during the Civil-War. Macy's brother, Asa A. Williams has long been recognized by history as the only troop to have lost his life during the Lunenburg Skirmish of January 20th, 1864. It is very likely that Macy was there that day, possibly even at his brother's side, when Asa was struck down that cold winter day as their patrol attacked a group of Confederates camped near Cooper Valley along Rocky Bayou.

The 4th Arkansas, led by Captain Taylor A. Baxter (brother of future Governor Elisha Baxter), had been dispatched into Izard County to dispel the rebel forces gathering in support of Colonel Thomas Freeman. The Union force of around 40 came upon the encamped Company F of Freeman's Regiment near Cooper Valley and a running battle ensued resulting in the death of Asa A. Williams. Ultimately, the confederates were driven to withdraw into the wooded hillsides.

The Memorial Marker placed on the grounds of the Lunenburg Community Center last year reads as follows:

“On January 20, 1864, a detail of 44 men of the Fourth Arkansas Mounted Infantry Volunteers (U.S.) under Capt. T. A. Baxter, the brother of a future Arkansas governor, attacked Col. T. R. Freeman’s Confederates, driving them from their camp at Lunenburg. Four Confederates were seriously wounded and two were captured, along with horses and equipment. The Fourth Arkansas lost one man killed in the skirmish. The combat at Lunenburg illustrates the war’s true nature: Most of the men in both forces were residents of Izard County.”

The "one man killed", of course, was Asa A. Williams as verified by documents (including application for Confederate pension by Asa and Macy's father, Josiah Williams) provided by a descendant of Asa, Jim Evans. As of the weekend of July 16-17, 2011, however, there is new information that could be added to the inscription upon the marker.

During that weekend, a small group of Izard County historians and genealogists began trading information about the Hinkle family of Lunenburg as a result of a connection Freda Cruse Phillips had made in her new book, Places of Our People. Sparked by Freda's remarks, Roger Harvell, President of the Izard County Historical & Genealogical Society, Bud Cooper, it's Member at Large, Bob Cooper, and Sue Chrisco began putting their heads and hearts together and discovered that despite what has been known, there was at least one Confederate casualty that day among those four "seriously wounded" Confederate casualties referred to on the historical marker.

Buried in the Lunenburg Cemetery, likely only yards from where Company F was camped on that January day of 1864, is 18-year old William A. Hinkle, who died on January 20th, 1864.

Folks, people of like interest, when linked-up to the World Wide Web, can literally change history!

Get out your Grandma's photo albums and scrap-books. Dig through those shoe-boxes stored under Grandpa's bed! Check in those family Bibles in the closet of your Mama's house! Share the photos and info you have. It's easy to scan photos and documents these days. If you don't have the capability, someone very close to you probably does. You never can tell, you may re-discover something really, really cool about your own family!

Photo Courtesy Jim Evans

A History of Izard County: Eastern Izard County

2011-07-21T21:14:00.002-05:00


Young Karr Shannon

One of the areas of Izard County the EIC Crew has neglected at times over the past 5 years is the eastern part, Zion, the area near Antioch Church, Battles, actually the entire portion of the county comprising the Strawberry River watershed. It seems we are not alone in our negligence, however, because in his book, A History of Izard County, Karr Shannon wrote very little about the places or the people of that region. While Mr. Shannon's work is of priceless value to our generation and those that will follow, it is not without its frustrations.

In the opening article of the series using Karr Shannon's book, I hinted at one of the frustrations derived from its reading - the lack of stories about regular folk who were important to the building of the county and the focus on prominent men who were Shannon's contemporaries. In that article, I attributed this lack of coverage of regular folk to the author's obvious desire to paint Izard County in a positive light following the ridicule Izard County received nationally surrounding the shooting death of Sheriff James Lawrence Harber and the events that transpired because of the tragedy. With this in mind, it's easier to understand why so little attention was given to the nether regions of Izard County in the area of the Strawberry River, Piney Fork Bayou, and Bear Creek to the east. It's to his credit, in fact, that in the midst of his defense of Izard County as a progressive area of civilization, he at least makes mention of a couple of communities in this area.

They are as follows:

Zion

"The town takes its name from the Zion Hill Baptist Church, one of the early churches of the county. a post office was established here June 17, 1886. William T. Campbell was the first postmaster. The territory around this place is in the nature of a plateau and well watered by small creeks."

Battles

"The place now known as Battles was first called Hamm when A.J. Hamm, who was postmaster from 1893 to 1906, when the office was discontinued. The office was re-established May 13, 1907, with the name of "Battles" after F.M. Battles. Phillip D Parish was the first postmaster under the new name. F.M. Battles became postmaster in 1910. The office was moved one and one-half miles west of the present location in 1922. Mrs. Willie Dover is now postmaster.

Neither of these towns currently has a post office. In fact, Battles doesn't exist at all. It was in this area of the county where the Hamm Schoolhouse, the Jack Schoolhouse, the Hightower Schoolhouse, and the Harmony Grove Schoolhouse stood. Today, the Hightower School is gone, the Hamm School is in a state of near collapse, and both the Jack and Harmony Grove Schools are used as barns. It's also in this area where the Antioch Church was born and still remains today.

In lieu of Karr's lack of focus on the eastern part of the county, we offer the following excerpts from Mrs. Leeda Oneal's article about the Antioch community from the Izard County Historian January, 1984 Volume 15 Number 1:

"ANTIOCH COMMUNITY -The Antioch area in the eastern edge of Izard County cannot be termed a community in the strictest sense of the word. The Baptist Church, the Masonic Lodge and the cemetery bear the name and are what defines the location. There was never a post office, school, or trade center there, as far as can be determined at this time. Zion, located about two miles west and Needmore to the east each had post offices established in 1886 but none nearby at the time the church was organized at Antioch.

