Randolph Co., AR Family History Vol. II

By Turner Publishing

Family history of Randolph County, AR, as well as historical highlights of Randolph County.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
• Release date: Jun 2, 2008
• ISBN: 9781681622736

Book preview

HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS OF RANDOLPH COUNTY

Old Union School, 1913. Courtesy of Kathryn Harris Aragon.

OLD LOG HOMES IN RANDOLPH COUNTY, ARKANSAS

by Elaine Waites

The information in this article about the Old Log Homes will be excerpts by permission from a booklet published by the State of Arkansas called, Early Arkansas Settlement Study compiled mostly by Joan L. Gould, Preservation Consultant of Fayetteville, Arkansas. This research was done by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Arkansas Archeological Survey, Log Building/Stonemason Consultants, University or Arkansas Tree-Ring Laboratory, and Preservation Matters/Historic Research with Educational Partner, Black River Technical College in Pocahontas. This booklet may be seen at the Randolph County Library.

The information about Randolph County History came from The History of Randolph County by Lawrence Dalton, Randolph County History and Families, Volume I published by Turner Publishing Company, and Quarterlies by the Randolph County Historical and Genealogical Society.

North Arkansas, fed by the waters of the Black, Current, Eleven Point, Spring, Strawberry, and White Rivers, has long been recognized as one of our state’s earliest areas of European-American settlement. The rich valleys of the rivers were part of the lure, as well as the abundant natural springs and plentiful wild game. The pioneer settlers were determined to make a home in the wilderness by their ability to use the native products that surrounded them. The settlement of the pioneers has changed so much through the years that the early culture of their homes and community has mostly disappeared. However, three 19th Century log dwelling houses in Randolph County, along with sub-surface artifacts, reflect that early lifestyle. They are: 1) Looney-French House, Dalton; 2) Russell-Riggs House, Attica; and 3) Rice-Upshaw House, Dalton. In spite of the fact that these structures are among the earliest remaining examples of folk architecture in the state, prior to 2003 they were undocumented by preservation organizations. A study of each site was conducted in 2003, including: 1) research related to early settlement history; 2) tree-ring dating to determine precise construction dates of each house; 3) architectural assessments with measured drawings of each house; and 4) archeological surveying and mapping of each site. The results can be found in the booklet, Early Arkansas Settlement Study at the Randolph County Library.

The three houses that are a part of this study are all considered examples of folk architecture. Folk houses were constructed of materials found near the buildings—clay, rocks, logs and timbers—and prepared by the builders themselves, rather than in distant mills, kilns or factories. Folk building traditions were handed down from generation to generation and show little change with time.

Traditions of log construction originated with early colonization along the Atlantic seaboard and spread westward and southward as settlers pushed further away from the coastal regions. These settlers developed a system of hewn log timbers interlocked at the corners with various notching systems, creating what is called pens. German, Scotch-Irish and English pioneers adapted log pens to the linear plan (one room deep) of frame construction found in the Tidewater South. In doing so, they produced log dwellings that have become the most familiar aspect of American folk architecture.

Even though log dwellings are the most familiar folk architecture structures, there are lots of differences in log dwelling forms. The three houses in Early Arkansas Settlement Study, while located within a ten-mile radius of each other, reflect those differences. Two of the houses, Foster-Riggs and Looney-French, are dogtrot forms yet they vary one from the other. The third house, Rice-Upshaw, is a single-pen structure with a hall-and-parlor floor plan. Dogtrot and hall-and-parlor house forms have been documented in the areas where these families resided prior to their migrations to Arkansas.

According to Lawrence Dalton’s History of Randolph County, a group of Spanish explorers, led by Hernando DeSoto, passed through the area in 1541. Spanish artifacts and coins were uncovered by early 19th Century settlers. He also states that other noted French explorers were in the area, including Marquette (1673), LaSalle (1682) and DeToni (1686). The Indian occupation of the 1700s was primarily immigrant and transitory, composed of bands of Osage, Shawnee and Delaware tribes. These groups had moved out of the area by the early 1800s, when the Anglo-American and African-American settlers started moving into the area.

Spain and France governed the area until 1803, when the United States gained control through the Louisiana Purchase, and it was then successively governed by the District of Louisiana (1804-05) and the Territory of Louisiana (1805-1819). The Territory of Arkansas was formed in 1819 and, at that time, Lawrence County embraced about two-thirds of Arkansas north or the Arkansas River. Lawrence County was divided over and over again. Randolph County was created October 29, 1835, and its boundaries incorporated the area’s oldest settlements in the original Lawrence County. The next year, 1836, Arkansas gained statehood.

The numerous rivers and streams of Randolph County were the transportation routes that brought many immigrants into the area. A number of Frenchmen settled in the area in the late 1700s and early 1800s as found in early land records. The names they gave to several places are still in use today and a few of their descendents still reside in the county.

Another prime encouragement for early settlement was the old animal and Indian trace that entered Randolph County where the Missouri line crossed the Current River and ran along the foothills of the Ozarks. The trace had been used by both animals and people from the beginning of people coming to this area. The trace became known by a number of names such as the Southwest Trail, since travelers followed it from St. Genevieve, Missouri in a southwestern direction on the way to Texas and Mexico. It also bore the name of Natchitoches Trail, Military Road and National Road.

The changes in this area’s landscape in the past 200 years have been under the direction of the people who began to travel down the rivers and the Southwest Trail. By 1803, William Hix was operating a ferry on the Current River where the Southwest Trail crossed. The ferry site was aptly called the Northern Gateway to Arkansas. The first United States government surveys of the lands in Randolph County began in 1807, when it was still part of the territory of Louisiana. The Southwest Trail was called the Arkansas Road and Arkansas Trace by some of the surveyors.

Between 1803 and 1815, a great surge of immigrants from mainly Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina and Virginia spread out along the main waterways of the area. Many of the streams still bear the names of these early settlers. Many of these settlers had moved on even before Lawrence County was created by the Territory of Missouri in 1815. But hundreds of people had established communities and gave them names as documented by the County’s earliest records. Four areas of settlement were referred to in the records by the river valleys in which they were located: the settlements of Fourche de Thomas, Spring River, Strawberry and White River. The town of Lawrence (later Davidsonville) was chosen as the seat of justice. The town of Columbia on the Fourche River was a second site considered for the county seat.

