FLASHBACK published occasionally by the

W ashingtpn . County·· Historical Society Fayetteville, Arkansas

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Number 3 . 1951 • I ' ' . '

SPRINGDALE FEATURED ~ AT MAY MEETING OF HISTORICAL .. SOCIETY

-r · .:·· Thedhistory of. . Springdale. was r featured at : the meeting of the Washington County. Historical

·Society May 20 ·. •in the Student Center .. of the . Lutheran .church. DuPree Deaver ' and-Lockwood

Searcy had worked·up ·the .history; twhich was .presented b.Y Mr.Deaver• . As the speaker pointed out, any one division (churches,schools, ~government~ etc.) could .be made the subject ·of a :. fu11 ·hour 1s talk, 1Miss Jobelle Holcombe in­troduced the yisitors . and ·contributedrsome .Springdale: reminiscences- of her own. Here are •a ·few rof!,'the many'lin"b'eresting i'acts .. relatecrLby Mr•Deaver:

. The first train Lin WashirigtQn'·iCounty ' entered iSpringdale on · · June · S, 18Sl·, ,r 1 ,-r: .·.::,i~ ;·ft ,.:lq .tr · ,_ 1• -~ r· 1 • 1

The first =Lutheran church·: tin€lWashington County ·, was ' organized in Springdale in 1S79, with I.E.Raeder as pastor,

Springdale ~d · _ t;t:r~·~ ¢P~'!iY.ts.!.i'ir;r~· cong!'egati~n of ~eventh Day Adventists, in 1876.

John P. Staffiord was · only.118.·.years old·!·· when he· began publica":' tion of the Springdal~ :News :;in..:J.;8~7-.: i · · , .

J .c.Floyd; later. ,q6ngressma~;· .b~taught the first ·school•, in the Joe Holcomb home~· r .:bq \:,~-\(lJ-:>.fcV,f!q lc.:i lh .. '· \) l ·~ J f • ' '. • I I c.,.

The famous ·Springdale ~cna~tauqua was founded 1in 1S9S by ·Josiah Shinn. "'The rolloWin~C year ·it ;-crrew:~mL estimated 10 ;ooo· people-to hear ·Willi~. Jennings ~Bryan· speak~-:~:.:: ·,: Lt. i~ ... . -~ .

The first co-operative : i~~Mashirigtonf County ,, was the Fruit Growers and ·Shipper.s. 'co-opj .organized at . Spr.ingdale ,~in lSSB. · .. · The first ; posto.f'fice 'in the·: $pringdale. ·community was · called Lynch's · P.rairie ·( lS57-lS66). It was a just east of town~ The post­mister was A.G.Gregg, who owned-the farm oi'l which the postoffic.e . was located. His grandson was present at our meeting Sunday and .showed the~huge ·brass 1key ' to ,t;}ie ti'irst"postoffice located.! in the · ~ city of ~ springdale. .. -.;~~: .f!~"' " · .• · · ·I • • I

Fol:rbwing Mr. Deaver's talk l.i therenwas a lively •discussion .oi' local ;his­tory, which .. covel'ed .Springdale ·arid other cormm.inities and in which a · dozen members took part·. ' ,.Boot1LCampoell tnheld r ··~he group's attention with his reminiscences of the old days in Cane Hill; :· Cincinnati, l and the I~an country. 11My mother told me about the removal of the Indians, 11 he said,

The president, w.J .Lemke, ihtrciduC:ed -_eight directors ·of the WCHS who were present, artd; anh~bed~ Pl~ns · for'' the ' Confederate ·Memorial' Day pil­grimage to East · Mount.ain'l,.June 3'/f and 'the ~ Pbi'irie Grove-Cane Hill 'pilgrimo.. age tentatively set fcir 'rc1U!te~r24.·' 1 ·, • • •

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If your name' is not on• the membership list of our Society, we invite ·· you to join us. . ~ ... n· n ... . ... ' .'·: •

Our purposes ·are to~ preserve th'e .hfstoey 'of Washington County, to . keep alive th.e memory of· ·the 1 pioneers, artd. ·to tell the romantic story to newcomers and tourists. . ~~- ,

Our activities include monthly meetings, pilgrimages to historic spots, exhibi'Ds ·or. h.e'irlooms· arid rel~cs"; · and the publication of hist-oric lore in FLASHB'ACK. r,:. ··.·1· j 1"•: : ...... ; ' ~ ..... ' I •

If you approve ·our purposes .. arid want to· help us in our activities, send .check for $2 to .Toin Feathers, : s~cretary; 12~aCent·ef St. ·

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Cherokees Retrace Ancestors' 1838 Route

A quartet of Cherokee Indians, who were retracing the Trail of Tears from North Carolina to Oklahoma - as a publicity stunt to advertise a summer pageant at Cherokee, N.C., visited Fayetteville May 15 and were greeted by Mayor Powell Rhea at tq~ Q~:(;;y ~Agministrati.2n l?uilding. They were conducted tq_ _the ~_ij:..e _of the F_ay_et_~-e~lle E~e Se¢nary by Tom Feathers, secretary of the WCHS, who told the visitors the story of Sophia Sawyer and the 14 Cherokee girls who came here in 1839 to start the school.

According to a story in the Fort Smith paper, Bentonville · felt aggrieved that the Cherokee publicity group passed up that town for Rogers • . Rogers, of course, wasn't even in existence when' the original Cherokee~ walked the Trail of Tears. Neither was Springdale·, ·for that matter. The Cherokee party must have been in a. hurry to get to Tahle­quah, else they would not have 'p~seed up BentonVille, I suppose quite a fe~ of the original Cherokees left the Trail of Tears at Bentonville nnd entered the Indian Territory at Maysville. 'And later they ·were in Bentonville enroute to the battle at Pea Ridge, The Ch,rokee Histori­cal Association should have included Bentonville on ·this tour,

Society Acquires Old Speller and Physiology - .. ' ! .

Mrs.Jane Jansen of West 'Fork .hae· presented :to our. Society two school books that her grandmother used nearly a .centUr,y ·ago. ·One· is -a copy of l'/ebster r s blue-backed speller, containing the signature "Rebecca Jane Oglevie 185611 ; The other is a school physiology published in 1858 •.

The latter book contains much pr.actiaal advice. For instance, in Lesson 20 I found this question: "Should night-dresses be well aired?11

and the answer: 11They should. Instead of folding···thcm up, as is the common pzactice, they should be hung up, to expose them to· the action of the air all day." In Lesson 21 appears this question: 11 Do not slaves ,and 'other ignorant people enjoy good health?'' ahd the answer : "They do, but it is not because of their ignorance~ ·such persons .are usually restricted by their condition, to a temperate .diet, and live much in the open air." . ,

I leafed through the -blue-backed speller and read most o! the rules. This one is typical: "Formation of plural number of nouns. If s will not ·coalesce with the preceding consonant, it 'unites withe, and forms an adc;litional syUable. 11 . There are several pages of rules like that. Makes the learning of bow to sp~ll a bit difficult. But it's the 1only way, youngsters; the only way •" . 1 . . . .

Flag of the 13 Colonies Mayor Alvin Seamster of Bentonville has sent the Sqc~etY. a photo­

graph of the original flag of the 13 colonies. Mr,Se~ster s~owed the flag at our May 5 meeting. The flag i~ of homespun flax andeach stripe i~ a ~eparat~ p~e~e of cloth~ The_ ~ta~ a~e ~uilted on with flax threaii. Mr.Seamster writes: 11 June 14, 1777,. the Continental Con­gress stipulated that the flag for the 13 colonies was to have 13 stripes, alternate red and white, with a union of 13 stars on a ·blue fiel.d. The only history available on this particular fiag . is that it was brought to Arkansas by W.R.Cady, who established the Cady Orchards near Rogers ~bout 75 years ago."

Mrs.L.Y.Hartman, former Fayettevill¢ resident now living in LasVega.s Nevada, sends her WCHS dues and writes: 11 I hope the Society flourishes. There is need for Arkansas to preserve its historical treasures. Texas has amassed more Ark'ltlsas material. then Arknnsas itself has collected" • . .

