Monticello Live

The last couple of weeks have been a tad slower at the Legislature due to the campaign season for all contested positions, I suppose. Rest assured, however, that I, and many others, have put our campaigns in second place behind out duties to serve you, our constituents. When I should be at the Capitol tending to your business, I am there. That’s my job!

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Interesting topics abound in the interim activities of the Arkansas Legislature. I’m going to attempt to briefly summarize some of the major issues where we are trying to find “common ground” and make hard decisions in preparation for the 2013 session.

The debate about the federally mandated “Obamacare” flows on and on while the fate of the entire federal health care program is being deliberated by the Supreme Court. At the Arkansas Capitol two legislative subcommittees recently considered approving the use of federal funds to continue preparing Arkansas for the federal mandate.

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After the end of the fiscal session on March 9, a return to normalcy at the Capitol prevailed. Most of the major issues addressed in committee meetings I attended dealt with various educational entities. In particular much attention was given to the impending crisis in the Career Education programs. When the term “career education” is used it is most generally referring to Adult Education. (Technical school coursework may also be included in this category.)

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This week will be the last segment of our tour down Monticello’s historic Main Street. We’ll begin at the corner of East Bolling and South Main and proceed down the east side of the street to Midway Route. I must admit that I could not learn as much detail about this area as in earlier segments, yet I do have some interesting information.

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This week we will begin our look at the last block on west side of South Main Street. We will be traveling on the west side of the street from Bolling Avenue to Wood Creek. Looking down the block we see the stately two-story home that was built in the early 1900s by Ed Spencer. Terrell Spencer Sr. grew up there. Spencer was associated with the Monticello Cotton Mills. The grand plantation style home with its wraparound porches, columns, chimneys, dormers, accents and balcony sits on a slight elevation and adds strength and beauty to the corner lot.

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The 88th Arkansas General Assembly has been in fiscal session for the past three weeks. It has been another “very interesting” time. When the people of Arkansas voted to have fiscal sessions held during “off-years”, it was intended that they only be held to attend to the fiscal/budgetary business of the state. In an election year, it was a challenge to hold to those matters. It seemed that many legislators wanted to advance their own political agendas to gain political momentum or one-upmanship on their opponents.

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This week we’ll begin at the charming grey house with the white trim and the welcoming porches where we stopped last week. This home was built by Harry Wells (William T. Wells and brother to Mary Phenton and Myrtle Wells) around 1910. Mr. Wells was a businessman who also served in one of the county’s clerk positions for a time. The Wells family members are patriarchs in the history of Monticello and Drew County. Let’s go back and look briefly at this family since the grey house and the next one are tied to them and to the history of Drew County.

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This week let’s look at the east side of the block of South Main beginning at East College Avenue and continuing nearly to East Bolling Avenue. The first lot where we begin now holds a quaint little duplex that once claimed a “refreshing” spot in Monticello’s history.

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This week we will look at the east side of South Main Street between East Jackson and East College streets. We will begin at the site of the present First United Methodist Church. I have been unable to determine the exact type of building that formerly occupied the space where the church stands today although I suspect it may have been a family home.

That said, I have learned some interesting facts about the church that I’d like to summarize for readers. Organized in 1852, this early United Methodist congregation built the first church structure in Monticello in 1853 on their land deeded to the church by Wiley Crook. This lot sat north of our present library on the fenced lot where a handsome, two-story red brick apartment building rests today. The organizer and first minister for the church congregation was Reverend H. R. Withers.

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It has been an especially hectic two weeks in the Legislature between getting prepared for the special fiscal session that begins today, (February 13) and the crisis at the Arkansas Forestry Commission. As you may know by now, the problems at the forestry commission may have been resolved as far as the layoffs are concerned. After thoughtful analysis and diligent searching for available funding, I am pleased to inform you that funding has been made available to rehire the laid-off foresters. They will return to work before the end of February (I am hearing the 24th.) and we’ll all breathe easier. (more…)

This week let’s continue down the west side of South Main Street beginning at its intersection with West College Avenue and continuing to West Bolling Avenue. Of course we all know that the block begins with the former private home that now houses the Drew County Historical Museum. The house was built in 1906 by Garvin Cavaness using bricks molded onsite with a Sears brick-making machine. The house became the permanent home of the Drew County Museum in 1970. For a more detailed description of the home and its history, see the 2006 Drew County Historical Journal.

