Newton County - Shiloh Museum of Ozark History [PDF]

Arkansas statesman and educator Albert Pike. It was being used as a hay barn in 1936 when Mr. & Mrs. Allen Henderson

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Albert Pike Memorial Museum, Highway 71, near Mountainburg (Crawford County), possibly 1940s. Washington County Historical Society Collection (P-539)

This log schoolhouse was built in 1832 in Van Buren by early Arkansas statesman and educator Albert Pike. It was being used as a hay barn in 1936 when Mr. & Mrs. Allen Henderson purchased it for use as an attraction. They moved it further north along the newly built Highway 71 and filled it with settler furniture, household goods, and Mrs. Allen’s collection of glassware. In 1954 it was moved to the campus of the University of Arkansas; 30 years later it went back to Van Buren where today it sits next to the Crawford County courthouse.

Roadside Attractions

Diamond Cave, off Highway 327, near Jasper (Newton County), 1920s-1930s. Bertha Cartmell Reid & George Cartmell Collection (S-89-105-303)

Named for the diamond-like transparency of its formations, the cave was first visited by sightseers in the late 1800s who used pine-knot torches to explore its depths. Electricity was added sometime after 1925 when the cave officially opened for tours. The formations boasted fanciful names: Piano Rock, Garden of the Gods, the Auditorium of Rome. Near the cave entrance several amenities sprung up including a skating rink, campgrounds, picnic area, outdoor dance floor, and the Panther Inn. The cave averaged about 10,000 visitors a year before closing in 1988. It remains closed today to protect its unique environment.

Shiloh Museum of Ozark History

TOP: Elkhorn Tavern, off Highway 62, Pea Ridge (Benton County), about 1949. Betty Terrell, photographer. (S-90-152-14)

BOTTOM: Martha Cox, Elkhorn Tavern, !960s.

Howard Clark, photographer. Caroline Price Clark Collection (S-2002-72-792A)

The original tavern, built in the 1830s by Jesse C. Cox, was burned following a Civil War battle in 1862. It was rebuilt in 1865, the year Martha Cox Scott was born. By the early 20th century a portion of the family home was open for tours. For 10 cents each, visitors could look at glass-topped exhibit cases filled with bullets, cannonballs, and Confederate currency, view spinning wheels and muzzle-loading guns, and hear Mrs. Scott tell stories of the war passed down from her parents. She lived in the home until 1959, the year before her death. In 1962 the building became part of the Pea Ridge National Military Battlefield and was later restored.

Roadside Attractions

Shiloh Museum of Ozark History

Blue Spring, off Highway 62, Eureka Springs (Carroll County), 1960s-1970s. Bob Besom Collection (S-83-3-18)

Mount Gayler Tower, Highway 71, Mount Gayler (Crawford County), late 1930s. Washington County Historical Society Collection (P-534)

Edward & Stella Bellis of Texas lost everything in the economic crash of 1929. Seeing a tourist opportunity, they moved to Mount Gayler and built a wood observation tower in 1933. During the construction of the gift shop, café, service station, and home, the family lived in a tent and in the back of their pickup truck. In 1939 the wood tower was replaced with a 100-feet-tall steel tower. Business dropped off over the years, although the coffee shop was still open year-round in 1975. As of 2010 one of the Bellis’ grandchildren was living there, but today the tower remains closed and in need of repair. Roadside Attractions

Long-known to Native Americans, the spring is at least 510 feet deep, about 35 feet wide, and has an estimated daily flow of 38 million gallons of water. Mrs. Evan Booth of Chicago bought the property with the idea of turning it into a tourist attraction, eventually opening it to the public in 1948. About 20 years later, Robert Chyrchel and his family purchased the property, later establishing the Eureka Springs Gardens in 1993. After an unfortunate foreclosure, the acreage was reestablished in 2003 as the Blue Spring Heritage Center.

Shiloh Museum of Ozark History

Jungleland Free Zoo, Highway 71, near Mountainburg (Crawford County), 1940s-1950s. Bob Besom Collection (S-2011-114-33)

At one point the zoo boasted that it had over 1,000 souvenirs in its gift shop and “100 native and rare wild animals” including alligators, white deer, peccaries (an animal that resembles a pig), coati (Brazilian aardvarks), monkeys, and bears. In later years the walls were covered with colorful images of animals. Bruce Vaughan of Springdale remembers a nerve-racking visit in the 1960s when he held onto the hem of his niece’s dress as she bent over the wall of the rattlesnake pit (the “Garden of Death”) to look at the “pretty snakes.”

Roadside Attractions

Artist Point, Highway 71, near Mountainburg (Crawford County), 1960. James A. Ruth standing by tipi. Alice C. Ruth Collection (S-91-34-24)

Russell and Yvonne Blaylock owned Artist Point from 1954 until 2007, when Russell retired. They offered souvenirs, native crafts, homemade jams and jellies, a spectacular view, and a small museum featuring Native American materials. A tipi out front enticed travelers. Rather than thinking the building of Interstate 540 would be bad for business, Blaylock welcomed it. Since the state was promoting Highway 71 as a scenic route, travelers would be more likely to stop and visit for a spell rather than rush by. Artist Point continues to welcome visitors today.