"Mrs. Samuel (Ellen) Foster related most of the information on the more recent activities of the community. Coming to the area as a bride more than seventy years ago, Mrs. Foster was a native of Sharp County which was created from Izard and Lawrence counties in 1868. She remembers when large fields of wheat were grown and harvested each year. Threshing crews went from farm to farm and so did the big meals prepared by the farm wives. Previous to the arrival of the thresher, the wheat had been cut and tied by hand. Individual farmers usually cradled their own wheat or hired one or two helpers to have the wheat ready for the thresher.
According to Mrs. Foster, there were many good musicians in the vicinity and all gathered at neighbor’s homes and everyone was invited to listen to good music and sometimes to a square dance. Another diversion in those early days was taking grain to nearby mills to be made into flour and meal.

"In addition to the McElmurrys, Hills, Durens and Hightowers, other early settlers were the Fords, Fosters, Frizzells, Battles, Dobbins, Millers, Wiles, Wolfords, Williams, Marlins, and Jones. The names of these old settlers appear on many of the tombstones in the Antioch Cemetery. The oldest tombstone I found there was that of Mary Wolford Miller (wife of Elder John W. Miller). She was born January 30, 1810 and died August 31, 1863. A survey of the Antioch Cemetery was published in the January, 1983 issue of the Izard County Historian.

Andrew Jackson McElmurry House

"Some McElmurry’s are buried in the Antioch Cemetery but the lo-cation of the graves of Henry, whose death occurred in 1853; his wife, Nancy; Andrew J. McElmurry and an infant were not known. There is an article and picture in the July, 1974 issue of the Izard County Historian telling of the search for these graves. For more than one hundred years their graves went unmarked except for unlettered field stones. The family burial plot was finally located in a field about a half mile from the “Old McElmurry Homestead” on Piney Creek near what is known as the Ham Schoolhouse."

Note - To view some video footage of what remains of the old Andrew Jackson McElmurry place , Click here to revisit an earlier pos t.

Continuing with excerpts from Mrs. Oneal's article:

ORGANIZATION OF THE ANTIOCH BAPTIST CHURCH

"In 1844, Green Hill gave land to be used for the Antioch church lot and cemetery. That same year, Elder Henry McElmurry arrived in Izard County from Wayne County, Missouri, where he had been living since early manhood. He was born 1797 in Christian County, Kentucky and was married to Nancy Pairpoint (Pierpoint) March 7, 1815 in Livingston County, Kentucky. At the time of his marriage he could neither read nor write. His library consisted of an old leather bound Bible and Dupuy’s hymn book. His wife selected the third chapter of Matthew and from that she taught him his letters and to begin to read. They persevered until he learned to read the Bible and hymn book. He never learned how to write -not even his own name.

"In a biographical sketch by W. M. Duren, W. K. Estes, J. C. Miller and J. P. Lovelace written in the year 1901 we read that, “Elder McElmurry was not considered a doctrinal preacher but possessed great physical and mental power and succeeded quite well in the ministry. He was a great exhorter and an excellent singer, memorizing hymns and singing them with such spirit and feeling that he held the attention of all present. Among the rude brush breakers of this country few could have done more good than Elder Henry McElmurry.”

"On bringing his family to Izard County in the year 1844, Elder McElmurry saw the need for a church in his community and with the aid of other settlers a meeting was held, a Baptist Church organized, and work began on erecting a small log building at the site of the present building. Later, a second story of logs was added to make a meeting place for the Masonic Lodge which was to be moved from the place of its organization in the home of J. H. Finley which was located on Finley Creek about three miles east of Sage. This home still stands and is usually occupied.

"As the Antioch community grew more prosperous and sawmills were located nearby, the old log structure was moved to a nearby farm and used as a barn.

"The following are notes taken from the files of John Q. Wolf, who had copied them from the files of his grandfather, John Wolf, and from early minutes of the First Baptist Church of Batesville.

"Elder Henry McElmurry was the first pastor of the First Baptist Church of Batesville, serving 1847 and 1848. Wishing to resume his missionary work he resigned from this church in 1848 and worked the entire upper White River area. He was officially appointed missionary for the district in 1850 being paid $200 a year. He was armed with a printed and signed “Commission” so people and churches might know who he was. In December of 1850 his quarterly report read: “Traveled 888 miles (on horseback and on foot) ; visited 70 churches, delivered 25 sermons, 25 exhortations, 6 public addresses, made 2 baptisms in Antioch Church.” His collections for the three months was $22.80.

"There was a reorganization of the Rocky Bayou Association in 1849. The meeting was held at Antioch Church with Elder Henry McElmurry, moderator. The American Baptist Register for 1851 gives the following on Rocky Bayou Association in 1850: “Antioch Church had 78 members with Elder H. McElmurry as pastor.” The extent of the importance of Antioch Church can be seen in the 1850 report which lists, among others, the following: Mt. Pleasant (now Sage), 17 members; Salem, 5 members; Macedonia, 17 members; Evergreen (now Melbourne),
13 members; Batesville, 38 members."