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This week we’ll pick up our tour and cover the block on west side of South Main Street from West Jackson Avenue to West College Avenue. The first house we see on the north end of this block is the old Joe S. Harris house. Joe Harris was a native Monticellonian and retired brigadier general for whom the local American Legion Post was named. Harris’ military career began in 1903 as an Army private and ran through WWI (1917-1918), the formative years of the Arkansas National Guard and his command of National Guard troops during the disastrous floods of 1927. Harris was also the uncle of the late Eric Hardy, a founding father of the Drew County Museum.

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Last week we nearly finished the pre-fiscal session budget hearings with the various state agencies. It has been an exasperating task for many. As human nature would have it, apparently “everyone” needs more money for expansion or survival. It rather appears that some seem to think that can easily be solved by just printing more, but it’s far from that simple.

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Continuing our tour down the east side of South Main Street, the next block now begins with a large, two-story red brick office building that houses the Searcy accounting firm. Before these offices were built, A. H. (Hellums) Owens owned a service station there. The service station was constructed in the 1930s-40s by the late Mr. Owens after he bought part of the side yard of the home of Mr. P. A. Whitaker to locate his business.

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Since we’ve covered the west side of South Main from the Square to Jackson Street, let’s go back to the square and look at the east side of South Main to Jackson Street. His area, too, has experienced a colorful history.

An 1886 plat map of Monticello shows that a dry goods store, a tobacco store, a millinery store, a sewing machine and gun store, a business involved in “fence making” and an “imagery” business were located on that first block from the corner to the railroad tracks in that year. (more…)

Greetings! This is my first legislative report of 2012. It is the middle of January and legislative activities are back in full swing. Since I have been asked, my reports are my thoughts and experiences and are not generated as generic recitations. They are filled with my personal activities, thoughts and pursuits. I want to share my personal journal with you.

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Last week we discussed the portion of South Main Street between the corner of South Main and East Gaines Street and the present Drew County Courthouse. This week we’ll look at the courthouse “property” and continue to Jackson Avenue.

The current Drew County Courthouse is the fourth courthouse to be built for the official business of Drew County since the county’s 1846 beginnings. Since a fairly thorough description of the building of the “new” courthouse and its history was written by me and published in the 2007 Drew County Historical Journal, I won’t repeat all of that at this time. (Multiple copies of the 2007 Journal may be purchased at the museum for $5.00 each.)

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I want to look briefly down West McCloy Street now to share information about the location of a public “meat storage locker” that once operated near the Square. Bill Dunlap, a kind gentleman who is a former Drew Countian and brother of the late Martha Sue McClain, called and supplied some information about the business. He also suggested I call his cousins, Shirley Burks of Wilmar and Hardy McKinstry of Banks, to hear their memories. I did and heard some delightful memories!

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By popular request we’ll continue our tour of Monticello’s Main Street by looking at the history of South Main Street. Let’s start of the corner of South Main and Gaines Streets and continue south. This corner spot has a colorful history that is still changing today. An old photograph made in the 1880s shows a two-story wooden building sitting there. This structure housed R. C. Bennett’s saloon on the ground floor; the second floor held a poker room.

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This will be my last legislative report for 2011 since our last meeting of the year was held last Tuesday, December 20. It was a “humdinger” too. The meeting was held to gather information and insight into the situation that led to the budget crisis and the subsequent dismissal of 39 employees of the Arkansas Forestry Commission.

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During this Christmas week, I have a special Christmas story for you. A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the former businesses down the south side of West Gaines Street between the Square and Hyatt Street. In doing so I mentioned the site of the old Stephenson Dearman funeral home and the home sitting downhill and west of it.

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Now let’s begin our look down the north side of West Gaines from the Square to North Hyatt. Today that first block is filled with the main branch and drive-thru of the Commercial Bank.

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Greetings! The week after Thanksgiving was fairly slow at the Capitol, but business certainly picked up last week! Education Committee meetings filled many of my days and I want to share thoughts on some topics with you for your awareness and general information.