The earliest river transportation was by canoe, flatboat and keelboat. The first steam boat known to have come up the Black River was the steamer Laurel, which arrived in 1829. During the earliest days of settlement, Davidsonville was the main river town in north Arkansas. When Bettis Bluff (Pocahontas) was established in 1836 as the seat of justice for Randolph County, it became a steamboat landing site on the Black River. Many boats went on up the Black River several miles and up Current River as far as the farm of Thomas Drew (Biggers). Drew was a county judge for Lawrence County and in 1844 was elected as the third governor of Arkansas. The steamboats came from Mississippi River ports to bring merchandise to the area and to carry away cotton, which was a principal crop. Many early landowners in the area were also slave owners, especially those who produced cotton for export. After the Civil War, a number of the slave families remained in the area. Some of their descendents continue to reside in Randolph County today.

In 1830, U.S. President Andrew Jackson authorized the Indian Removal Act, which called for the removal of the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Seminole tribes from the southern states. They were relocated to the Indian Territory (Oklahoma). The Cherokees were the most resistant tribe and the last ones to be removed (see story on the Trail of Tears).

In 1861, Pittman’s Ferry was the Headquarters of the Confederate Military District of Upper Arkansas and was commanded by General William J. Hardee. Skirmishes were fought at this site on October 27 and November 25, 1862. A large Civil War camp, Camp Shaver, was situated in the vicinity of Cypress Springs where the regiment known as the 7th Arkansas Infantry was formed. Over the course of the war there were over 10,000 soldiers situated in the area. A few minor skirmishes were fought at Mill Creek, and several Civil War soldiers are buried in that area.

According to Lawrence Dalton in his article, Eleven Point River Valley, the headwaters of the Eleven Point River rise in Missouri near the town of Willow Springs. Just how it came to be called Eleven Point is unknown. It forms an extremely fertile valley along its course through southern Missouri and Randolph County, Arkansas.

In Oregon County, Missouri, the Eleven Point runs only a few miles west of an area called the Irish Wilderness where, for many years exceptionally fine pine lumber was harvested. The present-day location is north of state Highway 160. The Eleven Point empties into the Spring River near Davidsonville, Lawrence County’s first seat of justice. Thus, the river tied the early settlers of this area to the center of governmental and political life. All along the course of the river are recreational and float camps that take advantage of its scenic beauty. Numerous springs in this area help feed the stream and gave rise to early settlement along the river in both Arkansas and Missouri.

The Eleven Point River in the northwest section of Randolph County attracted early pioneer settlers, and many descendents of these earliest families still live in the area today. Some continue to own the same land their families obtained initially. Cindy Robinette is one of those descendents and states that the geography is that of hills and valleys, cool spring-fed creeks, good river-bottom pasture land, and thick woods full of deer, turkey and other wild game. Cattle graze on most farms and in recent years several bald eagles have been seen along the river. Today, canoeing and sight-seeing float trips down the Eleven Point River are popular recreational activities during the warm months. Many families own cabins on the banks of the Eleven Point and spend weekends and summer vacations in them. However, a few people have their permanent homes along the river banks.

THE LOONEY-FRENCH HOUSE, DALTON COMMUNITY, RANDOLPH COUNTY, ARKANSAS

According to family tradition, William M. Looney and three of his African-American slaves arrived in this area in 1802 from Tennessee. He returned to Tennessee in 1803 and enticed his cousins, Coleman and Fielding Stubblefield, to join him on the Eleven Point. For a time, they were the only family members in this area. By 1812, a wagon train bearing Rice, Stubblefield and Looney families had arrived. Two of the home sites for this study were settled by these families. Included in the 1812 wagon train from Hawkins County, Tennessee was Reuben Rice, his wife, and several children. They were joining their young kinsmen, William Looney and Coleman and Fielding Stubblefield, who had located in the area in 1802-03. The families scattered throughout the upper Eleven Point River Valley and formed the foundations of the surrounding communities of Oconee, Dalton and Elm Store.

William M. Looney descended from a family of groundbreaking frontiersmen. In the early 1700s Robert Looney, William’s great-grandfather, arrived in America from the Isle of Man, settling first in Pennsylvania Colony (near present-day Hagerstown, Maryland). By the 1720s he had relocated to Virginia on the Opeckan River, where he established a mill, fort and ferry. William’s grandfather, Absalom Looney, was the first settler in Abb’s Valley in Tazewell County, Virginia. Frequent Indian attacks caused him to return to the Opeckan River. Michael Looney, William’s father, was a Revolutionary War veteran and an early settler in Stanley Valley near Rogersville, Hawkins County, Tennessee. It was in this valley that William was born in 1785. He was 17 years old when he made his way to the Eleven Point River.

According to family tradition, the area around the Eleven Point River was still inhabited by small groups of Cherokee, Osage, Quapaw, Choctaw, Shawnee and Caddo Indians. William had to travel to Cape Girardeau, Missouri during the earliest days to buy his necessary supplies. The trip took two weeks to complete.

William used the natural resources of the valley, along with growing corn, wheat, potatoes and tobacco. He also planted a large apple orchard and produced brandy. Brandy and whiskey were considered staples on the western frontiers at the time. Just where this orchard was located is unknown at this time, but William Looney eventually claimed 1,500 acres of land along the Eleven Point. Family tradition holds that his apple orchards produced as much as 1,500 gallons of brandy each year.

William Looney chose the west bank of the river to build his home by a natural ford. How soon a roadway was established is not certain, but once the 1812 wagon train arrived with the extended Rice, Stubblefield and Looney families, the ford must have been important in maintaining family communications. The ford also allowed easy access for William’s brandy sales.

