Monticello Live

Many meetings are held weekly for the education of the membership of the 88th General Assembly in regard to our state’s problems and policies. Here is a synopsis of the meetings/discussions in which I have participated these past two weeks in October to keep you informed about the “people’s business”.

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Last week we stopped at the charming little orange brick structure formerly known as the “Finn McCloy” house. Now we’ll move on south to the next McCloy house.

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This week we will discuss the last block on the west side of North Main. I have chosen to try to cover the entire block because it not only faces Main Street, but also the heart of Monticello – the town’s Square. I had stopped earlier at the First Baptist Church so we could return and review some of the other businesses on that last corner block on North Main Street as we begin our “sentimental journey” around the Square.

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Once again, I want to share with you some of the activities and meetings I have attended as I have represented you in the Arkansas House of Representatives during the last half of September.

The week beginning September 19th was an especially busy week, and it proved to be enormously educational, as well as interesting and informative.

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Since we began taking our little “imaginary stroll” down historic North Main Street the Hyatt family name has emerged several times so I wanted to begin this week by enlightening readers about this legendary family’s history.

The first Hyatts migrated from Chester County, South Carolina, in 1846 when Rev. Benjamin Culp Hyatt bought 40 acres for $80 on Rough and Ready Hill and moved his family to Drew County. There he operated a boarding house, preached at Scrough Out Church, practiced medicine, taught school and was a carpenter.

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The fall season has not slowed the pace of the legislature. I have had a very busy first half of this month. Both the Education Committee meetings and the Legislative Auditing Committee meetings have been quite extensive – and very “enlightening”.

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This week we’ll resume our journey south down historic North Main Street and begin at the handsome buff brick Tudor-style home sitting on the attractively manicured lawn at the beginning of the next block on the east side of the street. Built in the late 1920’s by Henry Trotter who married Lucille Simmons from Pine Bluff, the home is one of the most admired in the city. (Henry Trotter was a son to V. J. Trotter and grew up in the house that is now the Trotter House, a bed-and-breakfast.) In 1937 the young couple moved to Pine Bluff and Dr. Johnny Price bought the home. Dr. Price’s daughter, Ann, has many delightful stories and memories centered on growing up in the beautiful home. It was there that Ann was married to Dr. James F. Clark in 1964. (more…)

This week we’ll continue our tour of Monticello’s North Main Street by returning to the north end of the street where the site of the new library sits and “strolling” down the east side of North Main Street.

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We have been very busy at the Capitol since my mid-August report. Most of the hubbub has settled down after redistricting and everyone is anticipating the fiscal session ahead of us next spring and the next legislative session as well.

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Click here for the first edition of the series.

Last week we stopped our tour of North Main Street at the First Presbyterian Church, so we’ll pick up here this week. This location was formerly the site of the “first” hospital in Monticello – the Mack Wilson Hospital.

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Earlier, we “walked” the blocks of North Main that hold the First Presbyterian Church, the noted Allen House and the forlorn block that once was the home of Monticello’s earlier elementary schools in our “tour” of Monticello’s North Main Street.

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For the next several weeks we’ll take a “fun” tour down Main Street in historic Monticello. We’ll begin on North Main at the “old” hospital grounds and continue down the street taking one side at a time. When we come to the Square, we’ll take a walk around the Square and see how it used to be. Then we’ll continue down South Main Street. I am relying on the excellent memory of many of my good friends as we take this journey down historic Monticello’s Main Street and I want to thank them from the beginning for their insightful recollections. Enjoy! 

Let’s begin on that large, lovely lot at the end of old North Main that is now known as “the old hospital” grounds.

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Hasn’t it been “beastly” hot lately? So much so that the phrase “dog days of summer” comes to mind! I’d always thought the name came from the “lazy, lay around and lethargic” feeling the extreme temperatures seem to evoke in some people and animals. Then I decided to do a little research into the phrase’s origin and learned something surprising.

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As I left you at the end of July, the redistricting maps had been approved by the apportionment committee of three – the governor, the attorney general and the secretary of state – and now we must abide by them the next ten years. However, the new district lines will not take effect until January, 2012, so I am honored to be your representative in District 10 until that time. After then, my new district will be District 9.

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June has been a very, very busy month for me. As I mentioned earlier, the privilege of helping at Girls State this June was a highly enjoyable and motivating experience for me again. I’m ready for next year!!

