DMH CEO Mike Layfield addressed the Quorum Court, Monday night, and emphasized “the misconception that proposed millage extension has been referred to as a new tax.” 

The Quorum Court last month approved the hospital board’s request to hold a special election on October 9 to ask county voter’s to approved the continuation of the existing hospital millage to be used to help fund the new Surgery Center, which is estimated to employ an additional 25 employees.  Layfield compared performing surgery in the current facility to “driving a 35 year old car.”Supporters of the millage extension will be visiting interested groups and organization to discuss the proposed extension. 

JP Jimmy Potter also criticized a local editorial calling the proposal “a new tax.”  It was also commented that the October 9 election will not be paid for by the county.

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This week’s column is the eighth in a series about the history of the present Extension Homemakers Clubs operating in Drew County. This week we’ll take a quick look at the Plantogo Club in northwestern Drew County.

In the early 1960s there were two separate EHC clubs in the northwestern part of Drew County. They were known as the Plantersville EHC Club and the Montongo EHC Club. During those years the two groups decided to merge and the new and larger club became the Plantogo Club. Their primary purpose was to educate housewives in new ways to do their jobs as wives and mothers.

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The Drew County Historical Society want to thank all the participants in the “Roast and Toast” of Dr. Jack Lassiter on August 3rd.

The fundraiser was a big success, and all of the proceeds will be used for the maintenance and operation of the Drew County Museum and Archives.

Those who helped in any way to make this a success are truly appreciated: the merchants and individuals who donated auction items, the attendees, the roasters and toasters, and our emcee and auctioneer, Desha County Judge Mark McElroy.

We especially want to thank Dr. Lassiter for being such a great sport. It was a wonderful evening, and we are grateful to everyone who worked and participated to make the night one of fun and an outcome for a better future for the Museum and Archives.

Judge Sam Bird Roasts Lassiter from MonticelloLive on Vimeo.

Richard Reinhart Reminises from MonticelloLive on Vimeo.

Mark McElroy Introduces Mike Layfield from MonticelloLive on Vimeo.

DMH CEO Layfield Diagnoses Dr. Lassiter from MonticelloLive on Vimeo.

Leigh Lassiter Counts, “My Dad” from MonticelloLive on Vimeo.

Mayor Maxwell Toasts Lassiter’s Accomplishments from MonticelloLive on Vimeo.

Dr. Jack Lassiter Responds to Roasters from MonticelloLive on Vimeo.

In this week’s contribution for the history of the Drew County Extension Homemakers Clubs, we will honor the history of the African-American EHC organization in Drew County. I want to give credit and honor to a very special lady and friend for this information. Thank you, Mrs. Inez Lindsey!

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This week we will continue our little historic look at the Extension Homemakers Clubs in Drew County to recognize the 100th anniversary of this wonderful service organization in Arkansas and Drew County. Chronological order is fuzzy in some cases, but the Southside Club is generally acknowledged as the oldest surviving club.

SOUTHSIDE EXTENSION HOMEMAKERS CLUB

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The Drew County Extension Homemakers Council is a dedicated service organization that began over 80 years ago in Drew County with local clubs who met in many communities throughout the county. Today there are 9 Extension Homemakers Clubs in the county, but in 1956 there were actually 23 active county clubs educating and serving the citizenry.

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The Drew County Museum and Archives have recently been offered an opportunity to gain some much-needed income from the proceeds of a book written by Dr. James William Willis, who was inducted into the Drew Central Hall of Fame, last week.

Willis is a native of Drew County, who grew up in the White Hall Community south of Monticello and graduated from Drew Central. He was the son of Earl and Lela McKinstry Willis, local educators, who were both native Drew County residents. Willis’ father was a long-time superintendent of the Drew Central schools, and his mother was an English teacher at both Drew Central and Arkansas A & M College. Later, they moved to Little Rock to work with the state department of education before they retired in Monticello.