Just when William Looney built the 1-1/2 story log dwelling house along the elevated west bank overlooking the Eleven Point River is not known at this time, nor is the exact date known for his marriage to his cousin, Rhonda Looney Stubblefield, but the first of their ten children was born in 1805. They may have married when William returned to Tennessee and brought Rhonda’s brothers, Coleman and Fielding Stubblefield, with him back to the Eleven Point. In the 1830 census for Lawrence County, William appears to have four sons and six daughters. As soon as the county government of Lawrence County, Missouri was established, William Looney was appointed a justice of the peace and magistrate (ca. 1816/1825). He was commissioned as a Captain in the 3rd Regiment of the Arkansas Militia.

In 1843, William Looney purchased land in Bettis Bluff (Pocahontas) from Thomas Drew. He owned the whole block on the south side of the courthouse square. William Looney died in March or April, 1846. Family tradition states he drowned in the Eleven Point River. At the time of his death, each of his children received a farm and one slave from their father’s estate. His wife, Rhonda, died on April 18, 1847. They are both buried in the family cemetery located next to their home.

When William died at age 62 years, he had experienced six different governmental changes over the lands where he settled. He arrived before the Louisiana Purchase when the area was owned and governed by France. The last administrative change was when Randolph County was formed in 1835.

The remaining William M. Looney home site includes the one-and-a-half story dwelling house composed of two log pens of differing sizes, joined by a continuous roof. The gable ends of the structure feature exterior stone chimneys and stone foundation. The stone used in construction of the structure was harvested from the Eleven Point riverbank only a few yards from the house. The chisel marks of the mason can still be seen. The large size of exposed timbers indicates that virgin timbers were cut to build the structure. Some original pegged roofing rafters, as well as some original flooring, remain.

A family cemetery, slave cemetery and site of former slave cabins are landscape features known to the present owners, Christina and Jack French, Sr. They are the first owners of the property since it passed out of family descendents’ ownership. They maintain the farmland as pasture for cattle.

TREE-RING DATING OF THE LOONEY-FRENCH HOUSE, RANDOLPH COUNTY, ARKANSAS

by David Stahle, Department of Geosciences, University of Arkansas, January 2004

The Looney-French House is a log dogtrot on its original construction site just above the Eleven Point River in Randolph County. The log structure includes half-dovetail corner notching, with half-hewn wall logs (meaning wall logs hewn on the interior and exterior wall faces only, with the bark ring preserved on the top and bottom of the logs). Native stone chimneys are still present on the east and west exterior walls, and the logs have been covered with clapboard siding outside and plaster or wall board on the interior. Sawed 4x4-inch rafters are pegged where they join at the gable ridgeline and appear to be original. The wall logs and rafters are reasonably well-preserved in the few places they can actually be seen under wall coverings. A cellar is located under the west pen, where the exposed sills and floor joists are in very poor condition.

Core samples for tree-ring dating were extracted from 12 separate wall logs on both pens on March 28, 2003. Eleven of the wall logs are white oak, and one is red oak. Nine of the 12 logs were successfully dated, with three cutting dates at 1831 and six cutting dates at 1832. In all cases the final dated rings were completely formed, indicating that the trees were felled during the dormant season. These nine cutting dates indicate that the logs used to construct the Looney-French House were felled between June 1831 and April 1832, and between June 1832 and April 1833. Because the structure does not appear to have been disassembled after construction or extensively repaired or remodeled, these dates probably document the original construction of the building. Normal log construction practice would allow the logs to season for several months before assembly, so it is likely that the Looney-French House was finally erected in late 1833 or 1834. These tree-ring dating results indicate that the Looney-French House is one of the oldest structures still standing in Arkansas, a remnant of the first generation of European settlement. The Looney-French House remains in a long chain of family ownership/occupation since ca. 1802. Christina French, present-day owner with her husband, Jack, is a descendent of the original settler, William Looney. Family and local understanding has associated the existing structure on the Looney farmstead as that of William Looney’s home.

THE JAMES G. RUSSELL HOUSE, ATTICA COMMUNITY, RANDOLPH COUNTY, ARKANSAS

In order to understand the significance of the Russell-Riggs House as part of this study, it is necessary to look at the settlement history for the immediate Fourche River Valley surrounding the home site.

Cindy Stuart, in an article published in Randolph County History and Families, Volume I, presents the history as follows:

When Lawrence County was formed in 1815 by the Missouri Territory legislature, four settlements were recognized by Governor William Clark and Justices of the Peace were appointed for them. They were the settlements of Spring River, Strawberry, White River and Fourche de Thomas. Soon after, Davidsonville Township was formed from Fourche de Thomas and the name of the latter was changed to Columbia Township. The names of the justices for Fourche de Thomas were William Russell and William Harris.

The town of Columbia was in that settlement. It is first mentioned in 1815, when it rivaled old Davidsonville for the county seat. Lewis DeMunn was a leading member of the commission that located the county seat to the town of Lawrence (later called Davidsonville). This proves that there was a town of Columbia in 1815 before Davidsonville was established. When the first settlement there was made is unknown. The name Fourche, which is French, leads to the conclusion that the French were the first settlers along that stream, probably as early as 1800. The stream was first called Fourche de Maux, and in 1836 it was known as Fourche Dumas, and then as Fourche du Mas. It later became known as Fourche de Thomas, of Thomas Fork for an early settler along its banks. Fourche de Thomas is the name used for the settlement there in the records of the first county and circuit court in 1815 and later. Fourche de Thomas was the general name for the settlement of which Columbia was a center, in one of the most thickly settled communities in the county in territorial days. Columbia is shown on an 1836 map about two miles southwest of where that road crossed Fourche de Thomas. Tradition says that there was a post office there in the early days by that name and that Columbia was a station where the stage coaches stopped to change horses.

The property owned today by Ronald and Nancy Riggs was originally owned by William Russell and later owned by his son, James G. Russell. The Russell family was among the first to put down roots in the area, and they quickly established mills on their property. Lawrence County’s earliest records are filled with William Russell’s name starting as early as 1815, as noted in Stuart’s article. It also makes frequent mention of Russell’s mills in the plural. The clerk’s recording of early court sessions and land transactions appear to be accurate as he used plurals in other appropriate documentation.