Sidelights on Springdale's Early History _ (Written by Kennedy Deaver as valedictor,y add:e~e 1934)

Indians inhabited -this land long before the.white man ever saw it, for excavations near here have yielded rich returns to tpe archeolo­gists who date Indian habitations several thousand years back. The land was not all rough mountains dotted with springs and cut by swift rivers. Here and there were level plateaus, whico were ·fertile and adaptable to farming. It was one of these rich plateaus · which at­tracted the early settlers. No doubt they were·lured to this spot by the pure water which gushed from the several springs close to the old Baptist Church. We are told that there were four or .~ve of, these springs, the largest one at the foot of the hill on the Holcombe Home-

· stead. It was this spring which later gave the town its name. ' '

It is not surprising, therofore,.~hat in 1840 William Davison Quinton settled the SO-acre tract which was the foundation of the town of Springdale. Mr.Quinton, together with Rev. John Holcombe, came to this section from the Spoon River Association in Illinois. Rev. Holcombe homesteaded a tract of land near WestFork and established the ~·lestFork Primitive Baptist Association. About two ·yaars later Quinton and Hol­combe exchangmhomestends. In 1843 the Shiloh Primitive BaptistChurch was built and Rev. Holcombe chosen as the first regular pastor. Amqng the first members of this chur.ch were some of the forefathers of many people now living in Springdale. The early pastors were paid no salary u.s the doctrine o.f the church forbade them receiving any reward for their work. · ·

~. . -For over 20 years after the building of the church Rev.John Holcombe,

Shelby Fitzgerald, and their families and employees were the only people living in what is now Springdale. In 1868 Rev.Holcombe laid out the original town of Shiloh, ·bounded on the north by North street, on

. the west by Shiloh, on the south by Johnson, and on the east by Mill street. The naming of these streets, as well as that of other streets in Springdale, came later. ·

Emma ave~e was ·SO named by Jos_eph Holcombe when he plotted the present town, in honor of Miss Emna Dupree, his stepdaughter. Holcombe street was named after the family. Maple street was so tienned by C.J. Chapman. Main street was given this name because it was at that time the principal street in town, the business s~ction being around the _square where now stands the public library. Mill street was so desig­nu.ted on account of the old Petrosa mill which stood at the north end of the street. · The street running eu.st and west from Mill street to the Central School building was called Center street because it goes almost exactly through tho center of the original 'plot. Spring street was given this title because it was the road leading to tho spring near where the American Legion Hut ~ow is.

The first store was oponea by R.S. Coon but after a few months he sold out to Holcomb & Putman. The first public school building was a one-store frame building northwest of the old Baptist Church and built nbout 1868. Rev.J.A.Walden was the first teacher. In 1872 the Mission­ar,y Baptist Coll~gc was erected on the site of the present Central school. Rev.Barnes was the head of this school, but it was a failure financially, and in 1885 was purch~sed by the 'Lutheran congregation and oper~ted as a parochial high school. Later an academy wns taught there by Prof.Shinn.

" l:· ~· . '-1 ;.::r.~:f ~.i;H ·v:.fr;i ·,: ;~;~fJih;!.!rt.l:·.tari tw drt ~ t~h; • t .. ,.. -:·-----~ ... -;t ...... - ..... ··-··---~ ~- .... _..,,._...-.:..._

•• \~ ~.!. ·~;~ .• • , l'J: '1/!Ct :J :i: b;.·.JtN SD ~\)t;~t} .V)J~11t·~}f Y,d no.:ff}l.'Vo l In-1871 the Methodist Episcopal church , moved · here from Liberty to

joinT the -Shiloh-·Baptist '-'• ·and ·.the-f Missionary Baptist t Johurohes in the consttuction of a 'building:to oaluse~ ~ointly~~he ~construction of-the bUilding was·,in!the · haiida·rof•,"Uncle· Archia11 .! Smith~ Willi:am Holcomb and Hugh Smiley. ' The 'lumber. was 1 haul'ed·b from the Va.nWinkl'e mill near War

[Eagle. At'ter being' 'brought Lto 'the: sit·e .:or the buil'<iing; ther lumber was -stacked-end up in 1a pyramid•"'fonn '!and. ·seasoned 1by .bu:i:lding, fires under-' neath .• - The bo~ards w~re ·"in tl'le ·Jr6ugh!t~8.nd .. every :6ne ·hadrtonl:ie i"dresse'd by hahd~ Th~ .,heavy''t~ber; :"fortl1'e ' frn:sri'ewor~tWere· cut ih''nearby"tforests and :ei~h piece ,~s 'lc·~~etulty .sei'ect~d~\J bl oj Ei"! . ~· • rltl'!Uil:l ! J

.. • .... · · • • ro-:-;. ! ~., t rn .:r-. J·c. · .. ·.d i

As has been menti'oned, the first'\~t~re ~as started · ·by 1Mr.Coon, but it was not l .ong Wltil ~~.c~ S~e~la .. OijS,t}e~ aT s~.ox;.~ 1 · r~~~'t!h~.~t .. or .the square Wt!re now stand~. , .. ~he ~i~Y' 'ti~.~~~~;~ O~~e; ·;eci'rly 'Dierc.antile es­tablishments nea~ ~b~ o,l1" , sqWiz:1e 1 ~~te :,'S!A'9~l)~Ter ·& Stlarcy, A.J1.~hilips, :1nd Baggett & ~te. The lattelj !it~r~ w~s . qq t~e · soll:th.w!s~ ,comer of the library·.lo~, near the: old w~ll~ .,~1 b~sin~ss t?e~~e~e~ a~o~ the. square, including the hotel, which was .. kriown as the Gladden 'House. ·

r- J ~ ' , ~v .L J4 ~ ;' . ~ 1 ,. . • ~ .. I ""h.J .. , ~£, " '"i r .,,, .. ~ ~ I -

. when in 188l ,the' Friscc;> . r~:i.l)~o'~r ~~~~ .glfu( ~hr~ugh'L~fe;: ' .. ~ne ~usi­ne_ss section .~radu~lly Il)ovefyo :},tr.s 'p;~~.ent ,l~ca.tio_n!;: ' .Thl!! . pa.+t ~f town was called 11n~ toWI'\11 , r. while) :.he o~iginal section was known as "old t9Wll"• c[.A.C6;ffelt, was ;Bfl~H§ ~.lJ~ ·r~r,.s~· l!lercp~ts · i~ -.t.h~· new loca.­'tion, opening up a hardware 'store : The first brick building )las erect­ed-by-Joseph- ·Hol~omb. · .and -!..s-- ~-oc.eupi.ed. 4 the--Lead~ Dti .. :GOod.a .CO •

. ,Aft.er. a t_im~ 1-h~ "?ld,, town•~ ~~~- ~1d9·~~n..ecl .. ~s _f~r ,.as l;>.~.ip,es~ .. ~~; con­cerned, but it was nat until,~ sopte.Wli~~ •1la~.er 'that ,Mr,Gl-adden, 'the last

•to move', pliilt. ~~e ~rick b~l'di_~~ t a?cU:~i~f,~·\h'~ ;~ca~e;'H~t~l:-· , • ~ . ..,. , - 1 r t,l • ·

!n 18'75 the citizens decided they' ne'eded' a postoffice': UP. until this I • • \ l1 j (1 • 1 r 1 1+ ., I ~

tinie tJle town' ¥~ b.een ,ca3:1·e.d J3tlil_o}.l.., l~,ut· ~s ~.n·e1t_:e ;WA~. ~f.ready _a post­office in the: stnt~.:: by toot name,' :tt was nec~ss~t-ry , to ·changf. -tli~ name. The name Springdale was finally selected ·on account \ of the large spring in the mi<ici;l.~ of t})e Comqlunity • . B.f.ru~n was th~. fi_rst 'post­master, ~nd .the ~rst. po~;toff~c.~ . ;wai_JoGa~~~ '." i~ ~~e -~~n& nor~h of _the pr,o~e.rt~ .o~eq. py t~~ .' lat,e Orifi~e ·woo~~· · · ~~ ,t}le.- ~~:rJt days tt~ mail came :by stage coaqJi, on. the ,nne fr,an ~pririgfield' to VanBuren;. 'The arzival of the stage 'c'oaqh .was, ~a, greo.t 'ev;ent. f A~ .~oon b,s 'the nian was thrown 9ft, ·it was taken · into .the ':Postoffice, opened, and the postmaster would rend the riarnes of .the addressees, who WQuld come up and get their mail if they were pree~nt. ; · . · f

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. ~here wer~ . a . ,numb.er of ~arly, tl14~fi5~r:l:.e~, 'In ,.J;87~ :Mr~chu~e built a br~ckyard_ on So,uth Holcomb s~~eet ,. , !11obably· t

1he . ,firs~ :O:r~ck~. w~ich he

burned were use~ to construct the Baptist College, which was torn down .I • t 1~ , 1" ' _I ~. ' ~ ~ I )

to make way for the present Central School. The'se bricks were used to erect buildings and houses.?J ~P~. ~~~ ~c~ .,r~. }~11. ip,, ~se, ·

