1910's in Coal Hill, Arkansas

History of the Weathers Family & Coal Hill

Coal Hill, Johnson County, Arkansas

1910's History of the Weathers Family

In 1912, Charley ran a silent movie theater in town. He didn’t quit farming or mining, rather this was a side-line for extra money. This theater was located on the northwest corner of the same block as Ben Yates store is now. Music was played on the piano by use of rolls and someone pumping the pedals. The people of Coal Hill called this the

"Opry House". This building was a two-story building. The lodge hall was on the top floor and the theater was on the bottom floor. The theater had a stage down front. Often entertainers would come through and put on plays. Sometimes it took two evenings to put on a play. The high school put their plays on in this building also.

One night the movie projector broke down in the middle of a silent movie and they never showed again at this theater. I think Charley sold out his part before then. In 1914, Charley and his family started farming Vina’s land. Charley would work all summer on the farm, and go to the mines when they opened up in the fall. Nora, Celia, Claude,

Harold, and Woodrow would gather the crops. They raised cotton, sweet potatoes, potatoes, strawberries, sweet corn, and even some peaches during the years. One year they planted radishes on the whole block of block 10 and shipped them out on a train. They had to be packed in ice to keep them fresh. Charles was to young to work and so

he stayed home with Vina. She would tell him stories of the old days about Henry, Elizabeth, Tenny, and Joshua to keep him entertained. This is where we got many of the stories we have today.

This picture was taken in 1910 and was taken in front of the Wiening house. It is from left to right, Harold, Woodrow, and Claude Weathers.

This picture is of Harold and Claude "Ted" Weathers after a rabbit hunt in the snow. It was taken around 1918.

In 1914, when the crops were gathered, Charley took some of the money and bought a player piano. This piano stayed in the family until the 1960’s. In 1918, Claude quit school and started working in the mines. Claude got the nickname of Ted and most people of Coal Hill knew him as Ted Weathers. In March 1918, it came a 21-inch snow

in Coal Hill. This was the deepest snow I have ever heard of in town. The winters were very cold in the late teens and early twentys. They had a lot of snow every year.

Ted and Harold liked to go rabbit hunting when the snow was on. They could track the rabbis easily in the new fallen snow. Even in later years, every time it came a snow Ted would mention going rabbit hunting. All during these years the Weathers Family farmed the Bates farm. They started calling it the "Field" as in a field of cotton. From now it will be referred to as the field. Charley got a job bookkeeping for Henry West as his store. Henry West had first put in a store in 1878 and had rebuilt a bigger store. Ted was the oldest boy and a very strong lad, so he worked the horses and did the plowing.

Nora, Celia, Woodrow, and Harold did the hoeing. Charles stayed with Vina until he was old enough to help with the hoeing. The land they were farming wasn’t bottom land but it was good rich upland.

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