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This display is an assortment of home made nails and is on display in the Taylor cabin along with a number of tools from a long gone era. Come see this and many other interesting items on display at your Drew County Museum, We are open Fridays from 1pm till 5pm, and Saturdays from 2pm till 5 pm and Sunday by appointment..

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Drew County Historical Society, memberships are $25 Dollars for a single membership or $40 for a family membership. Please mail your membership request to The Drew County Historical Society 404 South Main Monticello, AR 71655.

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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If you look all over Facebook these days you will see photos of peoples brooms standing up, Well check this broom out, It is made of corn shucks and is in the Taylor plantation Cabin on display at the museum.

Come see this and many other interesting items on display at your Drew County Museum, We are open Fridays from 1pm till 5pm, and Saturdays from 2pm till 5 pm and Sunday by appointment..

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Drew County Historical Society, memberships are $25 Dollars for a single membership or $40 for a family membership. Please mail your membership request to The Drew County Historical Society 404 South Main Monticello, AR 71655.

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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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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Check out this old tricycle, Made entirely out of steel except for the seat ,wheels and tires, Note that the tires are pieces of flat rubber around the wooden rim, Never had to worry with flats.

Come see this and many other interesting items on display at your Drew County Museum, We are open Fridays from 1pm till 5pm, and Saturdays from 2pm till 5 pm and Sunday by appointment.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Drew County Historical Society, memberships are $25 Dollars for a single membership or $40 for a family membership. Please mail your membership request to The Drew County Historical Society 404 South Main Monticello, AR 71655.

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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These are two baby carriages that are on display in the museum complete with antique dolls,

These are real working carriages and I can just imagine them strolling down Main Street when it was a dirt road, which would explain the need for springs separating the axles from the carriage.  There’s quiet a difference in these and the newer ones of today.

Come see this and many other interesting items on display at your Drew County Museum, We are open Fridays from 1pm till 5pm, and Saturdays from 2pm till 5 pm and Sunday by appointment..

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Drew County Historical Society, memberships are $25 Dollars for a single membership or $40 for a family membership. Please mail your membership request to The Drew County Historical Society 404 South Main Monticello, AR 71655.

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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Check out this turn of the century wheel chair, complete with a “wicker” woven back and seat for comfort.

This old chair probably saw a lot of action at the old Drew County

Hospital.Come see this and many other interesting items on display at your Drew County Museum, We are open Fridays from 1pm till 5pm, and Saturdays from 2pm till 5 pm and Sunday by appointment. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Drew County Historical Society, memberships are $25 Dollars for a single membership or $40 for a family membership. Please mail your membership request to The Drew County Historical Society 404 South Main Monticello, AR 71655.

Last week we featured the loom, this week the spinning wheels.  We have the one large and a smaller spinning wheel in the upstairs bedroom of the museum.  The larger one still has some twine and cotton fibers on the spindle and are a light brown in color either from age or dyeing.

Come see this and many other interesting items on display at your Drew County Museum, We are open Fridays from 1pm till 5pm, and Saturdays from 2pm till 5 pm and Sunday by appointment. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Drew County Historical Society, memberships are $25 Dollars for a single membership or $40 for a family membership. Being a member gives you the right to attend meetings and have a voice for the museum and you will receive the yearly journal that the museum produces. All though your presence is not required at the meetings to become a member. Please mail your membership request to The Drew County Historical Society 404 South Main Monticello, AR 71655.

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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This old loom still has some weavings on it that was started and never finished by the owner who donated it to the museum. 

Several pieces of the looms work are hanging nearby.

Come see this and many other interesting items on display at your Drew County Museum, We are open Fridays from 1pm till 5pm, and Saturdays from 2pm till 5 pm and Sunday by appointment. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Drew County Historical Society, memberships are $25 Dollars for a single membership or $40 for a family membership.

Being a member gives you the right to attend meetings and have a voice for the museum and you will receive the yearly journal that the museum produces. All though your presence is not required at the meetings to become a member. Please mail your membership request to The Drew County Historical Society 404 South Main Monticello, AR 71655.

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…)

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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