::... tl" ,, •

About the same time. as· ~he briqkyaP,ci'J 1 ~ \iool~ fac:tory was begun by Mr. Haxton. This . ~actp~1-~,a ·.1Q~te41 j4_st~ no:\~h. of 'the swimming pool, and operated for several .Ypat:s. • I~ spu,n yarq; wove · 'and ·~yed cloth. Also in the 70's, Mrl~~)'fC?~cpmb • et3~aplish¢d' ~ ,r ·~anyaJ;d on the' bank of Spring Creek, just north Qf the old Baptist churc;:h. Thfs tann~ry }'ISS operated by Mr. Ackerman, a. ·· native. of SwitzerJ,.and; who tanl'\ed leather and made harness, boots and· snoes for the community, '

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1·Jhen Springdale was incorpClrnted in 1878 it could bon.st of e1 post­office, 1. woolen f~.Lctory, n bricky2rd, .,_ t :1nnery, throe; churches, two school hou~cs. :;.Dd m;>.ny businers houses. In 1881 Mr. Holcomb indur.cd o;c .. Ludwig t o come here from Alabama u.nd b egin publication of the Springdale Enterprise. Afte r some four or fi vo;; yen.rs Hr. Ludvn g nov.:d his printing pl.:mt to Cb.rksvillc. A short time l .:;.ter H::rry C. l·brnQr cst."\blis hud the Spr:i.ngdalc Yellow lTackd but it did not survi vc long. In 1887 John P. Stafford heg:..n the public:J.tion of the Springd.:1.lt: News, our present n~wspaper.

The old Petross r oller mill, which stocd ~cross the Primitive BC1ptist Church, w.'ls built i n 1881. flour, shorts, bran ~nd other products.

the creek no rth of Thi5 mill ground

\Vhen this country was first settled, it w<>.s not known th:1t the land \of"..S sui tJ. ble for gr11wing fruit, but .1.11 fnrrners grew on.ts and wheat. B , for~ the Civil ~'/ar, R~v. John Holcombe ph.ntt:d •n orch'\rd in \·:hD. t is now the City Park, but it was not until sev~r1.l yt:ars ln.ter thatthc fruit industry became nn important factor in thE: businoss of t"lis section. In 1885 a canning factory was erected just north of Emma nvc nue <>.nd e1.st of the railr~~d.

This brings us up to 1890, through thE.. critic3.1 pf.'.riod in the growth nf the town. Tho postoffice had been s~cur..;d nnd the ra.ilroad built, "\nd tht.l t own had been incorporated. Springdale w:1s ready to start tht: 9ay Nineties as a good-sized country village with a numb&r of varied industries. Since tho.t·time the population hn.s triped, ~lectric light .:1nd power hn.s come, Wolter and St;Wer systems estnblished, tl.nd motion picture thc!<tter introduced. Highw;o.ys have b~en constructed. The City Libr ..... ry h; s bu.n st·~rted. The tdcphrme systc.m was brought hore, nnd n;tur.ql g:>..!;; h; s been installed. Mod c.rn sch 'inls h:J.V f,; been built. C.:ln­nin~ f:'l.ctori us have bel.n constructed 1.nd modurn shipping fo.ciliti es introduced. \-Jho can t eJ.l what th~ nC;xt 70 yt'!lrs will bring?

In ·hunting up the rna t<;ri<:'.l for the 0nrly his tor; of Springdale, I found th~t my Aunts, Miss Job0lle Holcombe nnd Mrs.E.F:Ellis of Fay­etteville had in their posst;ssion the original land grnnt for the first 80 1.cres of Springdale, issued by President Tyler in 1843 to \'lilliam D. Quinton. For m.:1.ny y~ars the: deed had been kept in the posst.Jssion of J oseph Holcomb. Since th~ Publjc Library is e:rectcd upon the nriP,in;>.l t o•Nn squ:-.r"' <>.nd is doing nuch t ow1.rd th~ culturr1l devf:!b­opmunt of Sprj.ngdale, we think it is fitting th."\t t his v•;...nern.blc docu­mtnt be pl~ccd in thu kGcping of th~ Public Librnry.

D~tos of E~rly Entrie s Entrit:.s :>f 1:-.nd in Township 18 tlorth, Jbnge 30 West, Section

36, in \-thich Springdale is lclcnt ~d, wer~ made by Freeborn Graham Feb.20, 1840; S.P.Finc Ft:b.29, 1840; J:unes Fitzgt;rald I-i:.r.7,1840; :v.D.~uinton ~hr.l6, 1840; John Holc.:>mb S~::pt.l, 1845; and Scpt.l8 1856; Is~1c S. Fitzgcr~Jd Dec.26 nnd 29, 1849; J os t ph Holcomb, Dcc.29, 1852; and \·!.H. Hclccmb Jan.ll, 1853.

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Do You Remember ••• ? (Happenings at the Turn of the Century)

by Tom Feathers

Do you remember when t he city was 11 open range tl to all animals, and the proprietors of busi nesses, particularly on the Square, were con­~tantly herding cows and horses from in front of the stores, and hogs and dogs out of their buildings?

Do you remember when the Arnold & Fields Tanne~' was in operation on Mill street? Six vats vrere used at the plant, \'lhich \-tas located across the street from the 1Nhite Mill. Many of the hides for tanning were ob­tained at the City Dump, t o which daily trips were made to skin ani­;:lals left there.

,~!hen the Harley Marble & Granite \riorks was open for business next door west of the Oriental Hotel on Smoky Row? Tombstones were hand­chiseled and the granite was obtained from a creek bed not too far from town. One of the t eamsters ~1o hauled this granite to Mr. Morley is today a resident of the city.

When th~ Washington Hotel built a s ewage disposal tank of brick at the southeast corner of Block and Second streets? The remains of this septic tank are visible at the present time.

When "Uncle John" Tunstill was feeding about 500 hogs just a block from the Square? His hog lot was bounded on the north by Rock stteet, on the east by East street, on the west by Block street and ext ended about halfway down the hill toward South street. The hogs became in­fc·cted '1-Tith cholera and some 200 of them were hauled to the City Dump, -~hich at that time was on the Pump Station road just off Highway 16. Also, and at the same time, Mr.Tunstill was feeding 20 head of oxen on the same ground, all of them too old to work. Horses were replacing them in the community and the disposal of these oxen is unknown.

When the Jennings Mule Barn was a thriving business at the northwest corner of the intersection of Hountain street and College Avenue. Mr. Jennings hired the mules out to teamsters and also hauled lumber here from Madison County. The Barn covered about ana-fourth of the block on which it was located; l"\ter it wa s operated as a camp ground in the manner of today 1s parking lots.

\{hen th~ Baum Eros. store on the east side of the Square burned and a bucket brigade was fanned across East street to the wells on the courthouse lawn; much of the merchandise in the store was savee- next day several men of the city wer e wc:1ring new hats. It was during this fire that one Bill Hodge (no r~lation of the local families) was res­cued from under a collapsed wall by Henry Barton and the late Albert Byrnes.

\1hen Bolos & Barnett was a grocery ~nd furniture store on the south sice of the Square; when Capt.E.B.Harrison and Harve Harris had grocer s~ores on the east sido of the Squnre; when Sutton's H~rn~ss Shop end R.K. Hodges CJ.f e were on the west side of the Square; when ~'layman Brmm had a grocery store, nnd J~es L. Bozarth combined the businesses of furni ture, picture fr:ming tmd undertaking, on the north side of the SqtW.re.

lrlhite House Cemetery

by F. H. HcConnell

The \Jhite House cemetery, located on Hiddle Fork river near the church of the same name, 25 miles southeast of Fayettevill€, was open­ed during the 1830's. The first marked grave is that of Samuel Hanna, \oJho died Sept. 16, 1837. There are numerous unmarked graves in the older section and it is likely that there \oJere earlier burials, as the v~lley above the ~fuite House was settled as early as 1833-35. Some of those who settled in that locality during the 1830's were the Lewis, Hanna, Hunt, Campbell, ~funkins, Howry, Karnes, Mills, Williams, Stout and Van Hoose families.

In this cemetery are the remllins of Hm. Hunt (1801-1885) and wife Rhoda Hunt (1800-1862), parents of Col. Thomas J. Hunt, Union soldier and prominent nepublican leader of Washir.gton County for many years. Colon£1 Hunt also served as postmaster at Fayetteville and owned Wax­haws on South College avenue, previously owned by Gov. Archibald Yell, whose remains first were interred at Waxhaws but later removed to Evergreen cemetery.