I also told you earlier about some of the activities of the Legislative Audit Committee, particularly mentioning the Pulaski County Special School District fiscal situation and the committee’s request that the Arkansas Department of Education dismiss the PCSSD school board and assume the management of the district.

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In the fall of 2008 a search began to confirm and affirm an old rumor in Drew County, Arkansas. The rumor told of a short-lived Catholic monastery built in the wilds of the county by a Discalced Carmelite priest in the early twentieth century. While many of the details of that place and time may never be fully exposed, the research that began with a search for a “place’ turned out to be as much, if not more, the story of the man who built the “place”.

Even though this is a Drew County story, its roots also run deep into the history of neighboring Desha County, the American Southwest and Mexico, as well as Spain. The story spans two continents, and touches a great part of world history. As the chronicler of the story, I’ve gathered much information, actually walked part of the ground where it happened, and am now excited to share this fascinating part of Drew County history and the exciting adventures of a sojourner in a foreign land.

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For many folks, Memorial Day brings a welcome day off of work. It’s become a time to spend a long weekend with friends and family, enjoying a backyard barbecue, or getting away to one of the Natural State’s beautiful lakes or rivers. The last weekend in May has come to signify the unofficial start to summer – an especially welcome arrival after the tumultuous weather of this spring!

However, as we mark the Memorial Day weekend with good food and good times with loved ones, it is important that we also pause to reflect on the true meaning of the holiday. It is a time to remember and honor the brave men and women who have given their lives while defending our country. (more…)

This update concerns education and its most pressing immediate issue – the lottery scholarships. As youth all across Arkansas have shed their commencement robes, I trust they have taken care of business as relates to applying for a lottery scholarship. These scholarships are available to all graduating seniors who qualify, all current students who have not applied before, and some non-traditional students, but please be aware the deadline for applications is June 1!! All supporting materials, such as transcripts, are due by June 15th. These deadlines apply to both fall and spring semesters. If you, or your student, have not taken care of this, please do so quickly. (Only $12,000,000 has been set aside for non-traditional students.)

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The old Drew County Courthouse, on the Town Square

In light of Monticello’s recent improvements to the town square, my thoughts again turn to the old courthouse square and what a treasure it is for Monticello. I can’t help but regret the demolition of the old courthouse that once stood there though.

A brick from he "Old Courthouse on the Square."

Since the old courthouse was torn down in 1933, there are few Drew Countians who remember what a regal structure it was! Built in 1870, it proudly stood in the center of the Square and watched over daily activities in the growing city for 63 years. Its 110-foot tower held a four-faced clock and a large bell. (The clock is lost in antiquity, but the courthouse bell sits proudly by Weevil Pond on the UAM campus.)

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Wow! This has been a fast-moving winter for me and I daresay all members of the 88th General Assembly. We have now completed ten weeks of work at a furious pace. Although we haven’t had time to “stop and smell the roses”, the Japanese magnolias in front of the Capitol have been gorgeous!

In the past two weeks many bills have come and gone before us, rightly or wrongly, and it has been an “interesting” experience – some days more than others. March 7 was the last day to file bills and a total of 2,235 bills had been filed by that date. Since then, a projected dismissal day has been set for April 1st. We have a busy two weeks ahead of us and I have been told some bills may not be considered at all this session. I just hope the most necessary ones get acted upon.

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At a recent meeting, the discussion turned to the membership of most organizations in Monticello and it was observed that most civic groups’ memberships are held by older citizens. The future of many organizations may become questionable unless more younger people can be recruited and become involved.

Again I was reminded that history repeats itself when I recalled a newspaper article in the December 17, 1907, which listed seven organizations, referred to as lodges, that were hale and hearty 103 years ago in Monticello. Today only two still thrive and the others’ names have been largely forgotten in today’s Drew County. (more…)

We have now completed another “interesting” two weeks at the Arkansas Legislature. (When people ask me what I think about serving in the legislature, my standard reply is “It’s interesting” because the experience has been that! Strangely enough, it has provided all sorts of emotions that are so complicated to explain that I am at a loss for words!)