William Russell and his family members were slave owners, as were many of their neighbors, as documented by early deed records. This is one factor that allowed settlers to become established quickly. Russell and others built a roadway to help in their business efforts in this area. The roadway ran through his property following the present day County Road 328. This route is documented as the path taken by one group of Cherokee Indians who were led by John Benge as they traveled through the county in 1838. After the organized new county of Randolph, which was cut out of Lawrence County in 1835, Dalton records that "the first court held in the county was held at the home of James G. Russell, eight miles north of Pocahontas, on what was long known as the old Foster farm, now owned by Max Riggs. The Riggs family purchased the Foster farm in 1939. The Foster family had arrived in the area in 1820 from Tennessee. Thomas Foster, Jr. married Martha Russell and they purchased the James G. Russell farm. Martha may have been James’ daughter. Thomas Foster, Jr. was Randolph County Treasurer from 1864-68. He also served as a state representative from 1880-82.

The existing house is a one-and-a-half story log dogtrot style structure. The long-held concept that the existing dogtrot home of Ronald and Nancy Riggs was built by James Russell, or even possibly his father William Russell, was discovered to be in error. The tree-ring study conducted by Dr. David Stahle reveals that the construction date of this house is ca. 1872. This in no way diminishes the historical significance of the structure or its potential impact on archeological and architectural studies of the future. The name of the structure does change to reflect the ownership of the property at the time of the construction of the house. Thomas Foster, Jr. was the post-Civil War owner, but he had married James Russell’s daughter, Martha, which maintained the family ownership of the land. Only in the late 1930s did ownership pass from the Foster/Russell descendents to the Riggs family, who retain ownership to the present day. The Foster and Riggs families continued the heritage of public leadership that was a hallmark of the Russell family.

THE RICE-UPSHAW HOUSE, DALTON COMMUNITY, RANDOLPH COUNTY, ARKANSAS

Reuben Rice chose a home site about a mile from the east bank of the Eleven Point River just above the fording place. He situated the dwelling house near a creek that later became known as the Upshaw Creek. Family tradition states the existing house was constructed in 1828. While the Rice and Looney families came from the same community in Tennessee and had become connected through marriages, the log dwelling houses the two families built reflect different building traditions.

The log house that Reuben Rice built is also a one-and-a-half story structure, but it features one large lower level room served by a single gable-end exterior stone chimney. A smaller hallway partitioned to one side enclosed the angled staircase to the upper level. The chinking between the logs is stone, which would have been readily available from the river. The Looney log house has wood chinking covered with mortar daubing.

After Rueben Rice’s death, his son Thomas Blackman Rice and his wife, Nancy Stubblefield Rice, occupied the family home. One of their children, Lydia, was born and raised in the home. She married Andrew Jackson Upshaw, and they continued to live in the home that has become known as Old Monarch.

Lydia’s daughter-in-law, Melissa Ozella Miller Upshaw, fondly recalled the stories told by her mother-in-law of living in Old Monarch. When Melissa was in her seventies, she recorded those stories in a book entitled Lydia of the Valley. It brings to light the lives of the people who lived in this log house by the river. In this book, the author identifies the existence of landscape features that are no long in existence. She mentions the slaves the family owned and their cabins. She also identifies a springhouse and detached kitchen, outbuildings that would be expected on the homestead of an antebellum plantation. She did not mention the barn, corn crib, etc., but did indicate they maintained livestock. As Melissa remembers and recounts the day-by-day activities, she paints a picture for the modern reader of how the house was furnished. Lydia and most of the family members who lived in the Rice-Upshaw dwelling house are buried in the adjoining cemetery. Whether the family slaves were buried here is not known. Today the Rice-Upshaw House still remains in the same family. It is owned by Dorothy Jean Upshaw whose husband, James, was the son of Melissa Ozella and Albert Upshaw. She lives less than one mile north of the old home site.

TREE-RING DATING OF THE RICE-UPSHAW HOUSE, RANDOLPH COUNTY, ARKANSAS

by David Stable, Department of Geosciences, University of Arkansas, January 2004

The Rice-Upshaw House is a hall and parlor log home in the valley of the Eleven Point River near the community of Dalton. Tree-ring specimens were extracted from 24 building timbers on March 29 and December 19, 2003. The structure is not occupied and is in dilapidated condition, but the roof is intact and the wall logs and rafters appear to be reasonably well-preserved. The house is part of an intact historic farmstead that includes a log shed or springhouse, log barn, log crib, and cemetery. The log home was made with half-hewn logs and half-dovetail corner notching, where the interior and exterior faces of the logs were hewn, but the true bark surface was generally left intact on the top and bottom of the logs as they were placed in the wall and chinked. The structure includes an interior log wall that subdivides the first floor into a hall and parlor. There is also a loft that was not subdivided and where the logs, plates, rafter joists, and rafters are fully-exposed. Additions join the log structure on the north and south. The wall logs in the first floor are covered with wall-board, so most of the tree ring specimens were obtained from the loft. Most wall logs and rafters appear to be original, but several tree species were used in this construction, including white oak, red oak, elm, walnut and maple.

Nine of the building timbers were successfully dated with dendrochronology, including seven white oak wall logs, one maple wall log and one walnut joist. The outer dates range from 1821 to 1826. The outer dates at 1821 and 1825 both came from specimens where the bark ring was not preserved and do not necessarily indicate specific construction episodes in the history of the building. Seven building timbers have outer dates at 1826, including four probably and three unequivocal cutting dates, indicating that the wall logs were cut after the growing season of 1826 and before the initiation of growth in 1827 (meaning between June of 1826 and April of 1827). Since the structure appears to be on its original site and there is no evidence for the reuse or replacement of these dated timbers, the structure could not have been erected before late 1826. In fact, the logs were probably allowed to season before the structure was finally assembled, so it is likely that the Rice-Upshaw House was constructed in 1827-28, with timbers cut most likely in 1826.

The cutting dates in 1826 make the Rice-Upshaw House the oldest known structure still standing in the state of Arkansas. The Rice-Upshaw Farmstead is an ideal candidate for historic preservation, considering: 1) the good condition of the wall logs and rafters, 2) the high quality log construction, 3) direct accessibility via State Highway 93, and 4) the fact that this is the oldest known standing structure in Arkansas and representative of the first wave of permanent European settlement.