Local descendants of th e Hanna family include Nrs. Maude Bassett and S. E. (Bob) Hanna. \•lm. H. Campbell Jr and 1-lary Hanna Campbell, and \'im. H. Cru:1pbcll Sr 'ind Julia Rutherford Campbell, ~a rents and grandparents r cspccti vely of Hrs. Mollie Cnmpbcll Rainey, are buried there. Also, O.ven Ramey"-sr and vli.fe, grandparents of the.l~te Mrs. B.F. Ramey and Mrs. R.F.Johnson; ltlm.C.Dougln.s, father of Hrs. J.P.M:lson and Mrs.J.B. HcConnell; Bracken Lewis n.nd wife, cousin of Bracken Lewis Jr; Lewis :•J. Thompson n.nd .,.rife; Joe C. Arnott and wife; George W. Hughes (1817-1862) and wife Sarah Hughes (1819-1900) and Johnathan Stout (1819--1911); i·Jl.i. Henson (1803-1877); John Pascho.l (1819-1911) •1nd \·rifeRachel P1.schn.l (1819-1900); i1m. Chn.ndler (1803-1895); John C. \'Jilliams and vrife ~hrtha ~'iilliil.ms; ~ of· th~ ~·mite,-ltJcst, Wilson, Hobbs,Cosby, Porter, Fallen, Colley n.nd numerous other fnmilies.

Union soldiers buried in this cemetery include Benj~min F. R~mey and his brother, J0.mes M. R".!TTey, '1..nd 'rhom:-ts Po.sch"!.l, eo.ch of whom \-l<'..S n corporal in Co. B, 1st Arkc.ns:1s Cnv:.lry, They p1rticip:1ted in b o.ttles ;t 1•/ilson Creek, Hissouri, nnd Pea Ridge and Pra-irie Grove, Ark~ns~s.

The e·1rliest birth dnte reflected by the tonbstoncs is th"'.t of Mo.ry H:.nm, wife of J"!IT!cs H~nn-.. Sr., who ~·r.1s born Feb. 27, 1797, nnd died Oct. 1, 1883.

Tho Hiddle Fork v.:1lley in the White House vicinity \'las inhnbited by Indi 'ins prior to 1830, but this cemetery was not used by them, so far :.s is knovm. However, some of the oc cupnnts of t.hi s cemete ry were of p·trt Indie.n 'incestry.

This pretty cemc:tery slopes gently from t he highwuy on the west towards the river on the east. It is in current us e ~nd is gener1.lly well kept due to the efforts of iln nctive ccmet EJ ry nssoci:1.tion.

--vJCHS--

Society's Third Meeting Is Pilgrimage to Evergreen Cemetery

The April meeting of th~ WCHS ( Sundny the 15th ) took the form of a pilgrimage to Evergreen Cemetery. A group of members and friends, num­bering almost 100, visited the graves of some of the men and women who helped make Fayetteville history during the ~\st 123 years. Dr. :Iarrison Hale sketched the c.:1reers of f ormer University staff members. Your president paid tribute to the soldiers, statesmen and pioneers.

~~p of the pilgrimage will be f ound on another page of this issue, l'he visit to Everereen, as I t old the group, was designed as nn adven­~ ure in local history -- as well as a tribute to the illustrious dead. le could not visit the graves of all the men and women who built our .own, but we did stop at the graves of those who ranked high in the steem of their contemporaries, as ~videnced by their important posi­

.ion in government or their prominence in other fields.

I asked myself "What rnak~s a man or woman great ?11 and I came up with ~ his answer -- "Service to fellowrnen11 • On that b:1sis th~ housewife and ~other ranks with legislators, doctors, builders, or others high in )Usiness or the professions. In truth, it is usually because of the 1nselfish service of a woman to her family that a man is able t o •.chieve high position. Among the public servants whose graves the \vCHS 1isited were those of teachers like Sophia Sawyer, Gates, Buchanan and ~utrall; pioneer doctors like Welch and Gregg, the Pollards and Pad­iocks; builders like HUrnes, Mayes and VanWinkle; jurists like Gregg; ' ublic officials like the Wilsons, Walkers, Dinsmore, Gunter; business nen like Mcilroy and Stone; soldiers like Yell, Eason, Chandler, Van­jeventer and the Tidballs.

An interesting feature of our Evergreen pilgrimage was the pr~sence )f Judge T.H.Humphreys, who had ~nown personally most of the men whom -10 were honoring. Judge Humphreys is our town's link betvteen yesterday ~nd today. I hope everybody present got the same thrill I did when the Judge said 11 ! knew him; he was a good man, 11 Or "He practiced law when t Has on the bench". And when we stood at 11 Uncle Bob" Wilson's grave, Judge Humphreys said 11 He wq.s president of the Senate when I was speak­;r of the House -- the only time both presiding officers of the Gener­tl Assembly were from the same city. 11 This unusual coincidence happen­~d exactly 50 years ago -- in 1901. And here was one of the principals .n that historic event, standing ~t the grave of the other princi­l~l--and·making the past live again for the Historical Society members.

Story of vlashington Wilson in Next Issue

Through Mrs. H. L. Pearson I have received some valuable information ~bout the Thomas family, whose home a century ago stood where the Frisco depot now stands and whose family graveyard was the beginning of Evergreen cemetery. The father-in-law of John Thomas was Washington \'iilson, one of Fayetteville 1s enrliest merchants and the man who gave Stephen K. Stone his first job. The information comes from \'lashington \•Tilson 1 s granddaughter, Hrs. Frank Wager of Dallas. It will appear in an early issue of FLASHBACK.

Has Copy of Cherokee Union Act

Roy Nix hns a well-preserved copy of the "Acts of Union between the East and Hest Cherokees." The book \vas printed at Tahlequah in l870 by the Cherokee N'\tional Press, Edwin ,\rcher, printer.

t

North - --.---- - Key

34 32 23 . 7' -I ... .. .. ········- .... ...... -· ••ort ;:•r I -···· .....

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35! ?.2 I ! a -~-

I I 24 I 17 i . I I S.Lc r I ·- 1- - -

37 31 ! I . ... .. ...... ..,_. •. I -I 14 ' •10 9 I I I I I 29 26 I

13 · 3. 4 j 30 I - i · i I

2 I 28 27 I 12' I I - - I --1-- ... . .. . i - .. ·-···· 1 . '

- - - ·- ---'- I-·· -· -·· .. ·- . .. . .

1. Sawyer 2. Davidsoh J. Williams 4. Mawsie Jr 5. Massie Sr

* 6. Vandeventer-Crockett

? • Tidball 8. 1-layes 9. Stone 10. Stirrnan 11. Mcilroy

* 12'." ~~cQ.!=!r * 13. Vinconheller

I - I . · f-· I I .. -~ -I I • - · --

14.. Pollard 15. VanHoose

* 16. Gray 17 . Paddock

I . . ··- I 38 I I -1 . . I

18. Yell· ~:- 19. Hastings

I I I I ..

.J j_ -\

I l I

I I I 1 . ' ·- i f -L-.!--

* 20. Botefuhr 21. L~Gregg 22. A.S.Gregg 23. Reagan

\ , I I _______ .. .. -" ...... _____ ,, -·-·--· ~~ 24. Murfee

I 39 - - ' j 40 48i 47 · 1--- -.- 1--

41 42 ; 46 -- -- - ..... --,_ : 43'

. ··-

- -

-I ..

! I I . .

Pilgrimage ' to . E-vergr~A Cemetory, '

Fayetteville, Arkansas . . .

· washington ~ounty Historical Society

Sunday, April 15, 1951

Pilgrimage conducted by Dr. Harrison Hale and W. J: Lemke

.. . ~ . . .

··-

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I

I .. ! I:__ -; I . I ·-I

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I I I I .