Photo of A.J. McElmurry Place courtesey Eddie Chet

Photo of Young Karr Shannon courtesy Roger Harvell

2011 Summer Swelter

2011-07-16T16:46:00.000-05:00

Following is a video covering some of the EIC Crew's Summer Activities:

A History of Izard County: Mount Pleasant

2011-07-14T10:10:00.004-05:00

In the July, 1970 edition of the Izard County Historian, Craig Ogilvie wrote: "Which early settlement in Izard County was the social and culture center? Most old timers will tell you that it was Barren Fork, which is now called Mount Pleasant, and is situated on the southern edge of Izard County."

Today, Mount Pleasant is far from being considered the "social and culture center" of Izard County but it's history has much to teach us about the attitudes and ambitions of the early citizens of Izard County. In light of last Sunday's excellent presentation by Mr. Ogilvie at the Izard County Historical & Genalogical Society's 2011 Summer Meeting, we will be including Karr Shannon's notes about the little town in this mid-week post. After we look at Karr Shannon's work, we'll share a little more from Craig Ogilvies article in the July 1970 Historian.

Mr. Shannon writes in his 1947 book, A History of Izard County:

The Place

"This place was first called Barren Fork and a post office was established by that same name May 25, 1876, Milton L. Shaver was the first postmaster. According to R. M. Thompson, that part of the county was actually pretty barren at that time. A fork of Polk Bayou was a mile to the east, and a fork of Lafferty Creek was about two and one-half miles to the west.

"The town was also nicknamed "Dry Town," an appellation with no Eighteenth Amendment significance, said Mr. Thompson, but it was so called because only a few wells were dug by the early settlers, who depended entirely upon cisterns for their water.

"Young ladies sometimes change the destinies of towns as well as of men - and that's what happened to Barren fork. When Miss M.E. Moore went to Jackson, Mississippi, to attend school, the students asked her if the place where she lived was really barren. When she came home, she had her father, O.P. Moore, a prominent man there, to circulate a petition for a change of name. The post office was changed to its present name October 29, 1914, and Helen R. Bone was the first to serve as postmaster under the new name. A.L. McSpadden is the present postmaster.

"This place has a wide reputation as a school town, and was one of the old Academy towns of the state. Near the close of the last century people came here from many parts of the state for school purposes. Many of them boarded. It now has one of the most beautiful high school buildings in North Arkansas.

"Mt. Pleasant also has the distinction of being the only town in the county ever to maintain a hospital. The town is strongly Presbyterian. In 1928 the Woman's Board of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., with some donations from the community, built and equipped a modern hospital here. It had a wide patronage and operated until 1941 when it was discontinued. The school district bought the building and furnishings were removed to a Presbyterian health center at Cotton Plant.

"A gymnasium and community hall were erected near the school plant in 1931 with community donations and a grant from the Board of National Missions of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., and is operated by the church for the benefit of the community and school."

* * * * * *

"Soon after the close of the Civil War the citizens of Izard County came to see the need of higher education ans as a result two academies were very successfully conducted for a number of years at Old Philadelphia and LaCrosse. Also some academic work was carried on at Mt. Pleasant, then Barren Fork, for about twelve years, supervised chiefly by I.K. Hooper."

The People

"Dr. L. T. Evans of Batesville is present president of the Arkansas Medical Association and one of the leading physicians of north Arkansas. He was born at Mt. Pleasant."

"Dr. Tasso Edwards, born at Mt. Pleasant, has been practicing dentistry at Bald Knob for many years."

* * * * * *

Karr Shannon focused mainly on prominent citizens from around the county in the Biography section of his book. The main spotlight was on politicians and merchants from the two largest cities, Calico Rock and Melbourne. Only two references were made to native Mount Pleasant men.

Craig Ogilvie continues in the July issue of the Izard County Historical & Genealogical Society's Izard County Historian (Volume 1 Number 3):

In that period of time just before the outbreak of the War between the States, several new settlements began appearing across the infant county of Izard.

According to my information, the Bone family was one of the earliest to locate in the Poke Bayou area of the county. They settled near the head of the Bayou. about three miles from the present Mt. Pleasant. Others settling in the area very early included the Rudolphs, Albrights, Shavers, Youngers, McSpaddens, Morrows, Edwards, Evans, Conyers , Johnsons, Winkles, Ivys, and Suttles.

Bill Shaver is thought to have established the first trading post on the present site of the town. The Shaver log cabin, once used as a post office, still stands and is considered one of the oldest homes in the area.

Barren Fork was so named because a fork of Poke Bayou, called Barren Fork Creek is nearby. An at-tempt was made to start a trading post on the creek, hut it proved unsuccessful and the little village of Barren Fork began to grow.

in its Confederate ranks. Some men, whose sympathy did not lie with the Southern Cause, traveled to Rolla, Missouri, and formed a Union Company, under Captain L. D. Toney.

The only large battle fought around Barren Fork was the one for survival. Many soldiers did not return home after the war and everyone was destitute.

The post war period lasted many years for Barren Fork, but finally it began to grow again. The post office was established in May 25, 1876, with Milton L. Shaver serving as the first postmaster.

"The town experienced its boom years in the early 1900s. The Main Street consisted of over a dozen businesses, including a bank and hotel. The once famous Barren Fork Academy overlooked the town from a nearby hill to the east.

"The Main Street was very bad to wash away during big rains and this resulted finally in all the stores being left “high and dry”. In the twenties the store porches were as much as five feet above street level."

