John Freeman's Account of a Militia Raid- Civil War

 

 

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

Oak Hill Early Days

Little River News

March 7, 1934

OLD TIMER TELLS OF EARLY DAYS OF LITTLE COMMUNITY OF OAK HILL

By H.G. Chauncy

In 1877 my father, A.V. Chauncy, moved out from near Richmond to the neighborhood called Lick Creek, which is now known as Oak Hill neighborhood. 

At that time there were but few people who lived in that neighborhood.  They were Joe Perry, J.M. McCall, Purnel Challand, H.W. Hill, A.C. Patterson, E.S. Patterson, A.P. Patterson and their mother Mrs. Bettie Coble, a widow woman and her family, Joe Ruff, an old bachelor, A.M. Bishop, F.P. Freeman, John Henderson and Bob Campbell.

All of these people had little farms of fifteen to twenty acres.  They raised corn, potatoes, peas and all kinds of garden stuff and some cotton in those days.

There was no church nearer than Richmond and I think there was one little schoolhouse called Centerville.

The county was full of wild game, deer, turkey, wild cats, and wolves.  When the people wanted a fresh mess of meat they got together and went out and killed a deer, took his hide off and then divided the meat.

From 1877-1934 there is a great change.  In 1877 there was only one public road, known as the Richmond and Cotton Wood Schoals Road.  Now there are public roads leading in all directions.

Oak Hill has two churches, one schoolhouse and a wide spread of farming land. 

People no longer have access to a free range and there are laws, which forbid them from hunting at any time.  The community is now thickly settled and lots of good people live around Oak Hill.

Alleene Local News 1930

ALLEENE LOCALS

 Mr and Mrs Tom Whitney of New Boston TX were here on business Wed and
 Thurs.

John Woodson and Tommie Cox of Camden were visitors here Fri night enroute
 to Oklahoma City.

Misses Ruth Cope, Mamie Gifford and Carl Whiteman of DeQueen visited
 friends here Fri afternoon.

 Mr and Mrs Fred Wright of Ashdown were visitors in town Fri.

 Mr and Mrs J.R.(B?) King and Mrs J WJ Mast of Texarkansa were visitors
 here recently.

 Miss Merle Gillihan visited friends in Ashdown last week.

 JJ Seastrunk, EF Scarborough, CO Thompson and OL Seastrunk motored to
 Foreman Sat.

Mr and Mrs Russell Pierce spent the week end with relatives at Winthrop.

 Joe Norwood of Texarkana visited relatives here Sat.

 Mr and Mrs JN Honnell visited relatives in Lockesburg Tues.

 Mr and Mrs Tom Crawford and daughter Dorothy and Price Crawford and
daughter Lucille, Celia Patton, Leona Gillihan and CO Thompson attended
 the school program at Arden Fri night.

 Merlie Gillihan and Carl Whiteman of DeQueen attended the show at
 Texarkana Sun night.

 Henry Freeman of Foreman was in town Wed.

 Mrs Oather Carver and little son of Wallace spent the week end here with
 her parents, Mr and Mrs JD Seastrunk.

Mrs Sherd  Barrett of Ashdown spent the week end here with her sister,
 Mrs Charlie Scarborough.

Little River News
May 1930