I I I' . r· . i 49 . . . -

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25. VanWinkle 26'. Gunter

1-:..... -·. 27. Putman-King * 28. Futrall -t< 29. Cravens

- 30. Welch

I ... ~ '" 31. Wilson

3~. Walker 33. Byrnes

I f_l -

34. Fulbright 35. Mcilroy 36. Harrison

-1:- j7. Ti llman )B. Peel 39. Di nsmore 40. Pollard

•I ~:· ·41: Gates

I 42. Eason 43. A.l-i.Wilson

R • J .'dils on AllenWilson

i i- 46'. Buchanan j -I< 47. Leverett I 48. Hunt

-1:· 49. Gladson -!<indicates

University

q

. II {• ! .,

lO

Ke,y to Map Some Builders Of Fayetteville Vfuo Sleep In Evergreen

1. Sophia Sawyer, •••••.• 1792-1854 •••• Founder of Fayetteville Female Seminary 2, Benj.:l.Davidson •••••• l847-1938 •••• Lawyer, banker, state legislator 3. Alf ~illiams •.•....•• l852-1926 •••• Industrial leader, Grandson of vln.McGarrah 4. J .C .l.'assie Jr •..•...• 1857-1942.,, .School principal, city official 5. J .C.t•lassie Sr •••••••• 1816-1897 •••• President of first school board 1871 7. Jack Tidball ••••...•• age 28 yrs ••• Made supreme sacrifice in France, Oct.l918

Charles Tidball •.•• ,,age 22 yrs ••• Made supreme sacrifice in France, Oct.l918 8, John Mayes •.••.•.•..• l810-1889 •••• 0rgnr Baptist Church. Incrptr Female Institute

w.zera Mayes, ••••...• 1835-1888, ••• Built Old l~iain, Mcilroy Dank, Stone earner 9, Stephen K. Stone, .... 1819-1909, ••• Pioneer merchant, builder, patron of education 10.J.H.Stirman •••.•••••• l807-1879 •••• Helped incorporate town, Arkansas College ll.i'im. E. r.ic!lroy ....... 1812-1886 .... First treasurer of UA.Founder of oldest bank 14.T. J, Pollard ••••..•. l805-1889 •••• Helped found Arkansas College, Christian Church 15,J. H. VanHoose ....... 1830-1900, .•• 1!ayor, prominent Hasan, community builder 17.S.F. Paddock ••••.•••• l83l-1685•·••Early physician and civic leader lB. Archibald Yell ....... 1797-1847 .... Cohgressman, Governor, i·.!exican V~ar hero 2l.Lafayette Gregg •••.•• 1825-1891. •• ,Soldier, judge; v1rote bill locating UofA here 23.Hugh Reagan ••••..••.• 1850-1937 .... Teacher, newspaper publisher, Univ. official 25,Peter VanWinkle •.•••• l814-1882 •••• Lumber mills; builder of hotel and opera house 26.T. 1:. Gunter ......... 1824-1904 .••• Conf.soldier, Congressman, father of a governor 30.W. B. \-'.elch .......... 1828-1917 .... Pioneer doctor. Founder of City Hospital 32.J• Vol 'lialker ........ 1859-l933 .... Legislator, Pres,of Ark. bar, University helper 33.A. 1-1. Byrnes •....•..• 1852-1937., •• Built over 400 bldgs, incl,schools, hospital,UA 34.Jay Fulbright •••.•••• l866-192) •••• Banker, industrialist. Father of US Senator 35.J, H. Mcilroy ••••.•. ,1868-1939 •.•• Born where UA stands. Banker and civic leader 36.E, B. Harrison ••.••.• l840-1930 •••• Soldier, banker, pres, of first Bldg & Loan 38.Zillah Cross Peel •••• 1874-194l •.•• Editor, magazine writer, county historian 39.Hugh Dinsmore........ -1930• .•• Congressman, UofA trustee, t:inister to Korea 40.T, v;. Pol1ard ••.....• l833-1899 •••• First president county medical society 18f2 42.J. T. Eason •••..•••.• l843-1918 •••• Confederate soldier. ~ayor of Fayetteville 43, Alford ti . hilson •...• 1817-1907 •. , , Conf. soldier, legislate r, US comminssione r

Robert J. Wilson., ••• 1850-194.4 •••• Served in legislature longer than any other :na., Allan M. Vdlson ...... 1890-1942 ••• ,l.iayor, postmaster, worker for the University

48.T. J. Hunt •.........• l839-l922 •••• Soldie r, legislator, postmaster, US Rev.Coll~ c

Builders of the University Buried In Evergreen Cemetery \

6. Willie V. Crockett ••• l874-1933 •.•• University teacher for 26 years -'-l2.Elias Chandler, .•...• 1856-1909 ••• ,Soldier. Corrunandant of UA cadets

13. Y7. G. Vincenheller ••• 1850-1911 •••• Commissioner of agriculture. First UA dean 16 .0. C. Gray ........... 1832-1905 .... Conf. soldier. University professor 1875-95 19.G.C. & Mary Hastings.l878-1942 •••• ~embers of UA faculty, total 44 years 20,\'iolf D.C. Botefuhr ••• 1833-1885 •••• Univ. teache r of music 1872-1881

H.C. C. Botefuhr •••.•• l834- ••.. Univ, trustee; supt of agri farm 22.AndrEW S. Gregg, ....• 1857-11;138 •••• First-day student, first gradg class U of A 24.Ed\~ , H. r.iurfee, ....•• 1845-1932 ••.• Preaident University 1887 to 1894. 27.Anna Putman King ••••• l856-192? •.•• First-day student in AIU, teacher 28.John C. Futrall •••..• l873-1939 •••• 0n UofA faculty 45 years, President 1913-1939 29. J, L. Cravens ••..••• l83l-1908 •••• ~egent, secty, treasurer of University 1851-94

W. H. Cravens ••.•.•• 1858-1931. ••• Secretary and auditor of University for 17 y ~a1 3l.B. N. \alsen ......... 1874-1948 .... University professor for 44 years 37.John N. Tillman •••••• l859-l929 •••• Congressman, Pres. of University 1905-1912 4l.Noah P. Gates •••....• l832-1909 •.•• First president of University. School supt 46.John L. Buchanan ••••• l8) 1-1922 •••• Prcsidcnt University 1894 to 1902 4?.C. H. Lever~tt ••••••• l833-1897 ••.. University professor of languages 1871-1894 49.\'i . N. Gladson, ....... 1866-1941. ... UA teacher and dean 43 years. V.ireloss pionc.:;r

Sophi,:\ S1.wyer' s First Report from Fnycttevillc

by Ro\'/ena NcCord G.:lll,:n.,ay

l·liss Sophb S:twyer, the missionnry te~cher who founded the Fny.:tte­villc Female Scninnry, did not come west with the John Ridge frunily in 1636, but the n~xt year. She re~ched Ntw Orle~ns on S1turday , Dec~ mher 2, 1837, "in the ship Arkansuw 16 d:tys from New York". Hiss S.:.v,ryer went first to Dwight Mission, lator to Honey Cretlk in the new Ch~rokce N1tion. There she taught in ~ snull schoolhouse furnished by Chief Ridge. She and her "boarding" pupils occupied a sr.mll home but ~t.c their ne~ls .:'..t the Ridge home.

The following letter written by Miss S~wyer to Rev. D~vid GreeA, Secretary of the American Bo~rd of }\fissions, \'13.S her first report to hin qftcr deciding to open a school in Fayetteville -- in which enter­prise she W:lS encour.:.ged by members of both Cherokee f;1.~tions.

R~v . Dc.vid Green Very Dear Friend,

Fnyettcvill~ , Oct. 11, 1839

I cannot '\ddress you, in th•.:se times of tri:>.l, in the cold business 1'\ngu-"..ge of Sir; when no other humnn boing c1n or will feel with us as you do & will in the relation you sustain tow~rds us. I thank ypu for th~ l~ttcr of August, which I received n few days sine~. In that you express unccrtninty" r especting our situ:1tion & offer ~'our sympathy in s cv~r-..1 possible cnses. For this we th:111k you & truly rejoice with you i n one f1.ct, thct with Eternal Rectitude , all is safety & cor.1f ort.

You h-..ve possibly l earned from othbr pens much that has transpired i n this f~,ily. I l eft the Nntion with ~Irs. Ridge, th~ children & a p~rt of the s ervnnts a few days ~fter the murder of h~r husb3nd.(Not e : June 22, 1839). Hrs .Ridge \'l'ns sustained under the oven'l'helming .:\fflio­t i on, & h~d not un influence been exerted, by interest~d p~rsons, t o h:-.ve h~:r le~VC' the N:1tion, urging as r~nsons th:'.t herself & children tverr: in d 1n~er, I should h~vc succeeded in keeping t he f amily & the school t •gether. This I did f or sever al dnys ~ft~r the Ridges' death; but Hhon I s:nv ht: r sinking under thc weight of s orrow --fe;arful :.pprchensions & undecided nnxicties -- I consented t o l c-1.ve for this t own '"\S th e ne~rest pl "lee of snfety & acoor.unodation. Her e I have been since, doing, ns it respects vigorous effort, what I could for her children & 3nd those nssoci~ted with thum. Th~ last f~vor thrrt I saught of Mr. Ridge wns his influence t o pr e­

vent :my ".1.1 :--ng 36 of my pupils :tttending n show, which I knew would tX~rt a b1d mor 1l influence, this he granted solely t o grntify ~e two ~~ys bGfor e his death, & not ~ pupil w~s nbsent except fro~ sickness during the scene which wns JXlssing :1t the store. Hy \v~nts & wishes wcr(;; consulted bef oru he l eft f or New York, & that evening bef ore he "I".~ killed I snw & r eceived the glo.be and books, & the lo!.st words he spoke t ·:> me amidst the crowd of business & people were ~o inquire if t he: beaks &c were such ns I wished. We returned to tl!E;: dwelling house . The girls & ~ys elf t ook ~n early supper, & went to our house beyond the shrieks of th~ nurdcred, which, b~for. e the dawn, were t o fill with unutter~ble woe t he peaceful dwelling th~t we l eft ~t ~vening.

