Aug 15, 2024
Jul 5, 2021
Mar 10, 2021
Little River News Excerpts 1905, 1915, & 1923
The "Little River News" was established in 1898. The "Foreman Sun" was another newspaper in Little River County, and it consolidated with the "Little River News" on January 1, 1975.
Excerpts From the "Little River News"
Local News:
Homer Turner visited his parents at Nashville Sunday.
C.N. Thill left Tuesday for a business trip to St. Louis.
Mr. and Mrs. J.M. Sullivan visited Texarkana Sunday.
W.W. Bishop made a business trip to Texarkana on Monday.
Judge L.A. Byrne of Texarkana was in the city Wednesday.
Mrs. J.T. Cowling visited her parents in DeQueen last Friday.
W.F. Bridewell made a business trip to Idabel Wednesday.
A girl was born to Dr. and Mrs. McCombs of Millwood, last week.
Hon. Otis T. Wingo of Dequeen was in town Tuesday night.
Deputy Sheriff J.S. Bush made a trip to Texarkana on Tuesday.
C.S. Cobb left Wednesday for a business trip to points in the territory.
Mrs. N.C. Jones is visiting her son C.E. Jones at Winthrop this week.
Mrs. Nannie White returned home Sunday after spending the summer in New York and other points.
The following young people were hunting Wednesday night and succeeded in catching two o'possums: Misses May and Daisy Varley, Velma Hicks and Marion Post, and Messrs. Milligan, Gus Orton, Chas. Boarman, Chas. Bowles, Ed Stuart and Ben Nolan.
Little River County is to have a new 12,000 dollar courthouse. Citizens put up two thousand to add to 10,000 received for building.
The Ashdown Public School opened last Monday for a term of eight months of free school, with Prof. W.F. Burns of Arkadelphia as principal. Miss Nichols, of Virginia, is in charge of the intermediate grades, and Miss Sallie Collins, of this city, is in charge of the primary grades. The enrollment Monday was 110 pupils, but the number was increased by the end of the week.
Mrs. Dollarhide, wife of Judge J.S. Dollarhide deceased, died at her home at Rocky Comfort Monday at the age of 74 years. She was one of the oldest settlers of the county and her many friends will be grieved to learn of her death.
I.T. Winfrey, who is teaching school at Yellow Creek, near Saratoga, came over Friday and remained until Monday with home folks.
D.R. Fawcett has moved his store and family from Folmina to Ashdown and is now open and ready for business.
Bob Price, Ed Stuart, and Jeff Lott are hunting squirrels today.
Mike Allen, Henry Gist and Orus Leslie went hunting on Brushy Lake Tuesday evening.
Front Street Ashdown is now eight feet higher than originally.. The big sewer ditcher, which has been working on Front Street this week, has unearthed a large number of old culverts and bridge timber eight feet below the present surface of the street. Old residents say that this was formerly the street level and was at one time the site of a ravine. It was gradually built up, leaving the old crossties over, which the pioneers drove far below the surface. It is also stated that at that time the street west ran under the Kansas City Southern tracks, which were on a trestle.
Pipkin has been spending his vacation with his mother, Mrs. Marshall Pipkin. He returned to Gurdon Tuesday.
Luther Clark, Grady Von, Lonnie Pugh, Homer Chambers and Willard Lay, who have been working in the oil field of Louisiana, are spending the week with relatives and friends.
Miss Lon T. Jones, of Ashdown was in town Monday visiting her father *** Mosely, who has been quite ill.
Winfield Mills leaves the first of next week to attend Hendrix college.
W.A. Bowden received a broken leg Saturday when a tree fell upon him. Mr. Bowden and another man were cutting down the tree.
The School Improvement Association is arranging to purchase a moving picture machine and will put on shows at the school auditorium every Friday night when the machine arrives.
J.H. Embrey was at Foreman Monday.
Will Orton of Fulton was here Monday.
Dr. W.W. York was at Texarkana Monday.
W.W. Rayburn was at Lockesburg last week.
J.W. Everett of Horatio was in the city Monday.
Sam Dollarhide was here from Foreman Monday.
Gus McKean of Hope was here Monday morning.
Mrs. H.H. Hill is visiting relatives at Siloam Springs this week.
