Looking Back

(Editor’s Note: This column looking back at St. Francis County’s history is featured each Friday on this Lifestyles page along with the week’s History Photo. The items included in this column were printed in previous editions of the Times-Herald.)

December 1953

Local Girl Burned-Martha Dooley, 14 year old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Dooley of Forrest City, is in serious condition at Roy Hospital here as a result of burns received in an accident at her home. The accident occurred at 9 o'clock yesterday morning when the chenille robe Miss Dooley was wearing became ignited from a Butane gas open heater. The flames immediately spread to her body and she was burned badly before the flames were extinguished by a blanket thrown around her. Hospital officials report that she suffered second and third degree burns over 60 per cent of her body. According to a report from the hospital today, Miss Dooley's condition is unchanged and was described as serious.

Helpful History-When Miss Margaret Rich, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Raleigh Rich of Forrest City, was a freshman at Hendrix College in 1940 she compiled and wrote a factual history of Forrest City, which today is of great assistance in the writing of the History of St. Francis County. Bob Chowning who is compiling and editing the Historical Review of Saint Francis County for the Daily Times-Herald, said today he hopes to have all the copy in the hands of the printer soon. Biographies of the county's best known men and women are being written daily as well as histories of the county's business establishments. Excerpts from the history of Forrest City as written by Miss Rich follow: "The idea of laying off an actual town (Forrest City) was conceived by Col.V.B. Izard, who was working with Gen. Nathan Beford Forrest (cutting through Crowley's Ridge) and on March 1,1869, they commissioned J.C. Hill, a surveyor, to lay off twenty blocks. A little later, Capt. F.M. Prewett, the first actual settler of the town and Col. Izard opened another store; and with the commissionary (erected by General Forrest to supply his workers) as a nucleus, the little settlement began to grow. Because of the number of workers living in Forrest's settlement, the farmers living in the nearby country saw the possibility of business and they came into the encampment more and more to sell their products. The mail for the camp was taken off the landing at Madison and sent to the little village of Mt. Vernon a few miles up on the Ridge. From there it was taken into "Forrest's City". This name soon came to be used regularly by the farmers and and soon it was made the official name of the tented village. Gradually the prosperous settlement of Mt. Vernon and others like it, were deserted and the population came to build their homes in Forrest City. After the railroad was completed in 1863, the trains which came through provided much better transportation than the settlers had had on the St. Francis River, so more and more people moved into the village. Only three years after the completion of the railroad, on May 11,1871, the little community of Forrest City was incorporated as a town. A democratic city government was immediately set up and by popular vote, J.C. Grogan was elected the first mayor. A few years later, the seat of justice of St. Francis County, which had been at Mt. Vernon then at Madison, was moved to Forrest City and this progressive little town became the permanent county seat. "Much of Forrest City's early progress was made possible by the great timber region which surrounded it. A lumber mill had been established at Madison for some time, so with all its wealth of excellent timber Forrest City became, for a time, chiefly a lumbering town. The lumber was sent to Madison and from there it was simple to ship in out on the river. The hardwood produced was of the finest quality and until virgin timber began to be cleared out, this was Forrest City's principal stepping stone to development. However, gradually, the best timber was cleared and the river became to choked with sand bars for large barges. A few years after the turn of the century, this great industry had been greatly reduced. Although some timber is still produced, the industry which gave Forrest City its start is now only a minor concern.

Wheatley Boy-James Gehring, Wheatley 4-H Club member and second place winner in the landscape improvement division of 4-H Clubs in Arkansas this year, has already begun on his next project. He plans to make a graft of his home grounds and then confer with L.H. Burton, extension horticulturist with headquarters at Fayetteville. James will then carry out the practices recommended by the horticulturist with emphasis on building an "outdoor living room". This will include chairs, tables, barbecue pit, etc. For his project this year James leveled the ground, planted grass, shrubs and flowers, prepared a cutting bed and grew 30 cuttings and 75 house plants with a flower bed 150 feet long and 6 feet wide. James, who is 12 years old and the son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Gehring, is not the only one in the active 4-H Club work. His sister Margaret, who is 14, has been a 4-H Club member for four years. Her current project is food preparation and home improvement. Paul, James' 18 year old brother has been active in 4-H Club work for the past eight years. His project for next year is the management of 350 acres of rice. Another sister, Mary Evelyn, was an outstanding 4-H Club member in the past, being active for eight years. She is now a dietician in Indianapolis.

Gave Tuni Its Name-Rodney Wylds, St. Francis County farmer and son of the late Dan Wylds who came to this county in 1821 to become one of the most valued citizens here, has turned in the following information about the naming of two communities in the county: Rawlison Community was named for a Mr. Mormus (?) Rawlison, an early settler in the community, which at one time had its own post office. Tuni Community got its unique name, according to the late Dan Wylds, when a drunken indian fell into a creek there and when asked what was the matter, replied, "I got Tuni." His name, as unique as his language, was supposed to have been Moonshine. The name itself should be ample evidence of the humor of our pioneer settlers.

Johnny Is Visitor-Johnny, nationally-known call boy for Phillips Morris cigarettes, is a Forrest City visitor today. Dressed in his typical red and white uniform, Johnny is appearing at local grocery stores. He will visit Burke's Food Mart, Big Star, Kroger's, Ford's and Watkins Cafe.

News Clippings To Be Included In Historical Review The old Crowley Ridge Institute, the first brick schoolhouse in the city, in 1894, is being razed this week. It was reported that when the building was erected, T.W. Barrow, a well known hardware dealer of the city at that time, placed a $20 gold piece in the cornerstone, but a search of the interior of the stone failed to reveal the coin, although much was found that revived old memories. Two copies of local newspapers, the Forrest City Times, dated 1893, a picture of Capt. James Fussell, wearing his Masonic apron, as worshipful master of the local lodge and who participated in the ceremonies incident to the laying of the corner stone, several coins, including a large copper cent and one two-and-a-half-cent piece were found. One of the old coins was dated 1823. Also, were found old pioneer firms, recalling the names of the leaders of a generation that is gone-such men as former Sheriff Bill Williams, L. Rollwage, J.W. Beck and others and the picture of an old store building, thought to be the original home of the Bank of Eastern Arkansas. "Carved on the surface of the old cornerstone were the names of the then school board:James Fussell, secretary; W.E. Williams, J.E. Stone. "Judge W.J. Lanier, present head of the Board of Education, states that the old cornerstone and its contents will be preserved in the archives in the modern new junior-senior high school which now stands as a monument to the growth and progress which this city has enjoyed during the past 40 years.