--WCHS--

Historic Graveyard on East Mountain

In preparation for the Society's visit to the Confederate cemetery and the family graveyards on East Mountain, I went up there the other afternoon and spent an hour with the Walkers, Suttons, Buckners, Pegrams, and other well-known families of a century ago.

The Confederate cemetery is clean and orderly, as befits a military bUIJQng-ground. But the family lots across the street are overgrown with brush and creepers, theornamental fences are rusting and falling apart, many headstones are gone, some graves are impossible to find.

M'm just sentimental enough to feel that all to the pioneers. Many of these old families ~way. But we're here, and maybe we can repay names alive and their memory bright. And their

of us inl951 owe a debt have died out or moved a debt by keeping their graves clean.

I know they are all dust. But I choose to think the dust that Has Rebecca Washington (1786-1861) is more akin to that of Mt. Vernon than to the Ozarks soil in which it lies. And that the dust th:J.t was David \'/alker (1806-1879) is of a different quality from the flinty soil of East Mountain.

In the Walker enclosure, with sandstone vaults above their graves, lie the'pntriarch, Jacob Wythe Walker (1778-1838) and his li.Lfe Ann (1782-1851). There are the Washingtons --Rebecca and later Whiting Washington (1824-1896). Th~re is Capt. J~cob Wythe Walker, killed at the age of 31 in the Battle of Jenkins Ferry in south Arkansas May 21, 1864. There nre Capt. John J. Walker (1817-1886), e!harles Whiting ~ofalker (1834-1924), U.S.Semtor James David Walker (1836-1906) and his ~nfe ~fury (l837-1910),and the 4th generation Walkers, Jack (1869-1923) and D~vid (1872-1936).

There are a number of children 1 s graves, among them two babies of Erastus B. a.nd Courtnay N. Duncan, whose r elationship with the Walkers I do not know.

Also in the \oJalker l ot ar e the Bucknf.. rs -- Georg~ R. £tnd N.:lnnie Walker Buckner, both born in 1842, both dead in 1910. Others buried in the Wnlker enclosure are Lucy Smith (1796-1861) ,· John Jn.mes .Pope, and the Purdys-- Jacob C. (1834-1916) and Annie Newman Purdy (1845-1912).

Just a short distance from the Walker lot is the Sutton f :•.mily bury­ing ground, where lies the dust of the pioneer Seneca Sutton (1807-1857) and his fami ly. Nearby are buried Benjamin M. Pegrrum (1816-1909) and his wife Mary (1822-1886). Another enclosure is the la.st r esting place of the Rudolphs, George (l825-1916),and wife Frances (1833-1900) and their three children. The \'i~tson lot contains the dust of Hilliam A. (1830-1900), hi s li.Lfe Sarah (1834-1902) and their two daughters.

A tall monument bears the name Katie Stirmnn. There are Heney t omb­sto~es, one f or Beetle A. Harris who died 1869, and many single graves half-buried in the underbrush,among them Benton Walker and T.J.\.Jalker.

I was n.bout t o le~ve the gloomy thicket, when I spied a little htn.d­stone, ~11 alone, n.lmost buried under th~ creeper. I brushed the vin~ s nside and r ead on the sandstone slab the single na~c 11 S:tlly11 • I wa s still thinking of the unknown little girl when I p~ss~d the Sen1tor 1s grave on QY way out of this historic but neglected graveyard.

---WJL

~~

..

An Interview with Mrs. A.M. Byrnes by w. J. Lemke

Mrs. A.M. Byrnes was 97 years old last month. I called on her the other evening and listened to an eye-witness account of historic hap­penings ranging from Civil War depredations by bushwhackers to the arrival of the first train in Fayetteville. She has seen -- literally seen- the building of Fayetteville, for her husband erected more than 400 public buildings, business buildings, and residences in our town.

Her memory is astonishing. For example, she recalled every detail of her journey to Fort Smith as a young girl, to enter St.Anne 1s Academy -- how her father drove her down, leaving here early in the morning and reaching the Boston r<ountains by sundown; sleeping on the floor in a farmhouse; walking over the mountain the next day because she was tired of the jolting ride; ferrying across the river at VanBuren; and the biggest tlhrill of all - .v~hipping up the horses forthe pull across the river sandbank at Fort Smith -- a thrill because if the horses had stopped, the wagon would have sunk in the sand and stayed there.

Mrs. Byrnes viaS born Mary Elizabeth McCoy in 1854 in Providence ,Rhode Island. Her father brought his family to Arkansas Hhen Mary VJaS five years old. She remembers the trip from St.Louis to Fay~tteville -- by stage coach. And the arrival at their new home on 'vvhite River, north­east of town.

Prompted occasionally by her daughter, Hrs.Dora Benbrook, Mrs.Byrnes gave me a first-hand account of what the Civil v.ar look..;d like to a 9 or 10-year-old girl. She remembers the soldiers passing by tho McCoy home, the ebb and flow before and after Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove. But ber most vivid recollections arc of the marauding bushwhackers, who repeatedly plundered the home, ~von ransacking an upstairs room and stealing all the fine things her mother had hidden in a chest. Every night ht:r father ,and the othur men of that neighborhood, hid out in tho woods or cornfield. Once her father was captured by .m outla•~ band and taken, she thinks, to Springdale. For a day and night his family did not know his fate.

11 I was never afraid", this frail little woman t old me , "except of the Indians. I never let them in the house. whon they knocked, but I always g.we th€.m something to eat·"

Her husband, Albert M.Byrnos, was a native of Dublin, Irelru1d, v1ho cc?.m~ to v.ashington County as a 15-year-old youth Md workod at Rhea Is and Viney Grove before coming to Fayetteville. His career here is well known. He built Gray Hall and th~ old Commerce building on the Univer­sity c.::unpus, most of the public schools, the Presbyterian church, the opera house and the jail, hundreds of r esidences, and found time to e r ~ ct the courthouses at Heber Springs and Harrison.

But Mrs.Byrnes suppli~d a lot of inter esting sidelights that I didnt know. Her husband had a number of sub-contracts when the University 1 s Old Hain was built, such as laying the floors, cutting the iron pill­ars (by hand), and putting the clock face in the tower. Also, it was A.lt.Byrncs who put the Arkansas building together on Mt. Nord, after A.F.Wolf had bought it at the St. Louis World's Fair and shipped it dor.n h~re in numbered pieces. He credted all the early flagpoles 1 choosing th ~ most suitable tr~e in the forGst and personally supervis­ing thu making c.nd orecting of the pole. And v;hen steel flagpoles came in, ho erected those.

\3

A.1i.Byrncs onc e built a house for Cnpt.E.B.Harrison on North College avenue nnd the kitchen covered the ex~ct spot where Captnin H~rrison's tent had stood during the b~ttle of Fayetteville in 1863 •. His civic services were many, ~anging from the mnking of free coffins f or the poor to fire-fighting in the early days. An insurance company present­ed Mr. Byrnes v:ith ~ valuable watch for his successful efforts to prl::­vent the destruction of the cntin business section when Baum Bros. store burned in 1894. But the public service rendered by A.H.Byrnes that I like best was the part he plnyed in erecting the monum~nt in the Confederate cemetery. He happened to be at the depot when the huge stone memorial arrived. Bofore the sponsoring organization, the UDC, !mew that the monument was here, Byrnes had his crew trucking the huge stone up East Mountain and had the monument up and ready for the. dedi­cation on June 10, 1897.