Next Week - Sage, Zion, Antioch, and Battles

Video: Barren Fork by Craig Ogilvie

2011-07-11T08:14:00.009-05:00

On Sunday, July 10th, the Izard County Historical and Genealogical Society held its 2011 Summer Meeting at Mount Pleasant. The history program included an excellent presentation by noted historian and cartoonist, Craig Ogilvie, on his native Mount Pleasant. As we are continuing our mid-week Summer Series on the people and places of Izard County referencing Karr Shannon's work, A History of Izard County, the following is a video of Mr. Ogilvie's presentation: We'll see what Karr had to say about Mount Pleasant on Thursday of this week.

Note - Apologies for the sound quality. The building's cooling system was loud and there was no amplification during the program. The embedded video is a playlist. It will automatically play all 3 parts of the video. If you prefer to view each part separately, you can do so by visiting EIC TV at YouTube.
ENJOY!

A History of Izard County: Mount Olive

2011-07-07T15:08:00.004-05:00

The photo Glenda Wommack sent to us last week provided a visual for the perfect first subject as we begin our 2011 Summer Series, "A History of Izard County: People & Places" quoting passages from Karr Shannon's 1947 book. That timely illustration? A postcard photo looking up the hill and across the tracks along Main Street Mount Olive in 1910!
The settlement of Mount Olive is arguably the most important site in Izard County's history. It was here where Jehoiada Jeffery's vision of a a functioning, well-ordered society in the New West was born. It was here that his dream grew to blossom into the seat of government of the county for 39 years. It was here during the turn of the 20th Century and beyond, Mount Olive was a center of trade, commerce, and manufacturing. Had Jehoiada the ability to view the 1910 photograph of the town he founded, I think he would have been satisfied...even knowing that in just a very few years, it would practically cease to exist.

Note - Click images to enlarge them.

Following are some excerpts from Karr Shannon's 1947 book, A History of Izard County, discussing Mount Olive:

The Place

Mt. Olive

"The present town site of Mt. Olive is probably the oldest in the county. The first post office in the county was established here December 27, 1831. At that time, the place was called "Pine Bayou: and the post office went by that name. John A. Allen was the first postmaster. The county seat of Izard County was moved here from old Athens in 1836 and remained here until May 10, 1875, when it was permanently established at Melbourne.

"The town was changed to "New Athens" January 29, 1842, with Asa M. Fitch as the first postmaster under the new name. On January 4, 1947, the name of the town and post office was changed to "Mt. Olive," the name being taken from the hill east of the town.

"Mrs. Pearl Dixon is the present postmaster and has held the position since 1922."

* * * * * *

"The main points of location of the early settlers were in general, along White and Strawberry rivers. Among the early settlers in the vicinity of the former stream were Henry and Elbert Benbrook, Daniel Hively, William Clifton, Daniel McCoy, Moses Bishop, George and James Partee, the Harrises, the Dillards, and the Jefferys. Daniel Jeffery settled below what is now the town of Mt. Olive. Jehoiada Jeffery, brother of Daniel, settled about a mile above, and James, another brother, near the mouth of Piney Creek."

* * * * * *

"When the courthouse was erected in Athens, no provision was made for heating the room, so late in the fall it was decided to build a chimney. A meeting was called for the purpose of making the necessary arrangements. At this meeting some extravagant persons who were in favor of progress advocated the building of a stone chimney. They declared that old Peter Young and Sol Hess were both skilled in this kind of work and could build a chimney of stone that would look much better than one built of "stick and clay" and would last forever. Jim Creswell took a very decided stand against the motion, and in bursts of oratory, declared that he was not in favor of "grinding the people to death with taxes." He also said he was in favor of holding to old landmarks and building chimneys of stick and dirt as all had been accustomed to, and which would be much cheaper. The arguments of this staunch servant of the people were too logical to be disregarded - so the first courthouse ever built in what is now Izard County had a stick and dirt chimney.

"The courthouse in the new county seat at Mt. Olive was a two-room log structure, and and administration had come into power with so little mercy for the taxpayers that a stone chimney was built at the time the house was erected. Extravagance continued and about three years later, the log building was weatherboarded. This house was so substantial that it stood for over a hundred years. After the county seat was moved from Mt. Olive in 1875 the building was used as a dwelling many years. It finally came into use as a barn by a resident of the town and was not torn down until about 1938."

* * * * * *

" The Watkinses settles in this county about 1844. They were great landowners and at times before the Civil War owned the greater part of the territory of the county. They also kept a large number of negro slaves. They established themselves in two main locations, one about atwo miles east of the present town of LaCrosse ans the other about three miles south of the present location of Franklin.

"Prior to 1848 there was no post office in Izard County except at New Athens (Mt. Olive), and the Watkinses had been getting their mail at Batesville about thirty miles away. This distance was covered on horseback, and the trip meant two days of hard riding. There were no settlers along the routes, and wild animals lurked in the woods. Hence the rider had to be well armed and usually accompanied by his dogs. If he happened to be after dark getting back home he was very likely to have a chase with a pack of wolves."

* * * * * *

"In 1866 the Arkansas Legislature granted a charter to the Mt. Olive Male and Female Academy. A two-story brick building was erected for the institution, which continues operation until about time the county seat was moved from Mt. Olive to Melbourne. Several good teachers taught in the academy, but the outstanding terms seem to have been held in 1871-75 when Prof. John Stackpole of New York headed the school, and was assisted by two other teachers from the state of New York - J. Smothers and John Songers. One year the enrollment in the upper grades was 45. Of this number, 30 were Jefferys. Prof. Stackpole taught two terms.