Shiloh Museum of Ozark History

Apple Town, Highway 62, Lincoln (Washington County), early 1970s. George T. McGrath, photographer. Betty Fischer Collection (S-97-136-12)

Forrest Rodgers started Apple Town in 1973 on orchard land his father began farming in 1916. He began with a fruit stand and soon expanded with the Red Apple Cider Saloon, a place were visitors could belly up to the bar and sample fresh cider, listen to old-timey music, and warm their hands at the pot-bellied stove. Mannequins included a saloon girl and mustachioed musician at the player piano. A restaurant featured apple dumplings while the gift shop sold all sorts of items including cider, apple butter, and apple blossom honey packaged in replica whiskey bottles. In 2004 plans were made to remove the orchard and replace it with a subdivision. A new owner keeps Apple Town going from summer through early fall.

Roadside Attractions

Wishing Well Café, Highway 71, Fayetteville (Washington County), about 1940. Green, photographer. Ray Hanley Collection (S-95-123-13)

Castle Tourist Court’s cabins were built on the north side of town in the early1930s, behind a drive-through gas station outfitted with fanciful towers. Burt & Mamie Cottwell bought the motor court sometime around 1940 and began making improvements, including adding rock veneer to the cabins to attract tourists. They turned the gas station into a café. A 1942 ad boasted “comfortable and attractive rooms” featuring “radio, tile baths, and…the best beds obtainable.” The cabins rented for $1.50 and up. The café had several owners over the years and featured plate lunches, hamburgers, steaks, trout, oysters, and chicken dinners made with Northwest Arkansas broilers. By 1967 the land was being cleared to make way for a car dealership.

Shiloh Museum of Ozark History

Wonderland Cave, Highway 71, Bella Vista (Benton County), 1950s. Carl Head and his sons standing outside the cave entrance. Alice C. Ruth Collection (S-91-34-14 & S-91-34-15)

Excavation work in then-named Big Cave began in 1929 under the direction of Clarence A. Linebarger, who had seen an underground nightclub in Paris and thought it was the very thing needed to boost attendance at his new resort. Renamed Wonderland, the cave featured electric lights, a wood dance floor, a refreshment stand, booths for seating, and a stage. The nightclub’s heyday was in the 1930s and 1940s, but the cave was always popular with visitors wanting to tour its depths. Linebarger claimed to have made over $1,000,000 on the cave over the years. When much of Bella Vista was sold to Cooper Communities in the early 1960s, the developer leased the cave for 20 years and replaced the old rock entrance with a new façade. In later years the cave was closed for a few years due to safety issues, it experienced a shortlived resurgence as a nightclub, it had seen its share of vandalism, and it was bought, foreclosed upon, and sold a time or two. In 1988 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today the cave is closed and in private hands.

Roadside Attractions

Shiloh Museum of Ozark History

Vernon’s Souvenir Shop, Highway 71, Springdale (Washington County), about 1948. Wilma Lacy Collection (S-98-163)

Pivot Rock, off Highway 62, Eureka Springs (Carroll County), 1961. Pat Donat, photographer. Northwest Arkansas Times Collection (NWAT Box 105, D61.7)

This limestone natural wonder has been popular with sightseers since the 1880s. At 20-feet wide at the top and 18-inches wide at the base, it was formed when the surrounding rock was eroded long ago. Nearby is Natural Bridge, another interesting rock formation made by erosion. Mr. & Mrs. Robert Bonner operated the attraction for 46 years before their daughter began running it in the mid 1980s. Pivot Rock and Natural Bridge are still open to the public, along with a gift shop.

Roadside Attractions

Vernon’s first opened in 1929 just north of Fayetteville, in the same stretch of road as another gift shop. It offered a huge assortment of merchandise including novelties, Gibson baskets, yard ornaments, windmills, stools and chairs, Niloak pottery, and beer, apple cider, Coca-Cola, and Arkansas wine. It closed in the early 1980s.

Shiloh Museum of Ozark History

Pano-Rama Point, Highway 62, between Gateway & Beaver (Carroll County), mid 1950s. Harry L. Hammond, photographer. Sharon Stiles Collection (S-91-72-5)

At one point called Wagner’s Panorama Point, this scenic overlook had coin-operated viewers available for visitors. In addition to offering tourist information, the gift shop sold glassware, souvenirs, baskets, native crafts, antiques, Ozark dolls, and Hummel figurines.

Roadside Attractions

Martin’s Hobby Shop, Highway 65, near Harrison (Boone County), 1960s.

Susan Young Collection (S-2011-124-2)

Owned by Paul & Ethel Martin from 1962 to about 1970, the front of the shop was made to look rustic with split-log signage and siding and porch posts made from the trunks of cedar trees. The look was designed to lure travelers and entice them to buy souvenirs, pottery, and native crafts such as bonnets, potholders, handbags, and figurines.

