eType Editor

eType Editor

  • Joined: December 14, 2022
  • Articles: 2079

Big Flat Buzz

Good morning and welcome back to winter! According to the forecast, we could be in for freezing rain and possible snow flurries. I am ready for the return of warm sunny days.

Railroad Strike

Rescheduling the January meeting of The Searcy County Historical Society will meet Friday, February 28, 2025, at 7:00 pm in Marshall’s First Christian Church. We canceled the January meeting because of cold weather. Now we will do the same program in February. The speaker will be Dr. Kenneth C. Barnes who will speak on the Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad Strike, 1921-1923. He has recently completed “Mob Rule in the Ozarks; the Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad Strike, 1921-1923” published by the University of Arkansas Press and he will have copies for sale. On January 15, 1923, an angry crowd assembled in Harrison, Arkansas, near the headquarters of the Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad, intent on quashing the strike of railroad employees that had dragged on for nearly two years. Supported by local officials, the mob terrorized strikers and sympathizers in Harrison and other towns along the M&NA line in the Ozark Mountains. This violence effectively ended one of the longest rail strikes in American history—the only one, in fact, ended by a mob uprising. In his new book Mob Rule in the Ozarks (University of Arkansas Press, 2024), historian Kenneth C. Barnes documents how the strike reflected some of the major economic concerns that preoccupied the United States in the wake of World War I and created a long-lasting rupture within Ozarks communities.

Searcy County Quilt Trail

Today we are featuring Trail #2, the Searcy County Quilt Trail which is in its 7th year. The trail was developed and is managed and sponsored by Searcy County Arkansas Chamber Of Commerce. Its development was spearheaded by chamber executive director Darryl Treat. The trail has 33 blocks that can be found spread across virtually every community in Searcy County. The Dogwood Blossom is found at Harriet at Dogwood Hills Guest Farm. The Oak and Reel is on an old barn between Morning Star and Harriet. An original design, Loafer’s Glory School, adorns the historic Morning Star one-room school. The Train Depot block is found at the St. Joe Depot Historical Museum, one of the few remaining depots on the long departed Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad. The Bob Russell quilt block just outside of Marshall memorializes Russell who entertained audiences with his trained horse act and helped found the local saddle club. Painted by Cindy Garmoe, a prolific contributor to the county’s quilt trail. Badges of the Buffalo block is found at the Buffalo River Historic Jail & Museum in Marshall. History buffs will enjoy the story behind the Arkansas Secession block found at the Veterans Hall at Marshall. The Bear’s Paw at Bear Creek Log Cabins north of Marshall and the Bear Tracking at the Oxley Store and Diner. More beautiful blocks are found at cycling and hiking destination Witts Springs, “coolest town in Arkansas” Gilbert, and the destination for foodies, Leslie.

Sustainable Growth for a Healthy Future

The Greater Searcy County Chamber of Commerce cordially invites you to the 11th Annual Chamber Banquet & Awards Ceremony on Thursday, 6 Mar at 6 pm at the Dr. Charles D. Daniel Civic Center, 515 Zack Road in Marshall! Please RSVP to 870-448-2557.

Zack News

Hello from Zack, hope you’re having a good week. It looks like Phil the groundhog saw his shadow predicting six more weeks of winter. I sure hope he’s wrong, I’ve got some tulips trying to come up.