RECOLLECTIONS

50 Years Ago Pea Ridge Graphic Vol. 3 No. 36 Thursday, Sept. 5, 1968

The thing about living in Pea Ridge is that one is so close to pioneer and Civil War history — as close, in fact, a many of the folks with whom you find a minute to chat. Like the other day, Buck Hall was telling this intriguing story about his great-grandfather, John Payton Hall, who settled in this area about 1834. He left his farm home one day, about 15 or 20 years before the Civil War, and started to go see about some of his cattle. That was the last that anyone heard of him for 30 or 40 years — then a dying man in that vicinity over across the Missouri line confessed on his death bed that he had killed Hall that day he disappeared. He told those around him where he dumped the body in a hole. Sure enough, when the spot was dug into, it revealed parts of Hall’s saddle and spurs, as well as some human bones.

They had an old-fashioned goose-picking one day last week down at Utah Smith’s Zoo. Some of Utah’s 25 geese were picked by a couple of local art hobbyists for feathers with which to make pictures they’ll be entering in the War Eagle Arts and Crafts Fair in October. One of the geese tried to have a people-picking during the project, and finding no feathers where his bill struck, he took a hunk of flesh.

Governor Win Rockefeller had a wonderful day at Winthrop. “One of the most exciting and rewarding days of my life. Any time more than 7,000 Arkansans converge from all over the state on one community by train, bus, automobile and aircraft then you can bet it took some planning. I’ll be forever grateful to the many people who did that planning, and who worked so hard to make the day such a memorable success.”

40 Years Ago Pea Ridge Graphic-Scene Vol. 13 No. 36 Wednesday, Sept. 6, 1978

For residents of Pea Ridge, the best news to develop from the political forum last Thursday in Rogers came during an interview with Senator Jim Caldwell — news on the paving of Arkansas Highway 265. Sen. Caldwell told the Graphic-Scene’s Howell Medders and Jack Beisner that he has “assurances” that the highway will be paved and that bids for the paving will probably be advertised

in January 1979. He explained that he had been working for some time to obtain this assurance and is now confident he can report he has it from highway officials.

The drive to raise a $1,000 in contributions, to be matched by Uncle Blackhawk, has passed the halfway mark, Mrs. Bobbie Carter reports for the Blackhawk Booster Club. As of Friday’s game, Mrs. Carter reported receipt of an additional $70 bringing the total to $535, on the way to the $1,000 goal to be reached and matched. Every dollar donated to the Booster Club will be matched by Uncle Blackhawk, an anonymous supporter who challenged the club with the offer. The funds collected will be used to pay off the remainder of the debt on the bleachers and provide funds for other Booster Club projects during this school year.

Statistically, the game was about even, but the score read 7-0 with the Lincoln Wolves taking the victory back home and the Blackhawks left licking their wounded egos. Pea Ridge coach Ray Hoback put it this way to those at the men’s prayer breakfast Saturday morning at the Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church: “Lincoln was a vastly improved ball club from what they were last season and we just weren’t up for them. This loss is probably one of the best things that could happen to us, a nonconference loss to wake us up and get us ready for conference play and for winning.”

30 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 23 No. 36 Thursday, Sept. 8, 1988

Hinton Realty will move into the Day Service Station building in downtown Pea Ridge within a week or two, broker Mark Hinton said last week. The rock building, built in 1930 by professional baseball player Clyde “Pea Ridge” Day, will be remodeled to accommodate the business, Hinton said. He said that at that time, he will likely add two offices to the west side of the building. Hinton said the building is now owned by Charles Day, son of the man who built it. The structure was used as a service station for most of its existence. He said, “We are going to go in and probably remodel the inside for office spaces and dress up the outside, but not change the building structurally.”