"Teachers and boarding students stayed at "The Mount Olive Tavern" which was operated by a Mrs. Compton, whose son, T.S. Compton, now lives at Batesville. This was a very popular tavern in the county-seat days, also being the lodging place of the circuit judge, prosecuting attorney and other officials during court sessions."

* * * * * *

The People

"Jehoiada Jeffery came to the White River country from his native Illinois in 1816 and settled two miles above the present site of Mt. Olive. He was a soldier of 1812 and was in the Battle of New Orleans under General Jackson. He was also in the service against the Indians between the Missouri River and the upper Mississippi. In a fight with Indians he encountered a Sioux warrior single-handed and killed and scalped him. He brought his scalp to Izard County.

"He was a member of the Territorial Legislature from Independence County about the year 1824, and bought forward the bill creating Izard County. After this he became a member of the Legislature from Izard County and this time brought about a bill to create a new county, Fulton, with territory taken from Izard County. The county was named to honor the governor at that time.

"Mr Jeffery was judge of Izard County from 1833 to 1838. He died at his home on White River in 1846.

"Robert Emmett Jeffery, the only Izard County native ever to become a minister to a foreign country, was born at Mt. Olive January 30, 1875. Early in 1915 he was named minister to the Republic of Uruguay, South America, by President Woodrow Wilson and represented the United States in that country until 1921. He died May 19, 1935.

* * * * * *

While Karr Shannon paid respect to Jehoiada and other Jefferys who were vital to the progress made in the county from the very beginning, it's striking that so little was included about the Jeffery Family and the fascinating stories told about Mount Olive by early Izard County historian, Augustuc Curren (A.C.) Jeffery. Mr. Shannon does include an example A.C.'s writings published in the Melbourne Clipper during the 1970s but it covers only his description of the early settlers. It's also surprising that little information about the people of Mount Olive during the Civil-War was discussed.

The story of the town of Mount Olive and its people is fascinating and one we will revisit often. There's a wonderful article on the little town's rise and fall in one of the early Izard County Historian editions. If you have access to the Historian, the article by another fine area historian, Dale Hanks, would be worth your time to read!

Here's an excerpt of Mr. Hanks' article from that Izard County Historian published in April of 1972, Volume 6 Number 7:

A BUSTLING RIVER TOWN

"A hundred years ago, Mt. Olive was a bustling river town and a major steamboat terminal. It served as the hub of an extensive social and economic area in North Central Arkansas. Mt. Olive was one of the first towns established in Arkansas and was the seat of government for Izard County for many years. White River, the main route of communication in the early 1800’s, nourished Mt. Olive with trade and commerce for half a century. Then came the railroads and Mt. Olive kept pace. The Missouri-Pacific lines paralleled the river down its left bank right through Mt. Olive which further strengthened the town’s position as an important social-commercial hub of the area.
In its heyday, around the turn of the century, Mt. Olive had grown to just under 1,000 population. It boasted a major manufacturing firm, the Mt. Olive Stave Company which employed almost 100 men at one time. This firm also operated a finishing plant in connection with the stave mill. Another major firm at Mt. Olive manufactured cedar posts for many farms in the region as well as cross ties for the railroad.
A major cotton gin and grist mill were located at Mt. Olive along with a substantial number of retail stores. The town had a “modern” drug store and two physicians Dr. W. R. Hayden and Dr. Robert Jeffery. There were three hotels at one time as well as a number of rooming houses. White River afforded a thriving mussel shell business which provided employment for hundreds of men duringthe summer months. Some days a man could make up to $10.00 digging mussel shells. That was big money for that time and place."

Dale Hanks has written many articles about Izard County's history. Like Karr Shannon before him, Mr. Hanks inspires future generations to keep uncovering and sharing the amazing story of Izard! We hope by sharing the works of both, some will be inspired to continue the legacy of rediscovering the county's lost and forgotten past.

Note - Top vintage post-card photo by permission of Glenda Wommack, Director Stone County Museum. Bottom vintage photos from Izard County Historian Volume 6 Number 2. Color photo of Elijah Jeffery House which was likely the "tavern" referred to in the passage about the academy.

Vintage Photo: Mount Olive, 1910

2011-07-02T18:50:00.006-05:00

Update! Click for current photo of Main Street Mount Olive!

Note - Railroad is not in same location as in 1910. It was moved after the floods of the late 1920s...some of the old sections still exist near the A.C. Jeffery Home.

Main Street, Mount Olive in 1910

The signs on the store fronts in the foreground appear to read "Dixon Bros." on the left and "Jeffery & Co." on the right. The postmaster of that time, Patrick H. Jeffery, opened a store after the railroad was built through town. Perhaps he built the store just below the post-office as the building on the right just above the "Jeffery & Co." store appears to have a flagpole on its roof. Or perhaps the second building on the right is the Drug Store and Doctor's Office owned and operated by Dr. William Ransom Hayden. The map indicates that the post office and the drug store were side by side.Perhaps, like most post-offices of the day, Patrick Jeffery operated both his store and post-office out of the building on the end.

For reference, here's a map of Mount Olive around 1900 that was published in the April, 1975 edition of The Izard County Historian, Volume 6 Number 2. The map was adapted from the 1972 drawings of H. E. Jeffery and Ray Hanks from the Jeffery Historical Society in Richmond, VA..