Judge and Mrs. Lon T. Jones were in Texarkana Saturday.
Mrs. Cora Millwee left Monday morning for a visit at Murfreesboro.
Hamilton Conger and Frank Blan spent Saturday and Sunday at Arkadelphia.
Ron Bryant is at Winthrop this week erecting a steel bridge over a creek near that place.
An old well in the middle of Front Street caved in Sunday night. Old settlers say the old well was filled up 14 years ago.
Mr and Mrs. Jim Buster of Ogden spent Saturday night and Sunday with the former's brother, Jess Buster and family of this place.
J.C. Stafford was in Ashdown Monday.
Mrs. P.M. Wood visited with relatives in AShdown Sunday.
Leslie Judd is very ill at this writing.
Jack Gorman is spending a few days in Ashdown with his friend, Wallace Dickenson.
Misses Amy Lee Gilbert and Marjorie Combs and John Crippens attended singing at Hopewell Sunday.
Mrs. R.P. Pasley and little daughter, Ivy Bell, are visiting relatives in Howe, Oklahoma.
A.N. Gilbert was looking after business in Ashdown Friday.
John Buster was a visitor in McNab Sunday.
Jess Buster is very low at this writing.
Miss Juanita Huggins went to Texarkana Thursday.
Mrs. J.T. Gish and children are visiting relatives in DeQueen this week.
Miss Zenobia Webb entertained the younger set Saturday evening.
Oscar Lewis made a business trip to Texarkana Saturday.
G.B. Moncrief of Alleene was here Sunday.
Mar 2, 2021
Flat Creek School
Flat Creek School
Submitted by Kenneth R. Seal
Flat Creek School, 1st to 6th grades, District 15 or 17, was located, between Alleene and Foreman, in Sec. 8 of T 12S, R 31W, east of Highway 108 near Flat Creek at the curve on the east side of LR165 (old Hwy 108).
The first classes were held in 1904, taught by Jesse Freeman. My Mother, Martha Miller Seal, was one of the first students attending classes in this small one room building. Some of the other students were her older brothers, Henry and Florence and a cousin William Frazier Wright.
I went to school there in 1934-1936 along with my brother Franklin, sister Betty Joy, cousins Lowell Frazier and Bobby Wright, and friends Vernon and Don Lock. There were others, but I don't remember their names. Teachers were Nellie Lumpkin, Myrtle Bowman & Grace Lock.
Martha Miller Seal was borned September 17, 1899 near Flat Creek in Little River County, Arkansas. Died August 20, 1991 in Houston, Texas. Excerpts from her autobiography that pertain to Flat Creek school are as follows:
"One morning we had three men visitors. Of course Mother and Dad knew that the men's business was to organize a school and church. After several hours of talking and planning, if was decided when and where it would be started. The glad day came at last. The building was funished----one room for school and church. I can barely remember our first services I was very young. However I remember very distinctly feeling God's presence. I was so happy!" "In 1904 the fifth child was born, a big fine boy named Riley. By this time Mother and Dad realized it was time to get Henry and Florence in school. There was no school house anywhere near. Soon afterwards some men came and made plans for the school I mentioned earlier. It was a one room structure made with lumber and was near our home. The benches were made from split logs with pegs for legs. The flat side was smoothed with a foot adz so our clothes wouldn't be snagged by the splinters. I was five years old when I started to school. A cousin, Jesse Freeman was my first teacher. He taught me how to write my ABC's, count, and even read in the first reader. He was a dear, good man. We didn't have nice desks as schools have today. We carried our lunches in a little syrup bucket. We didn't know what a sandwich was, but our lunches were always good."
No doubt two of the visitors Mother referred to were her Grandfather Richard Frazier Wright, and Uncle, Robert James "Bob" Wright. The school was built on land owned by the Wrights.
Copyright 2021
Kenneth Seal/Rayedene Graves
Additional Information~ from Tom Wyley Cleghorn
"I went to school there in 1934 when I was 5 years old. Nellie Lumpkins was the teacher. The kids I remember are:
Jr and Bobby Wright James, Eb and Louise Gorman Buster and Emma Laura Ripley; Margie Golden Bobby and Randolph Bivens Lesley and Berniece Cleghorn Louise Homes(she drowned in Little River at Anderson's Ferry) Some Knightens