RANDOLPH COUNTY, ARKANSAS IN 1910

by Laura Hodge

A 1910 map of Randolph County by Tobe Chastain C.S., August 4, 1910, lists 21 townships and 33 towns. Today there are 26 townships in Randolph County, and only six towns. The others of the list below that are left are considered communities with post offices now closed, and their one-room schoolhouses all consolidated. A few still have a church and perhaps a grocery store.

Townships in 1910: Bristow/Bristol, Columbia, Current River, Davidson, Demun, Eleven Point, Elm Store, Ingram, Jackson, Janes Creek, Little Black, O’Kean, Ravenden Springs, Reyno, Richardson, Shiloh, Siloam, Spring River, Union, Warm Springs, and Wiley.

Townships in 2007: Baker, Bristol, Butler, Columbia, Davidson, Demun, Eleven Point, Elm Store, Foster, Ingram, Jackson, Janes Creek, Little Black, O’Kean, Ravenden Springs, Reyno, Richardson, Roanoke, Running Lake, Shiloh, Siloam, Spring River, Union, Warm Springs, Water Valley, and Wiley.

Towns in 1910: Attica, Biggers, Birdell, Brockett, Cedar Grove, Dalton, DeBow/Debrow, Elm Store, Foster, Hamil, Holmes, Ingram, Lorine, Manson, Maynard, Middlebrooke, Mock, Noland, Oconee, O’Kean, Peru, Pitman, Pocahontas, Ravenden Springs, Reyno, Ring, Shannon, Sharum, Supply, Swarts, Warm Springs, Water Valley, and Yadkin.

Towns in 2007: Biggers, Maynard, O’Kean, Pocahontas, Reyno, and Ravenden Springs. These towns are incorporated and still have a post office. Some have a mayor, fire department and a school.

ATTICA was listed in Foster Township. It is located on Highway 251, about two and one-half miles North of Pocahontas. A post office was established here in 1890, with Miss Clara Hill as postmistress. The first settlers came into the area over the Old Military Road after the Civil War. Among them were the Biggers, Sweazeas, Russells, Garretts, McDaniels, Simingtons, Johnsons, and Thomases. The Oak Grove Methodist Church was moved here from Noblin in the spring of 1890, and still remains active.

BIGGERS was listed in Richardson Township. The town came into existence about 1900, when the St. Louis–San Francisco Railroad was laid through Cherokee Bay. This land was once a part of Thomas S. Drew’s plantation. B.F. Biggers, for whom the town was named, bought this tract of land around 1889 and established a distillery and ferry. Biggers was known as a mill town, with lumber and stave mills located here (no doubt because of railroad), until the timber was exhausted.

Some of the town’s residents, who advertised, around 1910 were W.M. Biggers, Cash Grocery Company; B.F. Biggers, General Merchandise; Lee Brooks, General Merchandise; Joe H. Johnson, Auctioneer and Collector; Mrs. J.M. Johnson, Milliner; and J.J. Johnson, MD - Phone #6. The Bank of Biggers was established in 1902, and the Ida Mae Hotel was built in 1906. This hotel was a three-story structure with 24 sleeping rooms. It was one of the most popular hotels in the country, and was known for its large parlor and fine dining room.

Biggers is still an incorporated town with several businesses and a post office. The school here was only recently consolidated with Corning, Arkansas.

BROCKETT was listed in Foster Township. It is located on the South side of Fouche River, on the Old Military Road, between Maynard and Pocahontas. Jim Brockett and John Ford settled here shortly after the Civil War and built a mill. With the mill attracting more settlers to the area, it soon became a trading post. Joe Weisenbach was owner of a store here and the postmaster in 1910. He advertised that he was a dealer in wheat, corn, oats, potatoes, cotton, and hay. Brockett also had telephone service in 1910. In a 1901 area newspaper, S.F. Harrison & Co. advertised Ready Made Clothing. A blacksmith shop was situated just North of the present day cemetery. S.A. Sago and R.M. Biggers donated an acre and a building was erected to serve as a school and church house. This building was destroyed in a storm, but was replaced in 1937 by the one that still remains today—the Old Brockett School House.

BIRDELL was listed in Roanoke Township. In 1890, a post office was established here by Joseph Hustedler, who named the town for his two daughters, Birdie and Ella. He was the first postmaster, assisted by his daughter, Kate. Joseph owned a mill in the area, on the Eleven Point River, that had been built around 1884 by John Carter. This mill was one of the first mills to be constructed west of the Mississippi River, and one of the few in the country that survived the Civil War. A schoolhouse was built here in 1899. The community still has a church and a saddle club bearing the name Birdell.

CEDAR GROVE was listed in Union Township. It was located about seven miles North of Ravenden Springs in the Northwest corner of Randolph County. No record could be found about the post office, but a school was established here around 1880, District #6, and bore the name Cedar Grove.

DEBOW/DEBROW was listed in Columbia Township. It was also called Davis for the school located here by that name. Isaac DeBow was the postmaster and a merchant here in 1910. He advertised that he was a buyer and shipper of county produce. DeBow/Bebrow was located just West of the old town of Albertha, whose post office closed in 1907.

DALTON was listed in Davidson Township on the Eleven Point River. The town began as early as 1850, when Dr. John Bryan established a store and post office here. The post office was first called Spring Creek. William Dalton bought the business and moved across the river where present day Dalton is located. This was about 1870. During the early days, Lewis Dalton, a brother of William, operated a saw and grist mill, and also a cotton gin. Dalton was an important inland trading post for many years after the Civil War. Early settlers included the Dalton, Wells, Looney, Garrett, McIlroy, Vandergriff, Stubblefield, Davis, Baker, Rice, and Nettles families. Dalton is a thriving community with several businesses and the Oak Ridge School System, which as recently consolidated with Williford, Arkansas.

ELM STORE was listed in the township by the same name. It is one of the oldest settlements in Randolph County. The Stubblefield, Job Hudson and Nettles families came here in the early 1800s. Shadrach Nettles and Obediah Hudson were here as early as 1812. One of the first roads opened in the county, after Pocahontas became the county seat, ran from Elm Store to Pocahontas. The old Johnson Water Mill and the Stubblefield Ford on the Eleven Point River were two early landmarks located in this area. The Kirkpatrick brothers were merchants here for many years. No information found about the post office here but the three schools in the area were Elm Store, Gladesville and Baker.