The Byrnes home o.t the corner of Viillow and E.Lafayettc;: v1as built about 75 years ago. The v1alls have not b~en touched in c.ll thd time 1.nd they 1 r c as good c.s the day they wero put there. All woodwork is vrnlnut, mellow nnd beautiful. I like the arched bay window in Mrs. Byrnes• room and the graceful curved stair-rail, carved from a single walnut log. There arc some lovely old pieces of furniture.

I c.skcd !•iary HcCoy Byrnes 97, about her wedding. She said she was married in 1872 by Father Smythe, a Catholic missionary, in th e home of the Flynns, their neighbors on ljjhite River. And the honeymoon trip? 11To Fayot teville, 11 she said.

Urs.Byrncs remembers many of the early names of Fayetteville history. She was particularly f ond of Mrs .Mcilroy o.nd Mrs. Reed, because when she lived in what is now the Pratt-Markham home on viest Hountain, she had to pass the l!icilroy and Rc:ed homes when walking to tov.n, and thos£. ladies ah•ays invited her in for rest and refreshment.

I asked Mrs.Byrnes if she remembered the coming of the ro.ilroad. Her eyes lit up !'iS she t old me hov1 she and her husband loaded the childr en in u wagon and drove t o t own t o see the first train enter Fnyetteville . ''There were thousands of people, 11 she said, and added 11Vie made 3.!1 all­day picmlc of it."

Mrs. Byrnes knows that I had her gr:1nddnughter, Bettie Barnes, Md h~r grandson,Courtney Walker, in my journ~lism class. This may nccount, in p~t, for her kindn~ ss in l etting me interview her. She is are­markable person. Her hearing is ns keL n as my own -- £~.nd I pride my­self on being abl(;l t o hear a \'.hisper in the next;, room. I use two p;Urs of glasses; sh€ uses one. If I had nny doubt about her eyesight, i t was disspelled llhen I left the house. I had given her a copy of FL;.BH­BACK, our Historical Society bulletin. When Mrs. Benbrook was saying goodnight on th~ front porch, I t ook a l ook through the window at tht. little lady who saw the Civil War. She was reading FLASHBACK!

This is the first of a series of intervie\.,rs with old-timers of Washington County. One interview will appear in each issue of FLASHBACK. Mr. McConnell's series of articles about old cemeteries will appea~ each month, beginning with this issue, We are plan­ning several othe~ historic series.

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'·lashington County Historical Society ltembership List, Hay 11751

Hrs .Lessie Stringfellow Read Hrs. George B. Stuart Miss Lorraine Williams Mr.and l-~rs.Roy WHliams W. S. Gregson MissesRowena and Irene Gallaway l·ir. and Hrs. H .J .Lemke Prof.Allan S. Humphreys Nr.and Mrs.A.A.Hamblen Prof.Dorsey D. Jones Hr.and Hrs.J.A.Thalheimer Nr.=1nd Nrs.Don Trumbo Dr.and 1'~rs .Fount Richardson Dr.and Hrs.Harrison Hale Hiss fury Droke i1r, and Hr~.Enrle Bates Prof. Lyman E. Porter Hr. ;md Mrs. J .Fay Reed Prof, H. H. Strauss F. H. HcConnell Capt ,D.nd }.frs .R. C. Harding Hr.and Nrs.Neil HcKinnon Mr.and Mrs.Jack Carlisle Rev. G. W. Thompnon Hr. and Mrs.U.A.Lovell· l~rs. Louis Silverman Hisses Grace and Helen 1Ubright Prof ,and t-1rs .Davis Richardson Mr.and Mrs.Leland Bryan Hr.and Mrs.P. R. Green ~ir.and Mrs. E.A.Bellis Miss Elizabeth Curry F. s. Root }!r.and Mrs.C.D.Atkinson Nr.and Hrs.Earl Page Hr.and Mrs.Heydon Lewis Mr .and Mrs ,\o.f. P .McNair Jr. M. VI. t-IeR oy Hr,:md r-Irs .Jerome HcRoy Hrs. John C. Futrall Mr. a.nd l..frs. Jack Reed Mr.a.nd Mrs.Homer Crow ~Irs. C. B. Paddock }.fr, and l-irs.M.C.Kik Mrs.Ma.rg~ret Smith Ross Nathan Boone Williams Hr. .and Mrs .Owen Fr~nce Hr .~nd 1V.!l"s .Bernal Seamster 0. E. Rayburn Hr.D.nd Hrs.H.C.Grcen Hr .and l·1rs .Cha.s .H.Stonc William M. Paisley Hr.and Mrs.O.L.Dailey · Miss D~phne Dailey Hon.James 'W. Trimble Niss Beryl Clark Dr. E. F. Ellis Drs.Vinc~nt and Ruth Lcsh Miss Jobclle Holcombe

~irs. Maude Duncan ~ir.and Mrs. Eugene A. Teter Mr. and rl.rs. E.G.Murphy Mr. and Nrs.Tom Feathers Mrs. Ella B. Hurst Mr.. and Mrs.Jan Jansen Booth Campbell ~Ir. and Mrs. Ed Watson 11iss Marguerite Gilstrap Mr. and Hrs. J.D.Eagle Hr. and i·1rs •• Joe Bates Mrs. J • .H. Hamilton Mr.and Mrs.Herbert A. Lewis Rev.and Mrs.S.M.Yancey Mr. and Mrs.llal Douglas Hrs. Roberta Fulbright Judge T. H. Humphreys Hr. and l.frs .A .P .Eason ~irs .Mertye Hcllroy Bagby ~ir. and Mrs.Hayden Mcilroy Hr.a.nd Mrs.A.D.HcAllister l·Ir. and ~frs.Lyle Bryan Mr.and Mrs.Clifton Wade Mayo C. Head Dr.and Mrs.Richnrd W. Miller V~. and Mrs.O.E.Williarns Judge and Mrs.Maupin Cunmdngs H. D. Cummings Dr .and Mrs .Lewis vTebster Jones Prof.~nd Mrs. H.M.Alexander W. s. Campbell Col.a.nd Mrs.L.Y.Hartman Dr,and Mrs.V.L.Jones Mr.and I1rs.John A. McNair Hrs.Leah Baurn Christopher Mr.and Mrs,Roy W. Wood Mr.and Mrs.A.C.Ucker E.B.'lnd l·Irs.Ernn~c"!. Heriwether Hrs. Hary L. Payne Miss Georgia Norman Fred Kantz Miss Rachel Oliver t-liss Eliza.bGth Ellis Mayor and Nrs. Powell Rhea Dr.qnd Mrs.H.E.Buchanan Miss Id.~ Gregg tv~. and Mrs .E. i\. Bridenthal vf.H.and Miss Helen Hughes Mr,and Hrs.Fenner F.Stice Mrs. Myrtle H. Stafford Mrs. Gertrude Miles Miss Eva Atwood Mr.and ~Irs.Lonnie Hall Dr.and ~trs.Max McAllister Rcv.and Mrs.J.W.Butler Mr.andMrs.Belden WiggleswGrth Mr .o.nd Mrs. Julian Dupuis Mr .and f-Irs .VIesley Gordon Mr .D.nd !-irs .Clint \oJalden

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Additional Nembers of the Hashington County Historical Society

Mrs. J. F. Deaver Mr. and ~~s. Louis Lichlyter ~1r. and Mrs. Lowry \·Jalker Mr. and Mrs. D.D.Deaver Mr. and Mrs. L. W. Searcy.

Mr.. and Mrs. Paul Lewis Mr. and Hrs. Tom Pearson Mrs. John H. My"ers Mr. and Mrs. Bunn Bell . Mrs.Dorothy Byrnes Benbrook

Seeks ·Infonnation About the Yates Family

An interesting letter from Thos. C. Adams, Sheridan, Ill., seeks in­formation about the Yates family (Nicholas and Sarah Mays Yates and their 15 children ) who ·came to Washington County about 1935. He is especially interested i:t Joseph J:'ates \'l'ho in 1852 at the age of 18 drove a team of oxen over the old Oregon Trail to Portland, Oregon • This is probably the original Washington County Yates family. If any of the Yates descendants are interested, I would suggest that they get in touch with Mr. Adams.

