Pea Ridge Times

Historical books missing

- BY ANNETTE BEARD Times Editor abeard@nwaonline.com

GATEWAY — City records are missing according to Mayor David White.

“Records, old ledgers, historical stuff that went back to 1813,” White said of the books that were found, and then discovered missing, from City Hall.

Arkansas became a state June 15, 1836. There were 14,000 white settlers in Arkansas in 1819, according to Arkansas census records.

White’s wife, Terry White, a council member, said the records were “very crude ... everything was in one book. We’ve only read two books.”

The mayor said a city employee found a little box of books when he was cleaning up. Mrs. White said she read through one of the books that was from the 1930s.

“It had the first ordinance,” she said. “I still have it ... it was very crude bookkeepin­g. It had the minutes, ordinances, everything in it, like a note about the bank balance and a note that the mayor

said to do something.”

White has a book in his possession with records from 1954 to 1971. City attorney Joanne Mccracken has a book that is listed as Book 1 which contains records from Nov. 6, 1934, to December 1953. She said she was researchin­g the ordinances listed in the book.

Benton County Sheriff’s Capt. Hunter Petray said Mayor White had reported the books missing, but that there was apparently a two month lapse from when the books were initially found and when they were discovered missing. A report was made Monday, April 16, according to BCSO records.

Gateway Public Water Authority, which is not a city entity, rents an office from Gateway and shares the building with city officials, White said.

 ?? Times photograph by Annette Beard ?? Gateway Mayor David White shows two books found at Gateway Town Hall containing city records from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. Some old ledgers were reported missing.
Times photograph by Annette Beard Gateway Mayor David White shows two books found at Gateway Town Hall containing city records from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. Some old ledgers were reported missing.

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