FOSTER was listed in Ingram Township. The town was originally called Fouche de Thomas, and a post office was established here as early as 1836. In 1898, the post office’s name was changed to Foster. It has also been known as Columbia, Jarrett and Lindseyville. After the post office was closed in 1914, the mail was routed to Attica. The original name, Fouche de Thomas, was for a French trapper who was the first known white man to come to this area. It was here that one of the first Baptist churches was established, in 1818. It was called Salem Church, and still remains, now known as the Columbia-Jarrett Baptist Church.

HAMIL was listed in Jackson Township. The town was located at the headwaters of Tennessee Creek. The old Antioch Church, located here, is among the oldest Baptist churches in the county. J.D. Jackson opened a store and secured a post office here in 1890. Early residents in the area were the Walden, Massey, Hurn, Spike, Johnson, Roach, Presley, Jackson, Tyler, and Whitlock families.

HOLMES was listed in Wiley Township. It was named for the Wiley family that lived in the area. Situated between the Pocahontas and O’Kean train stations, it was an important stopover, and was very prosperous at the turn of the 20th Century. It was well known, at this time, for its fine food and rowdy Saturday nights. This area later became known as Fender.

INGRAM was listed in Ingram Township. The first post office began around 1890, and was located in Rufe Roberts’ store. Dock Ingram opened a cotton gin and mill here, near Mud Creek, during the last quarter of the 20th Century. There was also a still house and blacksmith shop located here. Power to operate the machinery came from a dam built on the creek. Later, Jeff Morris moved the post office to a place known as Henpeck, about one-half mile South of present day Palestine Church. It remained here until 1924. Other first families settling here were Joe Price, J.D. Driskill, WE. Tiner, Dock Condict, the Mocks, and the Shavers.

LORINE was listed in Shiloh Township. It was also known as Five Mile Spring. There was a post office here in the early 1900s, which carried the name Lorine. In 1910, J.C. Mondy was postmaster and a dealer of general merchandise. He also advertised as a blacksmith and woodwork man. Other merchants were the Waddell and Looney families.

MANSON was listed in Bristol Township. It was located eight miles South of Pocahontas. It was a railroad town, and at one time was called Beaver Town. The first post office in this area was established around 1890, and located in the Mercer’s residence at Hoover’s Landing, an early steamboat stop just west of Manson. Mr. Mercer was the first postmaster. Mrs. W.J. Matthews was postmistress after the post office moved to Manson. Other early residents in this area were M.A. Bare, Ed Max, J.T. Hamilton, Charles Thomas, and James Graham.

MAYNARD was listed in Richardson Township. The town is located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains in Randolph County, about 12 miles North of Pocahontas. It sits at the crossroads of the Old Military Road and the Doniphan/Pocahontas Road. Captain John Maynard settled here in 1872 and established a mercantile business. He called it New Prospect. He also owned an old tread mill cotton gin in the area. The town has three springs, which have never failed. In 1885 a post office opened with Claiborne Tipton as its first postmaster. The name was changed to Maynard after its founder.

J.M.C. Lehman owned the first drug store. James Brockett owned flour, saw and grist mills here, which he later moved South across the Fouche River, and established the town of Brockett. Other merchants were J.Q Pond and J.T. Redwine, General Merchandise; C.L. Albert, miller of flour and meal; and Gamel & Mock, Maynard Mercantile Company. J.R. Acree and J.D. Poyner were the village blacksmiths for many years. Dr. J.R. Loftis lived and practiced here for many years before moving to Pocahontas. Other doctors in the area were Slaughter, Hogan, Swindle, McClure, Finney, and Carrnes.

Maynard was the home of The Northeast Arkansas Enterprise, a 15-page weekly newspaper owned by Prof. R.L. Williford and S.O. Penick, from 1896-1901. The Bank of Maynard was organized in 1899 by E.C. Mock, Eli Albert and J.M.C. Lehman. It thrived for almost 40 years before merging with the Bank of Pocahontas.

Eli Abbott built a school of higher learning here in 1894. It was known as the Abbott Institution. It later became known as Ouachita Maynard Academy. After the academy closed, this building was in use as Maynard High School until 1937-38, when the Public Work Program built the present Junior High School building. Maynard presently has a school system of grades K-12 and is one of the two school districts remaining in the county.

Other early names in the area were Thomas, Smith, Weaver, Vester, Lincoln, Hawkins, Spence and Spencer.

Today, Maynard has a population of around 300. It is an incorporated town with a Mayor, City Council, Fire Department, the school, three churches, post office, and several businesses.

MIDDLEBROOKE was listed in Siloam Township. The town is located between Maynard and the Missouri State Line. It came into existence around 1878, when Charles G. Johnston and Reuben Wilson opened a store here that same year. The name Middlebrooke was taken from a creek that runs South of the village that is supposedly half-way between Doniphan, Missouri and Pocahontas, Arkansas.

In 1889, G.H. Dock Ingram built a cotton gin nearby. Other early merchants were Rev. J.A. Spence, a dealer of merchandise and farm supplies; S.W. Lindsey, a horse shoer and blacksmith; and W.L. Mock, a dealer in general merchandise and also postmaster in 1910. Dr. William Carrens was the first postmaster. Other early residents were the Luters, Raperts, Joneses, Odoms, Spencers, and Parkers.

Middlebrooke Methodist Church was built in 1928. Its original location was near the present day Siloam Cemetery, and the congregation dates back to Civil War days. Today this church building remains, but vacant, along with the old Luter grocery store, which is also vacant.

MOCK was listed in Ingram Township. The town was situated on Mud Creek about one mile North of the Ingram Post Office. It was named for W.L. (Fayette) Mock, who was among the first settlers here. Other families settling here after the Civil War were the Parsons, Isaacs, Witts, and Russells.