Heartfelt thanks to Mrs. Glenda Wommack, Stone County Museum Director, who sent us the postcard photo. Mrs. Glenda writes:

"I found this old 1910 postcard w/picture of Mt. Olive in the files at the Stone County Museum in Mt. View. Thought I'd share just in case you didn't have one like it. Post card was sent from Grace Hopper Nesbitt w/Sylamore, AR stamp dated Feb 21, 1913 to Miss Jara Massey, Herpel, Ark. Written and underlined on date stamped side, it states 'Main Street, Mt. Olive, AR, March 1910.'"

Folks, if you have vintage photos of landmarks in Izard County, share them with others through us or through some other historical or genealogical site. Let's put the pieces of the puzzle that are Izard County history back together! With a united effort, we can literally make history!

Karr Shannon Series: Background of "A History of Izard County"

2011-06-30T10:19:00.005-05:00

In 1947, Karr Shannon, known as "The Sage of Lunenburg", published his work, A History of Izard County. The 158 page book is a rare and valuable resource for anyone interested in the history and culture of the county. Mr. Shannon, who was born in Lunenburg in 1902, was an educator, entrepreneur, and journalist who owned and operated the Melbourne Times for 12 years. During those 12 years, he began writing a series of columns as fillers for the publication he entitled, "Just Nozzin' Around". The articles created a following which led to a job with The Arkansas Democrat from 1944 to the early 1970s. During that time, Karr Shannon developed a national following after establishing what associate editor for the Democrat, Robert S. McCord once described as the largest of any columnist in Arkansas. He used his national recognition to promote and defend Arkansas culture and values in his columns and actually wrote a book, On a Fast Train Through Arkansas, to correct the negative stereotype offered by Thomas W. Jackson's satirical On a Slow Train Through Arkansaw.

Mr. Shannon's book, A History of Izard County, is a well-written, well -researched work of non-fiction. One cannot, however, walk away from reading it without the feeling that the history of the common folk of Izard county was somehow limited or even omitted. Mr. Sahnnon even addresses this issue in the Introduction to his book stating:

"I confess, before my critics accuse, that many facts and figures have been omitted as unecessary to the story of Izard County..."

He further states:

"We live in a wonderful age. We naturally think it is more wonderful than any previous age. Be that as it may - our ancestors are largely responsible for the many improvements we enjoy. Our fathers worked for better things and made material progress; we started where they left off, but are yet far from the goal. We ought to be proud of the county in which we live, but we should not discredit the majestic work of our forbears."

By understanding the political and social climate of the time, though, one can begin to empathize with the writer's intent.

In 1947, Izard County had just witnessed the trial and conviction of Rubert Byler for the murder of Izard County Sheriff, James Lawrence Harber, killed on December 4th, 1945. The search for Byler and his wife who hid out in caves and barns during the coldest part of 1945 and 1946 is still the single largest man-hunt in Arkansas history.The ensuing trial was a national story and the political and social elite from around the nation debated the reasons for the murder settling on the stereotypical "backward, uneducated hillbilly" explanation for the actions of Rubert Byler as well as Izard County and other area officials before, during, and after the trial. The national narrative described Izard County as pitifully behind the times.

In the January 20th, 2010 edition of Areawide News, the article, Faces and Places: The Coger Family: A newspaper legacy , describes the scene surrounding the trial as told by Fred Coger, son of Claude Coger Jr., editor of The Melbourne Times during the period:

Fred told of a very historical event recorded in the weekly Melbourne Times while he was in high school around 1943 (EIC Note -Fred Coger must have remembered incorrectly as the murder did not happen until 1945) that contrasted with the coverage of the much larger Arkansas Gazette paper. He said his family's next-door neighbor, then Izard County Sheriff Lawrence Harber, was shot down with a shotgun as he was attempting to serve a warrant on a "uneducated hillbilly out in the sticks." Because the county was so small, naturally the murder trial drew a lot of local attention, but was also covered by the press from other larger cities including Little Rock, ones who weren't as sensitive to the death as the hometown readers. He said at this time it was becoming popular for the press to cover not only the "who, what, where and when, but also the why." The trial coverage went on for days and his father even ran a special edition after the guilty verdict of murderer Rupert Byler. The problem was that the larger city's press coverage attempted to explain the "why" in a far deeper fashion than the small town was used to, including his father. They tried to blame the murder on such things as social deprivation, poverty and lack of education. Although the reporting techniques were very valid, the locals found it an insult to their community; many even thought it was condoning the killing of a well known man that was very liked.
Ken said his father finally wrote a letter to the editor of the Gazette which was published, resulting in him being fired as the local correspondent to the state newspaper. He said even today this can be the result of reporting controversial news and writing it with a controversial twist. But, Ken said this was a part of the integrity his father put into everything he printed.

Karr Shannon, obviously proud of his county of birth and the history of progress he knew to be fact, certainly had the events surrounding Sheriff Harber's murder and the trial that followed on his mind when penning his work. It's even possible that through his socializing among the literary celebrities during the period of the murder and trial that he had knowledge of the material nationally revered John Gould Fletcher would include in his own 1947 work, Arkansas, which included a passage about Rubert Byler's crime and suggested that the people of the Ozarks were indeed backward and uneducated. It's highly probable that A History of Izard County was written as an apology and is likely why only prominent citizens of the county are covered in the biography section of the book.

So, with this background on the book, A History of Izard County, and it's author, we can begin our new weekly series. On Wednesday of next week, we will be publishing the first of this series, "A History of Izard County: People and Places", using passages from Karr Shannon's book and photos we have taken ourselves as well as vintage photos we have acquired.

We hope you enjoy!

