RECOLLECTIONS

50 Years Ago Pea Ridge Graphic Vol. 4 No. 3 Thursday, Jan. 16, 1969

Well, Pea Ridge’s judge has resigned — again! For the third time. Only this is the final resignation, according to Justice Judge Ernest Hileman. It went into effect yesterday, Jan. 15, and Pea Ridge now has a new judge appointed by Mayor Jack Musteen. He is C.R. McLaughlin, who had already been sworn in as justice of the peace here. However, Hileman’s resignation as the local judge will not affect his longstanding service here as a justice of the peace. He has been a JP here for 41 years. A lifelong citizen of Pea Ridge, Hileman resides on part of the place on which he was born. The place originally was known as the Hileman and Lee place, and has been in the family name since 1854.

The Arkansas-Missouri border between Benton and McDonald counties is not clearly drawn in the early-day histories of these wooded areas. Preacher John Givens settled near the border in 1855, coming from Tennessee. From his log cabin home he went everywhere preaching, teaching and organizing Baptist churches.

The Student Council of Pea Ridge High School is well under way for the year 1968-69, with the following officers: Mark Lasater, president; Reldon Bray, vice president; Linda Bell, secretary and treasurer; and Jim Brown, reporter. Mrs. Charles Phillips is the council sponsor. So far they have talked about ways to better relations between the students and teachers and have also been working on a school hand-book. When they are finished one will be handed out to each student. The hand-book will be used as a guide of regulations and rules of the school.

40 Years Ago Pea Ridge Graphic Scene Vol. 14 No. 3 Wednesday, Jan. 17, 1979

An ordinance to be considered and coming up for the first of three readings at next month’s regular Pea Ridge City Council meeting will be designed to cleanup the city’s appearance. The ordinance results from the unsightliness of areas along the main routes into and through the city, and along some of the streets. Complaints have been registered with individual councilmen and the mayor. Result — the ordinance will get its first reading at the next council meeting.

Ronald Foster, who lives just west of Pea Ridge, has filed to compete with Tony Fletcher, incumbent who announced previously he was filing for re-election, for a position on the board of education of Pea Ridge School District 109. The annual school elections in Arkansas will be held statewide March 13, according to an announcement Tuesday by Ben Stephens, Benton county school superintendent, who informed the Graphic Scene of Foster’s filing. Only one of five board members is elected each year.

Benton County and Pea Ridge lost an active participant in civic affairs last Wednesday when Coin Patton, 55, died in the Veterans hospital in Little Rock. Patton served the county as county judge from 1958 to 1962 and had been county treasurer the preceding six years. In recognition of his service to the county, county offices in Bentonville were closed during the hours of his funeral.

A car was stuck in the Graphic Scene parking lot Tuesday morning. The wheels would spin, but the car wouldn’t move. Two people tried pushing to help. No good. A pickup pulled in from the highway. The driver offered his help, took out a chain and hooked up to the car, pulled it out, unhooked and drove away. From the Graphic Scene to the unidentified driver, thanks, we appreciate your concern for your neighbor.

30 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 24 No. 3 Thursday, Jan. 19, 1989

City police are investigating the damage or destruction of at least 25 tombstones in Pea Ridge Cemetery. Marshal Kelly Wallace said he suspects the vandalism was the work of youngsters. He said he expects arrests. Most of the damage apparently occurred last weekend, said Cemetery Board Trustee Russell Walker. Walker said, “Some of it was a couple of weeks ago, maybe eight or 10 stones… It looks like they went through there and pushed in one direction, kind of walked through and pushed over those that were maybe a little bit loose already.” Walker estimated that if all 25 stones were replaced, the cost could be as much as $10,000.

Suzi Reed is not shy anymore. Ms. Reed, a business education graduate of the University of Arkansas, has been a teacher at Pea Ridge High School since 1985. Ms. Reed believes that her participation in Phi Beta Lambda, the collegiate version of the Future Business Leaders of America, helped her get her first job, one with an oil company. She said, “I worked as financial budget accountant for Harper Oil; I even have a couple of oil wells named after me.” However, “I decided that I’d rather be working with people rather than with numbers all of the time.” A highlight of Ms. Reed’s term as national treasurer was the occasion of a conversation with President Ronald Reagan. Her goal, she said, is to become a motivational speaker. “That’s quite a step for someone who was super shy in high school,” she said.