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This week we will continue our tour of Monticello by looking from the Square down the south side of West Gaines Street.

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Here are the links to the series of articles on Sheilla Lampkin’s “Tour of Monticello’s North Main Street

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Part 13
Part 14
Part 15
Part 16

I have just completed another interesting “fortnight” as your representative and I appreciate your trust and support. Although things have been a tad slower at the Capitol, the third week in November was quite busy for me.

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This week we will continue our “look” at some remembered businesses along the south side of East Gaines Street in Monticello. Starting at the business on the corner of East Gaines and South Main, one of the earliest businesses there was a dry goods store owned by a Mr. Ely, a Russian Jew. It has been pictured as a two-story building with a wooden sidewalk on the south side.

However, records also indicate that one of the two water wells for the courthouse preceded the mercantile store. (There were originally two wells for the 1870 structure – one for people and one for the livestock.) That well is believed to still be buried under the present buildings.

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Before we journey down South Main Street, let’s look briefly at the business history of the primary streets that begin at Monticello’s Square. We’ll start on the corner of East Gaines Street and travel to the railroad tracks, but first let’s examine how Gaines Street was named.

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Greetings! Many people have asked me if I am having fun at this job. Invariably I answer, “Well, it’s been very interesting!” That’s true! I take my responsibilities seriously and did not run to “have fun” but to make a difference in southeast Arkansas. (I have met a few very “unpleasant” people though.)

That said, I have thoroughly enjoyed some special activities over the past two weeks that I want to share with you because they involve the most important “part” of our society – our young people.

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Before we continue our historical “tour” and head down South Main Street, we should revisit our Square itself and again look at its fascinating history.

The Square is located in the “heart” of the original 83-acre tract of land donated by Fountain C. and Polly Austin in 1849 for the establishment of the city of Monticello. The town was laid out with 35 numbered blocks and one unnumbered block in the “center” designated for a courthouse square. This square was to be a 170 foot square.

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At last we come to the west side of the historic Monticello Square. In many ways this side may have been the most colorful and exciting! Let’s start on the south end of the block. The earliest business on this corner that has been related to me was a service station operated by the White brothers (George and Ed). I also understand that Monticello’s first telephone office was formerly located on the second floor. (Telephone service first came to Monticello in 1898 with 65 phone lines. This office would have been at that location at some point between that date and 1929 when the office was moved to the cornet of Trotter and Church streets.)

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Greetings! Most of my legislative work during this two week time period has dealt with education. Most of the committee meetings dealt primarily with Higher Education, meaning education beyond K-12, and the last of the “cost-containment” reports from Arkansas’ two-year institutions of higher learning. We have been looking at raises in tuition and fees, textbook costs, on-campus room-and-board costs and miscellaneous expenses to the students, as well as salaries, contracts, outstanding debt, loan defaults, graduation rates and energy conservation and other cost-saving measures. All of this has been geared to holding down the rising cost of obtaining a quality education.

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Let’s continue our look around the Square by looking at the east side of the Square, beginning at the north end of Main Street where it intersects with East McCloy and continuing south to its intersection with East Gaines.

As we look at that east side today, we see the several storefronts that encompass Discount Merchandise. Most of these buildings are two-storied. The northernmost building formerly held Plantation House Furniture. That business was preceded by Van-Atkins before their move to Northpark Mall. Before Van Atkins moved to this corner the location housed Sterling’s, a variety store, followed by Dozier’s Shoes and Trotter’s Grocery, operated by Charlie Green. Mr. Dozier’s shoe store was in a narrow space and was known as the “smallest big store in town” to reflect his large stock of merchandise.

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This week we’ll discuss the history and evolution of the south side of Monticello’s Square. Earliest memories recall a wooden two-story building on the southeast corner that housed the R. C. Bennett Saloon in the 1890s, as evidenced in an old partial picture of the Square we own at the museum. The second story once held a “private” poker room.

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Let’s continue our look around the Square by looking at the east side of the Square, beginning at the north end of Main Street where it intersects with East McCloy and continuing south to its intersection with East Gaines.

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