Nearby communities have been successful at luring new and diverse industry which create new jobs. Existing industry and businesses are expanding also, and are creating new jobs, the kinds of jobs that, for the most part, are less vulnerable to the vagaries of a sometimes soft national economy. Pea Ridge and the surrounding area are being affected by this growth. The population is growing. More will discover this peaceful community, and, perhaps sooner than we think, the growth and potential for growth will be more obvious. In less than a year, Ark. Hwy. 265 will be paved making it a more convenient avenue to and from points in Missouri through Pea Ridge. In a little more than a year, U.S. Hwy. 71 will meet Ark. Hwy. 72 a few miles to the southwest of Pea Ridge. The potential, as a result, is unlimited.

Tim Small, tailback for the Pea Ridge Blackhawks, says he sometimes gets goose bumps when he makes a good play. The goose bumps do not occur because he made a good play, but because of the reaction of the fans, if there are enough of them. “It fires you up and gives you incentive. You know that you really play better if you have full stands, because you know they are more about you.” Despite a torrential rain through virtually the entire game at the Pea Bowl, Small heard the cheers of a drenched but respectable crowd as he crossed the goal line twice in the Blackhawks’ 14-8 victory.

20 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 33 No. 36 Thursday, Sept. 10, 1998

Voters in the Pea Ridge School District will go to the polls next Tuesday to decide whether there will be a new Pea Ridge High School building and who of two candidates will serve on the school board for the next five years. The candidates are Ron Mullikin and Stan Sunderman. Voters are also being asked to approve a 3.8 mill increase in property taxes to pay for the new high school. Last year, they turned down a request for 6.6 mills for a new high school. School superintendent Roy Norvell said, “That thing over there is antiquated. It was designed for a lot fewer students than we have over there now, almost 300 students … Today, the high school is 292 students and in two years it’ll be 330, based on present enrollment and not counting any new students.” If the vote next Tuesday is favorable, it will still be two years before a new facility can accept students. We urge you to go to the polls next Tuesday and vote in favor of the increased millage. It’s time to get the job done.

There will be several contested races for area municipal office on the Nov. 3 ballot. Qualifying ended last Friday at noon. In Pea Ridge, Boyd McNiel will try to unseat incumbent alderman Rick Webb for Ward 2, Position 1. Incumbents Jim Dawson, John Easley and John Erwin are unopposed. Mayor Jackie Crabtree is also unopposed for re-election.

Pea Ridge residents will participate in a statewide effort Sept. 15 to show support for school, children and teenagers through simultaneous prayer walks at 7 p.m. The prayer event, named “Campus PrayerWalk ’98,” is designed to mobilize the prayer support of parents, grandparents and other adults for schools and their students. An organizer said, “Many times people feel helpless when things like the Jonesboro school tragedy strikes, but prayer is something every citizen in Arkansas can participate in.”

10 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 43 No. 36 Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008

Correcting a long-standing problem, Pea Ridge Planning Commission members approved a rezoning from A-1 (agricultural) to R-1 (residential) for Deer Meadows at their regular meeting Tuesday, Sept. 2. Despite the lack of a representative for the petitioner, planners approved the request for Deer Meadows which was overlooked when the land was annexed years ago. “We dropped the ball,” Townsend said. “It should have been done when it was annexed.” In other business, planners approved several changes to the large scale development ordinance and reworded the check list for large scale developments.

This year it will cost about 3 percent more

than last year to operate schools in Pea Ridge, according to school superintendent Mike Van Dyke. With few comments, the School Board passed the budget for 2008-09 school year. Teachers’ salaries and the building fund are the two largest expenditures. Teacher salaries will cost just over $4,800,000 and the building fund expenditures are over $7 million. The district will also spend about $814,000 on debt service. By refinancing a $5 million bond with First Security, the district will save about $45,000 this year. The board also heard about the staterequired Arkansas Consolidated School Improvement Plan (ACSIP) at the planning meeting.

Water tower on tap — consideration of a rezoning approved by the Planning Commission is on the City Council agenda for next week’s meeting set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16, in City Hall. Other items on the agenda include: ad valorem taxes for 2009; contract with Waymack Observation for Weston Street; contract with CEI for Weston Street; Weston Street project; bid for the 500,000-gallon water tower; and new water sewer line project.