NOLAND was listed in Roanoke Township (now Butler). It was located only a short distance North of the site of old Davidsonville. The post office was established here about 1890, and the first postmaster was B.A. Pyland. The village was known before this as Cherry Hill. The first school building was a log house on Gwin Creek. Eventually there were three schools in this section: Hubble Creek, Noland and Cedar Ridge. The Hubble Creek Church was one of the oldest in the county, established by John M. Lemmons in 1852. For many years the Clark Brothers, J.C. and J.E., were merchants here. Some of the early names of residents were the same as the vacated town of Davidsonville, as follows: Cox, Hardin, Davis, Sloan, Leathers, Rogers, Gwin, Slayton, Penn, Van Hoosen, Sisson, Hufstedler, and Lemmons.

OCONEE was listed in Jackson Township. It was first known as Ricetown and was one of the oldest inland communities established. Situated in Dry Creek Valley, it was the site of some of the first homesteads in the Eleven Point River Valley. The post office opened in 1894, and William C. Rice was the first postmaster. He changed the name to Oconee. Ezekeil Rice, from this area, was one of the first Justices’ of the Peace for Randolph County. Other settlers here were Isham Alcorn, John Wells, Rodney Crawford, the Shelby, Barber, Howell, White, McIlroy, Stubblefield, Davis and Jackson families.

O’KEAN was listed in O’Kean Township. It is located East of Pocahontas, near the Greene County line. It was named for Father James O’Kean, an Irish Catholic who came here in 1868. The town began as a railroad stop on the Iron Mountain Railroad. In 1894, the town was comprised of eight buildings, of which some were still standing as late as 1951. These buildings included a section house, train station, store, post office, saloon, and hotel. In 1910, J.E. Connelly was the postmaster and also a Gun Merchandiser. The town was incorporated in 1913, and their first mayor, elected in 1914, was Charles F. Bode. O’Kean School was formed in 1888, with a new two-teacher building built in 1927. This school was later consolidated with Delaplaine, in Greene County.

PERU was listed in Current River Township (later changed to Running Lake). It was located South of the town of Biggers and Cherokee Bay. Mr. Shaver, an early resident in this area, possibly as early as 1815, is believed to have established a trading post near Cherokee Bay. When the post office opened in 1883, with Daniel McIlroy as first postmaster, the town was given the name Peru. It was the first post office to open in this section. McIlroy also owned the McIlroy Ferry on Current River, near the present day Highway 67 Bridge. In 1885, Peru was a thriving trading post and a common stopping point for steamboats. Steamboats such as the Milt Harry, Wild Boy and WP. Pond all made stops here. At the turn of the century, with the railroad taking the place of steamboats, Peru began to die out. The businesses moved to the nearby town of Biggers.

PITMAN was listed in Little Black Township. The old town of Pitman was located on the banks of the Current River, near the Hix/Pitman Ferry. Situated on the Nachitoches/Southwest Trail, it was one of the earliest settlements in Northeast Arkansas. The town was named for Dr. Peyton R. Pitman, who settled here and purchased the ferry from William Hix. In 1853, the plat of Pitman was entered on the deed record of Randolph County. It contained 12 blocks, with streets named Sunny, First, Second, Third, Front, Center, and Mill. It contained a steam sawmill, grist mill, distillery, blacksmith shop, barber shop, ice house, cream shop, and a mercantile store. The mercantile store was owned by the Hanover Brothers. A post office was established here as early as 1819. Old Pitman was very prosperous up until the Civil War. The area saw a major battle and several skirmishes, which destroyed the town. The new town called Pitman came about around 1868 when the post office opened again. It was located West of the old town, on the same road, which is now called the Old Military Road. This new town also grew to be very prosperous until after WWII. The school was said to have produced and graduated some of the best doctors in the county, and more physicians and ministers than any other community. The post office closed and moved to Maynard in 1954.

All that remains of the town today is an abandoned building, which housed the post office and general merchandise store, the site of Old Pitman School, Pitman Cemetery, and Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church. This church still remains active and is one of the oldest in both the county and state of Arkansas. It was established in October 1826 by Tom and John Gamball, John and William Berry, and William Bell. Other early names in the community were Ruff, Reeves, Shemwell, Hawkins, Pierce, Kelly, Lindsey, and Ashabranner.

POCAHONTAS was listed in Demun Township. The town was originally called Bettis Bluff after one of the early settlers here, Ransom Bettis. The name was changed to Pocahontas when it became the county seat in 1856. Pocahontas boasts to be named for the Indian princess. It is believed that the name was changed because the county seat of the parent county, Lawrence, is Powhaten, for the Indian chief who was the father of Pocahontas. Before it was Bettis Bluff, there was a French trading post located here. Ransom S. Bettis came here around 1815 from North Carolina. He was a physician and a pioneer trader. His daughter, Cinderella, married Thomas S. Drew, also an early trader of goods who later became the Governor of Arkansas. Bettis and Drew are given the credit for starting the town of Pocahontas, around 1835. Owning the land, they blocked it off and advertised the lots. They destined it to be the Metropolis of the West. Early records show some of the first owners of these lots to be White, Hanover, Looney, Rice, Fine, Mitchell, Black, and Imboden. Bettis and Drew are also credited for promoting Pocahontas in the race for county seat, by throwing a picnic with free Bar-B-Q. The early county seat was located at Jackson, in the western part of the county, and off any of the main roads.

Early records lead us to believe that a post office existed here long before Pocahontas was a town, because of an old mail route from Illinois by way of St. Genevieve, Hix’s Ferry, and Dock Bettis en route to Polk Bayou (Batesville) on White River. But, Thomas O. Marr was the first postmaster after Pocahontas was named the county seat. Marr was also credited for building the first courthouse here, the first of three courthouses, with the last two still existing.

Lewis DeMunn and brothers, from France, built a water mill on Mill Creek here around 1820. It was located South of town below what is now known as Cypress Spring. The power wheel was shipped here from France. Many of the early residents are remembered by the naming of city streets such as Bettis, Drew, Marr, Hamil, Rice, Bowlin, Dalton, Schoonover, McNabb, Mansker, Black, Decker, Baltz, and Thomas(ville).

