Video: Izard County's "Trail of Trees"

A History of Izard County: Lunenburg

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)

A History of Izard County: Eastern Izard County

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 Hamm Schoolhouse."

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

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

A History of Izard County: Mount Pleasant

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

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

The photo Glenda Wommack sent to us last week provided a perfect   visual for the 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  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, 1847, 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.

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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, Augustus Curran  (A.C.)  Jeffery. Mr. Shannon does include an example A.C.'s  writings published in the Melbourne Clipper during the 1870s  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.

Map of Mount Olive (Turn of the Century)

Vintage Photo: Mount Olive, 1910

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 is Izard County history back together! With a united effort, we can literally make history!