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Page 8 FAYETTEVILLE (ARK.) DEMOCRAT Tuesday, July 3, 1928 |
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| Hoe-Downs and Reels Popular But "Huggin" Taboo in the Old Days -------**------- Between 1828-1838 card-playing was an amusement in this section and the men settlers who indulged knew where Troy Gordon's still was. Many evenings were spent in dancing in the big rooms of the "first families'" homes, or in the barn, or sometimes in the "town hall." "Hoe-downs" and "reels," square dances and minuets were popular. "None o'yer huggin' dances," one of the gray-haired compeers of one of the dancers of those days has written. Fiddle and Gourd Banjos Furnish Dance Tunes Dances were tripped lightly with touching of fingertips, and with bright eyes and jollity to the tune of of "Roarin' River" which some deft musicians drew from old violins, or, as the case might have been, old "fiddles," with their horsehair strings and bow, to the accompaniment of the gourd banjo with its home-made squirrel-skin head and horse- hairs. Debates Early Entertainment "We had debatin', sasisties, too," one old-timer declared, "bony-fide debatin'." Some of the debate subjects were: "Pursuit and Possession," "Art and Nature," "Which Would a Man Go Further for, Money or His Best Girl?" ------- **-------
First Court is Held
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How Our Forebears Made Their Meal For Corn Pones -------**------- One hundred years ago in Fayette-ville and vicinity when, according to "Uncle An" Fitzgerald of Spring- dale, writing of 1889, bear, deer, elk, buffalo, wolf, panther and wild-cats were one's next door neigh- bors and preyed upon themselves and early settlers, cornmeal hoe- cake was a prominent article of diet on every table. This is the way the meal was made, ingenuity entering into it, bringing about necessary perpetual motion without too much labor: Choosing a spring with a high opening, a forked stick was fastened before it. Balanced in the fork was a pole on one end of which was placed an inclined water trough which when filled by the flowing spring would raise the heavy pestle hung to the other end of the pole; the water at once being spilled, the trough would resume its position, and down went the pestle into the wooden mortar below, pounding whatever the mortar contained into fine powder. A half bushel or more of shelled corn placed in the mortar at night would be transformed intopalatable meal by sunrise. -------**------- First County Judge Named in 1830 Robert McCarney who came from Alabama was the first county judge of Washington county, being named when the court was created in 1830. He was later elected by the terri- torial council of 1831; to the Con- stitutional convention in 1836 and to the State Senate in 1836, 1844 and 1848, retiring in 1852. No records of this court, prior to 1835, could be found. The first county court after organization of the State government was held on January 1837. There were following as magis-trates: John Cureton, John G. Stout, James Owens, Booker Smith, John T. Edmiston (ancestor of Theo L. Edmiston, Jr., of Wash-ington, D. C., formerly editor of the Arkansas Traveler), L. C. Blake-more, Thomas Wilson, John Robin-son, Lorenzo D. Pollock, Nathaniel Burdire, Samuel Wilson, John Campbell and John D. Moore. John Cureton was elected judge; B. H. Smithson, clerk and Lucius C. Pleasants, sheriff. A new court house was built at a cost of over $5,000, Wm. K. Kincaid, contractor. In June 1854, J. H. Stirman, Alfred M. Wilson and Jonas M. Tibbett were appointed to let con- tract for a new court house. The building was completed at a cost of $6,900 April 1855, but was burned during the Civil War. In April, 1868 James H. Van Hoose and Thomas J. Pollard were named commiss- ioners of a fourth court house. Contract was let to Alexander Hendry for $22,500 and was completed two years later. October 1839 order was made for a new jail and $5,000 appropri-ated. Specifications called for "a build-ing of stone, 42 x 22 feet, 5 stories, the lower story to be a "dungeon and debtors' room," the upper to be jailor's residence. Dungeon walls were to be 42 inches thick, or rock in two layers with upright sawed timbers or round locust posts, six inches thick, between them. Contract was let to Matthew Leeper for $4,460 and the building was erected according to above specifications, old records state. Archibald Yell was named to superintend its construction. The present Court house is the fifth erected during the century. |
First
Elections; Whigs, Democrats Leading Parties -------**------- Fayetteville and Washington Coun- ty always have been strongly Dem- ocratic. In their early history both had some able Whig party leaders and through their superior ability frequently were able to secure an election to some legislative or judi- cial office. In 1836 and again in 1838 the Democrats elected solid delega-tions to the Legislature. But in 1840, David Walker, a Whig leader, was elected to the Senate, and two of her representatives, W. D. Reagan and G. A. Pettigrew, were Whigs. In 1842 the failure of the State Bank further strengthened the Whigs and Mark Bean, another Whig leader, was elected to the Senate, while David Walker was held over. Two years later the Democrats regained their lost ground and held it until the opening of the Civil War and Beginning of Northern and Carpet Bag rule. First elections statistics obtainable however, date only from 1860. Among others, they included the names of J. M. Wilson, 718 votes, circuit judge; B. F. Boone 