Scraps of History: Early Disasters of Melbourne

2011-06-26T19:57:00.011-05:00

The photo in the recent post, Vintage Photo: Melbourne Around the Turn of the Century, has garnered some interest among readers of Exploring Izard County and we've had some great response via e-mails and comments on the site. As a result of items that have been shared by readers as well as things I have found when doing what meager research I'm capable of doing, I decided to revisit the previously published photo that was sent in by reader, Mr. Williams.

Note - Click photos to enlarge

When viewing the photo we think was likely taken during the first decade of the 20th Century, one cannot help noticing the barrel perched above the M.F. Hill Store. I must admit, even after reading about the early fires that swept Melbourne between 1905 and 1929...even after sharing what I had read in the comments of the post, I didn't make the connection between those fires and the barrel (which is obviously sitting next to the stove-pipe for a reason). Another reader, Donna, sent us the following e-mail which also includes a couple of newspaper items from another disaster that occurred in 1883, a tornado that devastated the town.

Hello Exploring Izard Crew!

The recent post of the vintage photo - Awesome! As you had said "Don't you love it when history comes together?"...the picture has so many 'words of wonder' and the clues you have provided are good possibilities of the time frame. I had noticed the old wooden water barrel on top of the M. F. Hill hardware store. This made me think of precautions and 'water works' after the devastation of the fires.

Also, sharing this newspaper article that had mentioned the cyclone of 1883 and the destruction of the courthouse and the surrounding buildings. The portions of the town has been rebuilt so many times...it is a wonder and amazing how the town of Melbourne has survived through the years.

Davenport Weekly Gazette | Davenport, Iowa | Wednesday, November 28, 1883 | Page 4

Batesville, Ark., Nov 21 - The town of Melbourne was struck by a cyclone this morning. For a few minutes the air was full of bricks, lumber and debris of every description. People rushed out in their night clothes but were force back by the wind, some to perish in the ruins of their homes. The school house, court house and a number of dwellings and stores were blown down. The residence of the Sheriff of the county, Jonh Hinckle, was destroyed and he was killed. He has a wife and two children. The town is almost in ruins and the damage will amount to many thousands.

(Another account) - A cyclone struck Melbourne, the county seat of Izard County, at 3 o'clock this morning, killing ex-Sheriff John Hinckle, his wife and two children and crippling Mrs. Henry S. --kle. It blew down a store, two churches, the court house and several residences.

(Transcription of newspaper article was posted on the Izard County, Roots Web mailing list (June 14, 2011) by Janice Reed -newspaper article was located on the website newspaperarchives.com)

Again, thank you for sharing and for preserving/capturing the History of Izard County.

The early decades of Melbourne's existence were quite traumatic. From 1874, the year the county seat was first moved to Mill Creek, later renamed "Melbourne" by W. C. Dixon, until 1937, Izard County's seat of justice suffered several horrifying disasters including a series of fires that swept the areas around the courthouse. The most devastating of the fires began it all on April 11th, 1889, when the first courthouse erected in the town burned taking all county records with it. Following are accounts of the fires as recorded by the noted Karr Shannon, in his 1947 A History of Izard County:

On the first Izard County Courthouse in Melbourne

A large barn was used as a courthouse until 1878 when a frame structure was erected. The building site, on which the present building also stands, was secured from Tommy Richardson. He had raised a fine patch of turnips on the ground the previous year.

"This first house stood until the morning of April 11, 1889, when it was destroyed by fire, and with it all the records and documents from the foundation of the county were consumed." - Karr Shannon

On the second Courthouse

"Before building again, a number of people wanted to move the county seat to some other part of the county. But appropriations were soon made to rebuild the house on the same spot of ground...

"This house was also a large frame structure and was little improvement over the other one. It was used for all business connected with court affairs and was also a kind of county and community center for other important occasions and entertainment." -Karr Shannon

The second schoolhouse in Melbourne

"In 1870, the first Schoolhouse was built. It stood south of the creek just east of the Powell grove. A combination hotel and boarding house was erected above Powell Spring. The town had a good boarding school for that time, and has been considered a good school center ever since.

"The house across the creek was abandoned in 1896 and the school entered a new building just east of the present house. This building burned in 1904 and was soon replaced with another frame building. Since then, there has been four additional buildings on the campus - a gymnasium, agriculture building, home economics cottage, and building for grade classes." - Karr Shannon

The Fires that Swept Around the Square

"The business district of Melbourne has suffered losses from four fires. In 1905 the north half of the west side of the public square burned out, leaving only the bank building and the present theater building, which at the time was used as a store. The entire north and east sided, including the hotel, were burned out in 1908. Then, in 1911, the south side of the square went up in flames, including the printing plant and the large stock barn.

"In 1929 a fire swept out all the business houses on the west side except the theater building and Byram's Store." - Karr Shannon

On Izard County's Third Courthouse in Melbourne

"Izard County's second courthouse stood until 1912 when it was torn away to give place to a large brick building. The new building was brought to completion in 1914, and was considered one of the finest in the state.

"The tons of brick, cement and other building materials and furnishings were hauled by wagon-and-teams from the railroad at Guion up Rocky Bayou Creek. The distance was 12 miles and the road was makeshift, consisting of sandbeds, ruts, and hills-and crossing the creek many times.