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While researching another topic last week, I came upon a little known quote attributed to the legendary frontiersman, Davy Crockett, who traveled through Arkansas in 1835 on his way to his destiny at the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. While at a Little Rock banquet held in his honor, Crockett allegedly said, “If I could rest anywhere, it would be in Arkansas where the men are of the half-horse, half-alligator breed such as grows nowhere else on the face of the universal earth but just around the backbone of North America.” Now that should give all the guys an adrenaline rush! What a reputation to uphold!

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The center span of the old Greenville Bridge over the Mississippi was lowered to a barge on Tuesday afternoon as part of the demolition of the structure.  Courtesy of AshleyCountyLedger.com.

A history of the Greenville Bridge is posted below

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On a recent night of dull TV I happened to tune into a nostalgic moment when a lady was recalling a memory from days spent at her grandparents’ home. She was reminiscing about the joy of Grandma’s biscuits at breakfast and the memory of “dragging” one through a thick mixture of sorghum “molasses” and butter. She made my mouth “water” for a taste.

Then I remembered a story I’ve meant to write about the sorghum mill and cooking “pan” we have sitting on the north lawn at the museum. Both have been there longer than I have so I knew nothing about their particular history until recently.

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In light of the recent snowfall I thought I’d share a few childhood “snow” memories with readers. Actually one of my fondest memories isn’t mine, but I love to think about it and the dear lady who first told me her favorite snow memory. (more…)

My First Two Weeks at the Capitol.

Wow! What an experience! What an event-filled two weeks! The atmosphere at the Capitol is always fast-paced and electrically charged! Yet it is also warm and friendly.

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Many times I have wondered, and been asked, about the lovely, unique building sitting at the corner of North Main and Wood Avenue. (more…)

With Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs opening Saturday, this seems like a time relevant topic for this week’s “memory”.

I had heard for years about a race track that formerly existed in Drew County. The late Walter Moffatt spoke of family outings there in his boyhood. Most folks knew about its existence but had neither seen the racetrack nor knew where it was located. It was lost in antiquity. However, through GIS and aerial photography, I recently saw the old racetrack clearly from the skies and lying on the southwestern edge of Monticello.

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Since many of you have expressed interest in my legislative orientation “adventures”, I thought I’d share more with you.

At the Orientation sessions held the week of December 6-10, newly-elected legislators were strongly urged to begin attending meetings of our assigned committees to learn those committee’s current issues and discover what is happening. I have been committed to doing just that this month so as to be as prepared, and as “good”, a legislator as possible. (more…)

Since this column relates primarily to the history of Drew County, I wanted to share that a piece of our history has reached the pages of a statewide magazine. For the past few years Rural Arkansas, an official publication of the Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc., has featured a country church on the cover of its December issue. (more…)

Merry Christmas!! It will be here soon now! This week I have a rather poignant Christmas memory to share from the late 1930’s.

As you know, America was in the midst of the Great Depression and “cash money” was difficult to be found in those times. In this particular story our storyteller was a student in the 7th grade. At that time, and even in those circumstances, there were Christmas parties scheduled at school and the students “drew names” so each child would receive a gift.

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A little known story from Drew County history was brought to mind last week, while I was attending a meeting of the Public Health Committee of the Arkansas House of Representatives in Little Rock. A most incteresting and kind gentleman whom I had just met asked about the state of the “Bottoms Baptist Orphanage”.

The main office building of the Arkansas Baptist Home for Children, today.

I recall hearing this term when we first moved to Drew County and wondering if it meant some person from “the bottoms”, a local term referring to the Delta, might have founded the Baptist home. However, research proved this to be untrue.

Today I want to share briefly the story about the Bottoms Baptist Orphanage, more familiarly known today as the Arkansas Baptist Home for Children.

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This week’s column weill relate more about one of the bygone eateries that once fed Drew Countians through the memories of a former employee, Aileen Carter Crass. The nearly-forgotten restaurant was the Southern Café.

The story of the Southern Café begins during the depths of the Great Depression in the 1930s. During that period a young, big, “loud” redheaded guy came to town looking for work. His name was Calvin “Red” Jones. How and why he got to Monticello no one remembers, but he sought a job as a cook. Since jobs were nearly non-existent, “Red” created his own business. He started making and selling hot tamales out of a big aluminum “water bucket” on the streets of town. (more…)

This week’s column will discuss the history of one of Drew County’s oldest and best known communities, not only because of its outstanding residents, but also because of its unusual name! This week we’ll visit Possum Valley! (more…)