First Federal Savings Bank of Rogers has announced that it plans to relocate it Pea Ridge branch office at the end of March. “Our last official day of business operations from our Pea Ridge office will be Friday, March 31,” said First Federal president Richard K. Murphy. Murphy said that First Federal plans to relocate the branch in the northeast Arkansas area, and that while actively looking for a new branch office location, that location has yet to be determined. “All of our existing staff will be utilized although some job responsibilities may change.”

20 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 34 No. 3 Thursday, Jan. 21, 1999

The Stanford Achievement Test was recently given to the students at Pea Ridge Schools, and the results of that test were presented to the School Board this month. The state requires that no more than 30 percent of the students at any given school fall below 25 percent, and while only 24.4 percent of Pea Ridge students fall below that level, steps are being taken to target the trouble areas and give those students the help they need to lower the percentage. One hundred percent of students were

tested, and the scores will be used to determine the needs of students on an individual level.

The reorganized Pea Ridge Chamber of Commerce had a very successful first year and celebrated with a potluck dinner/ meeting for members Monday night. Kathleen Everett, chamber president, passed out brochures promoting Benton County and pointed out the different events listed in Pea Ridge. Everett also gave the members a look at the new chamber of commerce member signs. She said that she has had positive feedback about the new banners that have gone up all over town. Some say, “It’s like the town got a new hairdo, and just feels better about itself.”

When Billie Jines started that seven-year project of researching and writing the histories of onetime school districts of this county, she certainly would have missed some without volunteer help from Harold Shores. He started first grade in 1913 at the Prairie Chapel School. Two years later, it was consolidated into the Morning Star District. When I sent him a list of Prairie Chapel board members from 1887 to 1914, he was able to tell me something about most of them. For instance, “H.W. Gipple had 415 acres on (Ark. Hwy.) 112. It started one-half mile south of No. 12 Highway, 210 acres in apple orchards, five acres in peach orchard, four acres in grapes. It was one of the show places on the Cave Springs Road and was called ‘Appledale.’”

10 Years Ago The TIMES of Northeast Benton County Vol. 44 No. 3 Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009

A cornerstone of downtown Pea Ridge will soon be vacant when Village Hardware closes. The buildings on the southwest corner of the downtown intersection have housed a hardware store for more than four decades, with Village since 2006 and Easley’s Hardware for 43 years prior to that.” It’s just the economy,” said manager Angie Pratt, who grew up in Pea Ridge. “I’ve grown attached to our customers. Pea Ridge is a different kind of people. I’ll definitely miss them.” The Pea Ridge location will consolidate with a store in Bella Vista. “Due to the stagnant economy, as well as the close proximity to our Bella Vista Home Center, we have decided to consolidate the inventory at Pea Ridge and sell out of the larger retail space,” said Jody Latham, COO Cooper Building Materials.

Both a love of animals and the scientific processes propelled Lacy Hobbs into veterinary medicine. Hobbs is the newest vet at Oak View Animal Clinic. A native of Anderson, Mo., Hobbs graduated from McDonald County, Mo., High School the from Missouri State in Springfield, Mo., and University of Missouri in Columbia in May 2008. She began working in Pea Ridge in June 2008. Working in a small town allows more opportunities to become a part of the community and Pea Ridge is close to her home town.

Elected in November and sworn in just after the first of the year, John Anthony Cody joined the Pea Ridge City Council for its first meeting of the year. Currently water and street superintendent for Garfield, Cody has held that position for two and a half years. Prior to that, he was a water operator for Pea Ridge for about four years. “I think that I will be observant more in the first few months and try to get the knowledge of what is occurring,” Cody said. “Knowledge gathering is also going to be my agenda. Then after that, when I’m comfortable sitting in that chair, under that position that I was elected, when things come before us, and votes start being cast that I can make educated decisions, I’ll speak up.”