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Olmstead Funeral &
Historical Museum
"Reflections of Yesteryears"
108 South
Fourth Street
Heber
Springs, Cleburne County, Arkansas 72543
501-250-3890
Listed on the National Register December 13, 1995.
Note: If
the museum is not open, call Tom Olmstead at 501-250-3890, and
he will personally come give you a tour. He came over not five
minutes after we called him.
Thomas
Edward Olmstead
Thomas
Edward Olmstead started numerous businesses, served as mayor.
In 1896 Thomas Edward Olmstead founded T.E. Olmstead & Sons
which was a conglomerate of services and goods offered to the
community of Sugar Loaf (now Heber Springs). T.E.'s wife, Mary
Elizabeth (Tyler) worked with him. That business was composed of
a funeral service which did embalming and undertaking and had a
wooden horse-drawn hearse which was the "finest of its kind in
it's day," according to Tom Olmstead, T.E.'s grandson and
president of Olmstead Funeral Home, Inc. The building also
houses T.E.'s hardware store, the Heber (not Heber Springs) Post
Office and a livery stable. They sold building materials, paint,
wallpaper and furniture. When T.E. became mayor that facility
also became the mayor's office.
Thomas Edward had three sons, Cloyd E., Vern L. and Ralph W. who
worked at their father's business from very young ages. Cloyd's
wife was Douglas Gwendolyn (Smith), Vern was married to Helen J.
(Wilkerson) and Ralph's wife was Julia Carr (Phelps). Ralph
graduated from Worsham College of Embalming and Funeral
Directing at Chicago, Illinois in 1916. Upon graduation he
became Director of Funeral Affairs until T.E.'s death in 1923
when he assumed ownership of the family business.
Ralph and Vern established Olmstead Brothers Chevrolet Company
in 1921 as a result of the family's livery business. In 1941
that Chevrolet business closed due to World War II because there
were no automobile parts or workers or fuel available. Vern then
started to work for the government as head mechanic in defense
plants throughout the war. Vern later started another business
of his own.
In 1935 Ralph established the Olmstead Burial Association which
exists today and is still one of the strongest associations in
Arkansas according to Tom.
Ralph founded Olmstead Ambulance Service which served the entire
county and surrounding area. It provided both emergency and
transport ambulance services.
In 1957 Ralph became a stockholder in Memorial Insurance Company
of America, an Arkansas-based funeral insurance company. That
company is still in business and lists Olmstead Funeral Home as
one of the top three funeral companies in Arkansas.
Ralph's wife Julia (Phelps) worked with her husband in every
aspect of the funeral business. She was also a licensed funeral
director (just like Ralph and T.E.) and she and Ralph were not
only partners in marriage, but were partners in business.
Olmstead
Funeral & Historical Museum -
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