"On Sunday morning, December 5, 1937, the magnificent brick structure burned. The fire broke out in the attic near the dome of the huge clock which had been striking the time a rippling the waves of the ether with its beautiful tone for a radius of three or four miles for 23 years. Most of the records and valuable documents were saved. What were not moved out were preserved in the two fireproof vaults of the building." - Karr Shannon

In the July, 1973 edition of the Izard County Historian (Volume 4 No. #3), Ray E. Davis writes:

FIRE AND TORNADOES

In the past century, the town has suffered from disaster several times. As mentioned above, the court house twice was destroyed by fire. The business district of Melbourne has suffered from four fires. In 1905, the north half of the West side burned leaving only the bank and theater building. The entire north and west sides of the business square, including the hotel, burned in 1908. Then in 1911, the south side went up in flames including the printing plant and a large stock barn. The fire in 1929 destroyed the bank, barber shop, central telephone office, Tomlinson’s grocery, a cafe and Lander‘s store, all on the west side of the square. All rebuilt and business went on in more modern buildings. In addition to the above disasters, in 1883, the Methodist church was blown away by a tornado and in 1904, the school house burned. Both were replaced and the religious and educational activities of the town continued.

The town has continued to grow and become more modern. The population is stated to have been about 300 in 1890. The population has shown steady growth as in 1970 it was about 1,000. Originally the incorporated area was one square mile but in recent years the city limits have been expanded in all directions. The city now has a voluntary fire department equipped with a fire truck and other equipment. A modern telephone system has given efficient local and long distance service. The homes and public buildings are heated and air-conditioned by modern gas and electric systems. The town enjoys a modern water and sewage system.

Karr Shannon offered this about our present courthouse:
"The present fireproof courthouse was dedicated June 13, 1940, at a gala event attended by several state and national celebrities and some 3,000 spectators. The structure is said to have cost $150, 000, part paid by the country and the balance by the Federal government through an N.Y.A. project. - Karr Shannon

There's an important lesson we can all take away from this post. While most of the county's official records have been lost over the years...mainly due to the devastating courthouse fire in 1889...we have an opportunity to record history once more via the internet. The response to Mr. Williams' e-mail to me with the photo of Melbourne has amazed and encouraged me. It's proven something I've long considered - through the use of the internet, serious and amateur historians along with family descendents of the pioneers can share their little snippets of knowledge of the past and through that we can get a much clearer picture of what life was like in Izard County for our ancestors.

Thanks for Randy, our friend, Donna, whose e-mail appears above, and others who have contributed to this article.

Please, I encourage you...if you have family records or photos from Izard County's past, get them out, either by us or via some other site that shares our love and interest for the history and culture of those who came before us!

Vintage Photo: Melbourne Around theTurn of the Century

2011-06-22T08:58:00.008-05:00

Last night I was delighted to find an e-mail waiting for me from a friend of the site, Randy Williams, which included the amazing photo below. The photo is of Dixon Street looking north along the court square and appears to have been taken sometime around the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Due to the presence of all the men in like dress, this could have been during the 1912 Ex-Confederate Reunion. If so, this is the same year that the old red brick courthouse was built. I offer this possibility based on an account of an Arkansas Supreme Court case concerning the building of the brick structure, "Izard County vs The Bank of Melbourne (No. 348)" recorded in the Southwestern Reporter Volume 185 where building contracts were challenged. One of the contractors named in the case was the merchant, M.F. Hill, whose store is in the photo.

Update

If the photo was taken earlier than 1890, just off frame to the right might have stood the old original wood frame structure that had previously burned to the ground along with all of Izard County's records. If it was taken between 1890 and 1912, it would be the wooden building that replaced the previous one. The second courthouse that was built in Melbourne was taken down in 1912 and replaced with the beautiful red brick courthouse that burned in 1937.

Perhaps the wagon in the photo is one that hauled the brick up from Wild Haws Landing and the men in the photo are part of the construction crew during a break?

Perhaps not. But...if so, don't you love it when history comes together?

Be sure to check out the comments below. There's more info about Melbourne around this time.

EIC's Boring Weekend Spent Stripping

2011-06-20T20:02:00.009-05:00

On Saturday, June 11th, Rick and I were accompanied by Freda Cruse Phillips of Exploring Stone County and our friend, Beau, on a sneak-peek of our 2011 Fall Road Trip. While visiting several of the trees we plan to visit during the Fall event, we were able to use an increment borer that Freda had brought to get core samples from a couple of them. Our goal is to find enough evidence that these trees are indeed old enough to have been fashioned at the hand of Izard County's early Native-American inhabitants that we can generate some interest among a few biologists and historians. If we can prove these trees are as old as we think they might be, we may also be able to prove the route of an ancient Indian trace right here in Izard County. It would be a significant achievement. The EIC Crew has high hopes that these are what we think they are and that they do form a trail. But despite our hopes, we realize it is just as possible these trees are either land boundary markers or even storm-damage survivors. The samples are still being prepared for our "analysis" at this time and we should be able to take a good look at them within the next week or so.

Also on the 11th, Warren Smith, Rick, Bo Elrod, and I began the process of stripping the 150+ year build-up of dirt and debris from the logs of the Old Lunenburg Saloon. By this past Sunday morning, working at different times, that crew along with Jim, Junior, and my youngest son, Logan, had managed to finish cleaning the nearly 50 logs of the old tavern. It was a big step on the way to having the building restored and ready for visitors! It won't be too long until folks who come to Lunenburg will be able to stand before...and sometimes even go into...the very place history tells us the name for the town of Lunenburg was adopted!

Enjoy the photos. feel free to comment!

NOTE: Photos by Freda Cruse Phillips and Bo Elrod

Izard County Pictoral List of Endangered Places

2011-06-07T13:14:00.002-05:00

Please leave your comments below!