What's New in 2008 What's New Archives     December 31, 2008       December 30, 2008 Steven Jones sent me a link for the Mountain Valley Spring Water Company based out of Hot Springs, Arkansas.  They have been in business since 1871.  Their history page contains a few cool vintage pictures of the Mountain Valley trucks.  The water was originally sold at Lockett's Spring Water.  It would be great if one of my readers turned up with some vintage bottle pictures.  ;)  Thanks Steven!   Mountain Valley Spring Water - Bottled Water Company     December 29, 2008   Lately I have been thinking about companies that are based in Arkansas.  One old-timer that I love is the Yarnell Ice Cream company based out of Searcy, White County, Arkansas.   If you have a community event going on,  they also consider donations.  You can fill out the form for that here: http://www.yarnells.com/IceCreamRequestForm.pdf     December 24, 2008   To all of my friends & family, please have a safe Merry Christmas & may God bless you all!       December 22, 2008   A look back on Christmas:  Christmas in Little Rock  Christmas in Benton  Christmas in Searcy     December 17, 2008 Added  an old advertisement for Fordyce (Dallas County) - 1919  advertisement for the Ben D. Schaad Machinery Company in Little Rock & finally  an ad for the Agricultural School at Monticello, where room, board AND medical attention can be had for $15.00 a month.       December 16, 2008 Mr. David Gschwend was kind enough to go back over and help me add some lost names & information to my transcription of Schaffhauser Cemetery in Phillips County.  Thanks David!   December 14, 2008 Added a few things from a recent trip to Kansas City, Missouri.  I have to say Kansas City was a pleasant surprise.  For the size of it, it is a beautiful town with sculptures and art work everywhere! Ben Franklin Sculpture World War I Memorial & Museum | One | Two | Three | Four | Five also added an old ad for Hendrix College in Conway.     December 10, 2008 Want to wish my friend Pat Anthony a very Happy Birthday!   December 8, 2008 Added the following:  Mr. Ginocchio sent me some of his photographs of the Covered Bridge in Burns Park - North Little Rock.  He also sent photographs of the North Little Rock Rialto and Liberty Theatres.  Thanks Alan!  1919 look at Alma in Crawford County...excellent place to ship the 'coon & possum dogs.   December 1, 2008 I know that I am a little behind in my work.  I have had a wisdom tooth aggravating me for the past month and will have it cut out Wednesday.  At this point...that sounds great, I just want it out! Cross your fingers, I should be back to normal by this weekend. - Pris November 26, 2008 To all my friends, family & supporters!     November 23, 2008 Added a 1919 look at Craighead County and found it interesting that they had the Y.M.C.A. listed as a valuable resource for sex education.  1919....I can only imagine what kind of education that was! Arkansas Trivia: First "Mule" Cars Made Appearance on City Streets in 1876 - The first "Mule" cars made their appearance on the streets of Little Rock in 1876.  Later the City Electric Street Railway Company obtained a charter permitting it to use electric or steam power.  The track was laid from Second and Louisiana streets to the southwestern part of the city.  Two small locomotives were purchased and the line put into operation July 4, 1888.  The locomotives each drew one or two cars as occasion demanded, and the round trip required an hour.  The company went bankrupt in 1895 and that's when electric cars began to appear.     November 22, 2008 Arkansas Trivia: Hid Gold in Buggy - William McIlroy, one of the first bankers at Fayetteville, left $30,000 in gold hidden under the seat of a broken-down buggy on a mountain road in the Boston range in northwest Arkansas for nearly ten days before he returned to get it.  He was moving it from his store in town to his brother's farm at the outbreak of the Civil War when occupation of Fayetteville by Federal troops was imminent.     November 21, 2008 Added some pics that I took over on Petit Jean in Conway County.  Hardison Hall  Overlook  Rock House Cave  Turtle Rocks Small article & ad on:  Elias Rector  Ouachita College  Palace Theatre in Little Rock Arkansas Trivia: Taps from Hilltop - Scout C.L. Von Berg, veteran of the Indians wars and a Western scout during the days of General Custer, and personal friend of Buffalo Bill, blew taps every night at 9 o'clock, rain or shine, at his home on the shoulder of Mt. Sequoyah, Fayetteville, until his death in 1918 at the age of 85.   November 20, 2008 Added a short write-up on the  history of Washington in Hempstead County  Major Isaac Watkins, husband of Maria (Toncray) Watkins  promotional literature for the Massard Prairie Battlefield.  brochure explaining the history and symbolism of the North Little Rock murals located at the river. Arkansas State Flag Protocol Trivia tidbit: Gen. Zachary Taylor Eluded Committee on Visit to Little Rock. Gen. Zachary Taylor arrived in Little Rock in the summer of 1841, on board the steam “Artizan,” en route to Fort Smith to relieve General Arbuckle, who had been ordered to New Orleans.  A committee of prominent citizens went down to the wharf to greet him, but found he had walked uptown, unaccompanied and unannounced, in civilian clothes, to visit old friend Nicholas Peay, proprietor of Little Rocks principal hotel.   November 19, 2008 Re-arranged the MacArthur Park (Little Rock Arsenal - City Park) pages and added pictures of my inside tour.  I still need to go back there, my photographs of the David O. Dodd stained glass did not come out and that was the entire reason I went.  The tour of the Museum is totally free making it one of the best things to see and do in Little Rock.  On another note, Google has come out with a new web browser called Chrome.  Normally I wouldn't even mention this but I love it! Simplicity without all the garbage to slow it down.  You can get it here:  http://www.google.com/   November 18, 2008 The AGS has a couple of new books out on cemeteries and obituaries for Columbia County, Arkansas. November 17, 2008 Added the following from Jackson County:  Arkansas National Bank  Christian Church  Elks Club  Episcopal Church  First Methodist Church  First National Bank  Newport - 1919 Old photograph of the Old State House.   November 16, 2008 Added to drawings of Little Rock...one for 1836 and one during the Civil War. November 15, 2008 Added the following in Garland County:  Arkansas National Bank  Marquette Hotel  Moody Hotel Added an old article on Arkansas Revolutionary War Soldiers and have decided to start a list of soldiers.  Am I missing yours?   November 12, 2008 I must tell you and warn you now...old age must be setting in.  Several times here in the past month, I have worked on a project, completed it and went to add it to the website to find that I had already done it.  Oh, and I think I threw out my 1863 Civil War Chronicles I was transcribing.  Duh! Anyway...I have added the following:  Marmaduke - Walker Duel marker here in Little Rock.  Anheuser Busch Ice House in Van Buren  Van Buren Historic District  Citizens Bank One & Two  & more pictures of the Crawford County Bank and the Court House.   November 6, 2008 Added an old article on "Tonitown" in Washington County which I found interesting.  There is some variation on events with the "Sunnyside Plantation" in Chicot County article posted at the Arkansas Encyclopedia.  November 4, 2008 Regardless of who you want to vote for, please get out and exercise your right to vote today  :) November 2, 2008 Mr. Alberson in Maumelle reminded me about the old Memorial Hospital in North Little Rock.  Don't know why I didn't think of it but thankfully he did and I was able to get pictures before it was demolished.  It cost my mother $200 to have me back in 1967.  Were you born there? Added more articles for the Civil War in 1862 Arkansas.  Lots of trivia facts that I found interesting.  I think that pretty much wraps up 1862 so now I am on to 1863. I added some other stuff this morning but for the life of me, I can't remember what it was?  : Maybe it will come to me later.