Has Pass on Monte Ne Railway of 1905 A Fayetteville visitor ·the other day was F.P.Rose of Bentonville,

who is a keen student and writer of history. At present he is ''~'orking on an article on Hugh Dinsmore. He was in Fayetteville to search th~ nc\vspaper files at the Times office and the University Library for in:­formation about the one-time US Minister to Korea. ~ir.Rose showed me a historic curio I had not seen before -- a Monte Ne Railway pass of 1905 signed by \If. H." Coin" Harvey. The card says "Only raiJ,.road whose trains are met by gondolas~"

' . Annual Convention of Arkansas Historical Association

The annual convention . of the held at Arkansas State Colle~e, their subj ects were:

Arkansas Historical Association was Jonesboro, April 27-28. Speaker s and

Dr.Fred Harrington of the U of Wisconsin, formerly "A Northerner Looks at Arkansas 11 and 11 Arkansas:. Land

of U of Arkansas : of Opportunity

for the Historian11

Charles Frierson, Jonesboro: 11Settlement and Growth of East ern ,\rk-ansas"

Dolphus Whitten Jr., Henderson State College: 11 Arkansas and the Texas Revolution11

Clarence Evans, N.E.Oklahoma St.Teachers College: 11 A Cultural Link between 19th Century Germany and the Ozabks of Arkansas 11

Mrs. I. N. Barnett Sr., .Batesville; "Early Batesville and .; r kansas College" "'

Ted R. \'lorley, State Teachers College, Conway: "An Early Arkansas Sportsman: C.F. M.Noland 11

Orville tA/. Tay1or, Little Rock Junior College: "Slavery in Arkansas : A Frontier Institution11

Sam D. Dickinson, State Teachers College: "The Nystic Cl<m"·

Officers of the state associe.tion for the coming year: Presi dent-­W.T. Atkinson, LittleRock;. 1st v-p--Glerm :tvlartell, Hagnolia; 2nd v-p-­Hrs.John F. Heinmn.nn, Little Rock; 3rd v-p--Dr.Homer Huitt, Jonesboro; 4th v-p--Prof. T. A. DuLaney, Russellville; 5th v-p--Mrs.I.N.Barnett, Batesville. Directors--Mrs.Lessie Stringfellow Read, Fayett eville ; Mrs. Wm.H.Arnold, Texarkana; Horace Adams, Conway; Lee Reeves , Hermit­age; Dr.D. D.HcBrien, Arkadelphia; .Ch.:l rles Frierson, Jonesbor o.

Next year 1s meeting of the AHA will be in Little Rock.

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Histori~n of Our Parcel Post System by \v.J.L~mko

The news that the Postoffice Department will increase parcel post rates by 25 per cent beginning Oct. 1, reminds me that a member of our P.istorical Society is an authority on postal matters and particularly on the parcel post. He is Nath'ln Boone 1-Jilliams of ~·Ji".shington, D.C., a nativ-e of W:~.shington County, ,\rkansas.

~tr. Williams appeared before the House Committee on Post Office and Civil Service on April 5. He opposed the rat~ incNase on the ground that if the postal service were the true monopoly that Congress cnvi~­~ged from the nation1s earliest days -- including a monopoly of the carrying of p:~.rcels ("packets") -- there would be no post·al deficit. He argued that when the U.S. law says "No person shall establish rmy private express for the conveyance of letters or p.:!.ckets", the word 11 po.ckets" means parcels or packages.

Hr. Hilliams \vrote a scholarly tre~tise on the history of the p.1rcel post and the legal interpretations of the word "packet". It is too long to print in full, but since his interest in the matter was first aroused when he \.,.as US Commissioner in Fayetteville, I am quoting some paragraphs from his remarks to the Congrussional Committee thnt FLASH­B&CK readers will find of inter8st.The complete Statement is avillable in our Society records. In the course of his argument ~~.Williams said:

11 It Nas something more than 40 years ago that I became interested in Post~l ln.w and postal history,while a U.S.Commissionor for the Western District of hrke.nsas, located at Fayetteville. I held that office for three four-year terms; being re-qppoint~d twice, 1898-1910. Congress Has being urt;ed to establish a parcel post system, :md, Postmaster GenC:'ral Wann:1maker had been widely quoted that there were four reasons ag~inst setting up the system, nrunely,the four great 4xpress companies.

"In Febru:1ry 1907 there was delivered t o me in Fayetteville a one­pound p~ckage which had b9en shipped ~Y express from Chicago. The postnl limit on merchnndise packages at that time was four pounds and the rate one cent per pound without reference to distance carried. }~ curiosity wns ~roused as to why this had not come by post. I knew the postal limit was four pounds and it seemed to me that the postoffice should both carry and receive· the revenue from all m~ilablc m~ttcr.

"\-Jas there any l11w on the subject? Here was a problem of constitu­t.ion~l government which intrigued me. I turned to the Revised Statutes of the US and there r ead section 3982: 1No person shall establish any private express for the conveyance of letters of packets, or in any manner cause or provide for thu conveyance of the snme by regular trips or at st1.tcd periods, over any post. route which is or m1.y be es­tO'.bli sh cd by la.,.1, or from any city, town, or pl<ice to any other city, town or pl'ice between which the m.:\il is regularly carried. 1

11ltlh:1t w1.s the meaning of this word' packet 1? I queried the PostOffice Dep~rtment. Back came the response that 'packet' meant a bundle of letters. Sure, I reasoned, so it does but is that all it means? The vmrd 1 horse 1 includes a stallion, a gelding, a r.J:.~re and a colt. Hea.n­wfuile I searched the library of tho University of Arknnsas, which is a depository of Government 9,ocuments, and found there ~\merican St.:1te P1.pcr s and many other dontemporary publications of early American his-tory. I traced the history of this word 'p~cket '" (over)

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Mr. :.Villiams traces the history of the word 11 packet" :-.nd fin<llly gets down t o 1911, where the f ollowing p:lr.:>.. gr~phs <lppe!l r \-Jhich ex­plain his removal to W~shington.

"President Taft h'ld called the new Congress into extra s ession, Some groups interested in promoting legisl~tion setting up a p1rcel post system invited me to Washington to appear before the Committee considering the proposed l~gislation, agreeing to pay the expenses of ~r trip. They knew my position, which was that we had a p~rcel post systom limited to four pounds which we were not enforcing; that we should enforce that as against all outside competitive agencies, 1nd then deten.1inc whether it was wise to expand.

"I 1cceptcd this invitation and appeared before the Con.rnittce in June , 1911. I was l'lter invited by Represent'\.tivc Janes T. Loyd, Hho 11"·d heard my arguments, to call on 1-fr.,tshbrook, chalrm.."n of the House Committee on Expenditures in the Postoffice De~'\.rtment, who immedi­ately .:>..sked me to join his staff. I cashed the return stub of my r::tilwny ticket and hn ve been here ever since. 11

Hhen the Tre~sury announced in August 1915 that it was cnnceling its express compnny contracts and thereafter would use the postcffice ctapcrtment at ~n estimated saving of $200,000 per year, the press gonerally credited Hr .~1illi~ms with this reform, In 1940, the Treasury shipped seven trnin lo:1ds of gold from New York to Fort Knox, Ky., pnying the postoffice more th~n n million dollars in post.:1.ge.

In his conclusion, Hr.1tlillinms said: 11 0nly by the assertion of full monopoly rights can tht. operation of the postal s ~rvice be so intc­grnted and developed as to disclose just how and in what manner ~ change in rates or practices is justified in the public int~r~st.

11!t is n confession of incompet~;nce to say that the post al s~.- rvic~ cannot handle with success th:1t portion of !Tl::'lil matter now being c~rricd by private expresses. Given a fair field and with chiseling co~petition forbidden by enforcing existing law, we ~~y rightfully expect the postal s ervice to cnrry on "without the cost of a dollar to the Public Trcasury11 •

"'P~cket' is a billion-doll~r word which r espect ed nnd enfor ced ~s the Congress hns ahrays intended, will supply the <>. nswcr to postal deficits. I recornm~nd that you \-trite in whnt ever measure you r.ny re­port and p..1.ss: Wherever used in postal 1 ;.w or r 0gulations the Hord 1 p.3.ck~;t 1 means D.nd includes .'lll rnc>.tter by l aN nnde mnihbl<: . 11

Confederate t·iemorial Day Speaker "' Judge Maupin Cummings will be the speaker at the Confederate t·ie ~.or­

al Day exercises June 3. His family background and hi s acq1aintance ~Qth Prairie Grove make him ah ideal choice for this assignment.He is a member of both our county historical society and the state hi st ori­cal ass oci ation. Also, he is a vet ernn of h'orld Na r II and a Col onel in the Arkansas National Gua rd.

June Flashback To Honor University Because the University will observe its 77th annual Co~mencement

June 9, the June issue. of FLASHBACK will carry a number of hist orical f eatures about the Univer~ity. \·Je need mat erial, If you have nny old programs, letters, or other Univers i ty r ecor ds dated befor e 19?0, pl ease let us us e them for our June issue ,