1194, Lafayette Gregg, Names Mitchell 1297; representatives; Z. M. Pettigrew 976, clerk of courts; Joseph Holcomb 833, treasurer. -------**------- In Goose Quill Days When Letters Were Rare Letters seldom were received by early Fayetteville settlers, but the advent of a missive was sign for the whole neighborhood to gather around the recipient and learn the news, usually read by the "Squire" of the community. When a document was to be written, it, too, was a neighborhood affair. Usually the Squire sharpened his goose-quill and dipping it in the oak-ball ink, became amanuensis for the neighborhood. No envelopes were used. The letter was folded with the blank page outside and sealed with seal-ing wax. There were no postage stamps. Postage was paid at the nearest postoffice or collected from the recipient at the receiving post-office. -------**------- First Ministers In Washington Co. Baptist, Presby'n First resident ministers of the Gospel in Washington County were the Rev. Misters Fisher, Poston and Holcomb, Baptists; Sexton, Covington and Harrell, Methodist; Carnahan, Blair and Buchanan, Cumberland Presbyterian. The first Sunday School in Washington County was organized 100 years ago this coming October (in October 1828) in Cane Hill by Rev. John Carnahan with 13 scholars. This school was kept up with slight intermissions for 50 years. Samuel Carnahan, son of the founder, was superintendent for 20 years during which time he was ab- sent only two Sabbaths. Rev. John Carnahan preached what is be-lieved to be the first Protestant sermon ever preached in Arkansas at Crystal Hill in the year 1812. -------**------- Original Copy of Lorena on Display at Museum A hand-etched copy of the entire sheet-music of "Lorena," song of the Civil War period and made by the late H. M. Stringfellow of Fay- etteville is on display at Centennial Museum. Sheet music could not be bought during the Civil War in the South, even for $25 a song. Mr. Stringfellow etched the sheet music for his sweetheart, Alice Johnston, whom he afterward married. -------**------- Brandy flowed in "the old days" even on the steps of the court house. |
Sound of the Horn Evening Roll-Call for First Settlers -------**------- White River Valley including Fay- etteville and Prairie Grove, has in physical features undergone a deci- ded change in the last 100 years. When the pioneers first made the section their home there were large areas of prairie which are now timber lands. The site of Fayetteville and sever- al surrounding elevations, as well as intervening valleys, were covered with a luxuriant growth of grasses which afforded pasturage for buffaloes and other herbivorous animals. The following account of wild animals, which applied to the whole country but which referred espec- ially to Prairie Grove and Fayette- ville, was written by Colonel James P. Neal, an early settler: "My first acquaintance with the White River Valley was in 1829. The buffalo herds then had receded some 15 or 20 miles to the north- west. But their paths were every- where, leading from one lick to another, their heads scattered over the prairies, one perhaps to every three acres of land. These licks were depressions filled with brack- ish water. In summer, when dry, they were resorts of buffalo for the salt with which the earth was saturated. They later afforded salt for stock for many years. "In these early days hunters cap- tured buffalo calves and tried to domesticate them but they invaria-bly died. In that day buffalo skins were used for door-mats, hearth rugs, mattresses, bed-covers, and saddle blankets. "Once while out hunting, Thomas Wagnon, an old timer, is said to have wrapped himself in a green buffalo hide, arms, hand and all, for warmth. In the morning the hide had frozen stiff and would not un- roll.When found, Wagnon was near dead. "Panthers were here, although not numerous. "Captain Mark Bean often re-lated his panther experiences, however. "Once he was on the snow look- ing for deer when he came upon panther tracks. He followed the trail an hour or more, when passing under a large post-oak tree near here he looked up, saw a panther crouched on a limb12 feet above his head, watching him and ready to spring. With an effort he sup-pressed a scream. Said he:"My hair stood straight up. I walked on a step or so, adjusting my hunting knife, turned, pulled my gun, fired. The animal made a leap, screamed and fell dead at my feet.' "'Bear were numerous,' Col. Neal continues. "The wolf, great derpre- dator on small stock. About dark each night they would howl in four or five directions. The first howls were piteous and doleful, making the widely separated households more lonely. One or two at differ- ent points at first, then others would join until the packs drew nearer and the voices increased to 40 or 50. The noise increased until it was an indescribable medley of whining, yelping, yelling, howling, discordant sound. This would stop for a few minutes, only to be repeated, this performance going on for about two hours. "With the first pack howl every family would begin to blow a horn, usually made from ox-horn. This sound would put the dogs to how-ling, which served to keep the wolves in their hiding places. "The hour of horn blowing soon became an evening rite with sett- lers. It was an evening roll-call. If any member of the family failed to join the family circle or any home failed to sound its horn, messengers were sent out to find them, or to call at the door of the silent house to inquire if all were home and all were well." |
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