RAVENDEN SPRINGS was listed in Spring River Township. The name was acquired from a Raven’s nest that was situated on a bluff overlooking the spring located here. The town grew around this spring, and became known throughout miles around as a Dream Town. It came about from a dream which Rev. William Bailey, a Methodist minister, had. Rev. Bailey had suffered from a stomach ailment for many years. He dreamed that he drank from a spring nearby his home on Halls Creek. He dreamed this three times, finally drank as in his dream, and was cured. This was the spring from which he drank, word spread and the town began. Bailey later sold his land, which he had obtained from the government, to Captain R.D. Walsh, in 1880. In 1883, Capt. Walsh built a two-story, 40-room hotel here. This hotel was very modern for the time. It was built near the spring, with steps leading down to the spring. Before the hotel was built, people were living in tents. The population grew to around 1800 in just 18 months. During the town’s boom period, there were three general stores, a drug store, two blacksmiths, the hotel, a stationary store, a post office, and a newspaper all located here. The post office was located on one of the oldest mail routes in the county. It ran from Southeast Missouri to Batesville, on the old Southwest Trail. George Pace was a constable here in 1880 and a mail carrier.

The first school here was held in a cave, and is believed to be the first school in the state. A one-room school was built in 1882, followed by a ten-room high school built in 1907. So many girls were attending here, and staying in the hotel, that the hotel became known as the girls dormitory. Many graduates from here went on to become physicians.

Other early residents to follow Rev. Bailey and Capt. Walsh were Dr. Lambert; Bob Blackshear, first store; John Guntharp, first drug store; Professor Dave Hays, first teacher in school of 1882; Cal Moffit and Jake Lane, first blacksmiths; and Frank Davis & Sons R.L. Higginbotham & Sons and W.A. Davis & Sons, all early business operators. In 1910, Rufus Bower advertised, Groceries and Staples.

Ravenden Springs is still a thriving town with one of the few post offices open in the county.

REYNO was listed in Reyno Township. The original town of Reyno was located two miles Southwest of the present site. When the Frisco Railroad came through this area in 1901, the businesses and most of the residents moved to the railroad’s location. At that time this site along the railroad was called Esselwood. The original town of Reyno was a settlement before the Civil War, located in the Cherokee Bay area, and it was a very prosperous trading point. W.M. Shrader, a native of Bavaria, was noted to be the first settler here. Dennis Reynolds had the first hotel here in 1857. He was also an early merchant, along with the Martin Brothers and John Dunklin. It is believed that the name Reyno was from the name Reynolds shortened.

New Reyno was first incorporated by Elder John L. Fry, F.W. Cox, and others, in 1908. W. C. Glasco was the first mayor. In 1910, Reyno’s Progressive League, consisting of T.C. Albritton, president; C.T. McClure, 1st vice president; T. Jess Redwine, 2nd vice president; and L.F. Maynard, secretary/treasurer, advertised as follows: Reyno the Progressive, Up-to-date Town of Northeast Arkansas. The Cotton Market of Randolph County.

Other residents advertising in 1910, were J.M. Odom, Dealer of Groceries and Feed Stuff; O.W. Roberts, M.D., Physician and Surgeon; J.M. Hawks, Cotton and Produce Buyer; and Mrs. M.J. Reynolds, Millinery and Dry Goods.

The following were bank directors of the Reyno State Bank in 1910: W.D. Polk, D.W Reynolds, D. Blackburn, Joe B. Renie, J.W. Shaver, M.L. Adams, and Mrs. Mollie E. Jones.

Reyno is still an incorporated town with three churches, a few businesses, a post office, and a school that was recently annexed to Corning, Arkansas.

RING was listed in Union Township. It was located in the Northwest corner of Randolph County on the banks of Janes Creek. Ring school began in 1880 and was consolidated with Dalton in 1940. The post office was established near the school. I.F. Jones was among the first merchants.

SHANNON was listed in Demun Township. It is located just South of Pocahontas, along Highway 67. School District #41 was formed here in 1883. Shannon still exists as a community.

SHARUM was listed in O’Kean Township. It was located in the Black River Bottoms just southeast of Pocahontas. A.W.W Brooks came here after the Civil War, and owned a big plantation in this area. Robert Sanders owned a general store here. Other names connected with this area were Rogers, Surridge and Fender. There is still a church and cemetery here known by the name Sharum.

SUPPLY was listed in Little Black Township. The town was located on the old Nachitoches/Southwest Trail, later called Old Military Road. It got its name from an Army supply depot located here during the Civil War. Before that it was known as Fowler’s Well. This well is believed to have been dug around 1812 by a Mr. Fowler, who came here after the Revolutionary War. There were five roads leading in and out from this well, and it was a stopover for many a weary traveler. The Indians camped here in the 1830s on their way to Oklahoma. The well was never known to go dry. It was covered over by the highway department in the 1960s, when Highway 166 N. was paved.

A post office was opened in 1878. It was called Ruff and Ready for J.G. Ready, who was one of the early postmasters. It moved to Maynard in 1943.

The first school in this area was built by Zera Allen, about 1840. It was located about one mile northwest of Supply. The building was also used by the Church of Christ, of which Zera Allen was the minister.

The Fowler family opened a store as early as the 1850s and for the next 100 years would own or operate a store here. After the Civil War the town began to grow, and at one time contained three stores, two cotton gins (one with steam power), a grist mill, a cream station, drug store, blacksmith shop, restaurant, barber shop, an inn, and livery stable (at the time the stage stopped here). Supply was noted to have had more cotton gins than any other community in the county, although they weren’t actually considered to be in cotton country. The first gin was built by James P. Ingram, who was a Civil War veteran. Others owning gins were the Duffs, Jolleys, Ruffs and Aliens. Other early names in the area were Reeves, Knowlton, Taylor, Pierce, Shemwell, Vester, Ainley, Jones, and Cockrum.

After WWII many began leaving this area, and by the 1950s only two stores and the ruins of an old drug store remained. Today Supply consists of a thriving country store with two gas pumps.

SWARTS was listed in Jackson Township. The town was first named Necktie. William Sparks opened the first post office at this site. He intended to name the town after his wife, Neatie, but the authorities