Shiloh Museum of Ozark History

Dinosaur World, off Highway 62, Beaver (Carroll County), September 1968. Springdale News Collection (SN 9-1969 #3)

In 1967 Ola Farwell began an ambitious project, “building it for the children of the Ozarks and the county, to give them something entertaining and educational.” He hired Emmet Sullivan, sculptor of the nearby Christ of the Ozarks statue, to create a number of dinosaurs, cavemen, and other prehistoric creatures on several acres near Beaver Dam. In 1972 the cost of admission was $1 for adults and 50 cents for children. Visitors could see a 22-feet-tall Tyrannosaurus Rex, a saber-toothed tiger, and cavemen hunting a bison, all made from reinforced concrete. The park fell on hard times in later years and closed. In 2010 it was listed as one of America’s “10 Most Endangered Roadside Places.” A 2011 fire destroyed much of the main visitor building. Roadside Attractions

City View Camp, Highway 65, Harrison (Boone County), about 1940. Lois Parks Stuck Collection (S-97-128-3)

This motor court with its “modern rustic log cabins” and kitchenettes was built in the 1930s by Frank & Fannie Lou Coffman and Layton & Angela Coffman. A popular place with honeymooners and travelers, the cabins offered a wonderful view of Harrison and “city water from a gushing Ozark stream.” Early prices were $1.50 for a single, $2.50 for a double. At one time a fortune teller worked out of cabin #5, causing local children pedaling by on their bicycles to ride past it quickly. By the mid 1980s a highrise condominium was built on the site.

Shiloh Museum of Ozark History

Quigley Castle, Highway 23, Eureka Springs (Carroll County), August 1981. Elise Quigley seated in armchair. Springdale News Collection (SN 8-1981 #3)

Elise Fiovanti loved nature and collected many rocks over the years. After her marriage to Albert Quigley, she designed a special house with numerous glass windows and an indoor plant atrium. Elise was so anxious to build her house that one day, when her husband was away, she and their children tore down their small home and moved into the chicken house. Albert began framing the house in 1943 and Elise spent several years cementing rocks, marbles, and other items to the exterior walls. The couple’s home was so unique that people began dropping by to look at it despite fences, gates, and signs. Eventually the Quigleys “accepted tourism for what it is” and officially opened up their home for tours in 1968. Today their granddaughter lives in the house and carries on the tradition.

Roadside Attractions

Shiloh Museum of Ozark History

Burns Gables, Highway 71, Mount Gayler (Crawford County), August 1941. Alice C. Ruth Collection (S-91-34-6)

Boston Mountain Reptile Garden, Highway 71, near Mountainburg (Crawford County), possibly 1970s. Betty Terrel, photographer. Bob Besom Collection (S-2011-114-30)

John and Lavada Burns saw a wonderful opportunity when Highway 71 was built in the early 1930s. Wanting to create a “garden of beauty” on top of the mountain, they built a manygabled building with a restaurant, hotel rooms, souvenir shop, and observation deck; out back were individual rock cottages. Burns Gables was popular with travelers. The family gardened and raised livestock for themselves and for their restaurant, which was famous for its fried chicken dinners. In 1952 the structure burned down. Daughter Mary Lou Osburn rebuilt it, remaking it into a modern, one-story building with a restaurant and souvenir shop. Tiring of the business, she locked the doors in 1979. In the late 1980s her son reopened the gift shop, sold refreshments, and began renovating the cabins. His death came just as Interstate 540 was under construction and traffic was moving off of the old highway. The building remains closed today. Roadside Attractions

The Reptile Garden featured lizards and snakes, both poisonous and non-poisonous. It boasted that it had the only view of the highest bridge on the Frisco Railroad. Tom McKinney of Fayetteville remembers that he and his siblings badgered their folks to stop for a visit in the early 1960s. They got their wish but were greatly disappointed because the snakes didn’t move much and the alligator was so sluggish that mice were making nests in its enclosure.

Shiloh Museum of Ozark History

Dogpatch USA, Highway 7, Marble Falls (Newton & Boone Counties), June 1968. Bob Edmiston, photographer. Springdale News Collection (SN 6-1968 #1)

Al Capp, creator of the “Li’l Abner” comic strip, was approached by a group of Boone County investors for permission to recreate his imaginary town of Dogpatch in the wilds of Arkansas. Opened to the public in 1968, the park featured buggy rides, a miniature railroad known as the West Po’k Chop Speshul, a trout farm, Ozark arts and crafts, 1800s-era log cabins, and various hillbilly characters. Over 300,000 people visited the first year. Adults were charged $1.50, children 75 cents. Soon after there was a change in leadership. New rides were added, a campsite developed, and other improvements made. But times were changing and Dogpatch went into debt. Several folks bought and sold the property over the years, but couldn’t compete against the nearby Silver Dollar City theme park and other attractions in Branson, Missouri. The park closed in 1993. Over the years vandals and souvenir hunters have taken their toll.

Roadside Attractions

Shiloh Museum of Ozark History

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