1870-1970 FORREST CITY CENTENNIAL BROCHURE COVER PAGE
CREATED JANUARY 5,2007-Updated February 15,2009.
INFORMATION FROM: Forrest City Centennial 1870-1970 Brochure printed by the Forrest City Times-Herald Publishing Company., Inc.
Robert Wadkins Peevey who moved to Forrest City after the Civil War. He was born January 8,1827, and died August 22,1906. Mr. Peevey was reportedly the first secretary of the Civil War Veterans Reunion which met at Stuart Springs every year. This picture was taken during the time that he served in the Arkansas House of Representatives, Rena Armstrong of Colt is his granddaughter.
MR.ROBERT WADKINS PEEVEY
Stephen F. Snowden was born in 1844 and moved to St.Francis County in 1869 and became a landowner and farmer. He was a well known Democrat and belonged to the Methodist Church, South, and was a member of the Knights of Honor. He was a relative of Mrs.Henry Lindauer, longtime resident of Forrest City.
MR.STEPHEN F.SNOWDEN
Forrest City civil engineer H.E. Schellhous shows the only known copy of the city's original plat to Mrs.Carroll C. Cannon, chairman of the Forrest City Centennial Committee. Mrs. Cannon is the great-great-granddaughter of John C. Hill, who did the original survey and plot of the 36 block city in 1869. Mr. Schellhous gave the plat to the centennial committee to be used during the 100th birthday ceremonies. Mrs. Cannon was named chairman of the celebration by the Chamber of Commerce and was later elected President of the Centennial Corporation.
MR.H.E.SCHELLHOUS
Miss Arkansas 1948-Van Louis McDaniel-Forrest City
1948 MISS ARKANSAS FROM FORREST CITY
The old Presbyterian Church stood on the east side of North Washington Street between Hill and Broadway.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BETWEEN HILL AND BROADWAY ON WASHINGTON STREET
This Boy Scout Troop was the first in Forrest City and was founded in 1910. The Scout House was located at Stuart Springs, and Seth Steele was the scout master. Pictured from left are:David Webb/Raiford Payne/Gerald Folbre/Joe Levy/James Oursler (holding flag)Thomas Gray/W.C.Oursler/Ned Mallory/Ralph Rollwage/Ollie Tankersley/Sam Yoffee/John Lanier/Henry Gray(holding flag) Marvin Norfleet/Seth Steele/Thomas Fondren/Tom Campbell/Forrest Bogart/Donald Gatling.
BOY SCOUTS
Hotel Marion built in 1895 was constructed near the railroad depot. With every growing and popular city, there was a large and plush hotel to host meetings and serve as resting places for travelers. Forrest City was by no means left out along this line, for it boasted one of the largest hotels in the area...The Marion Hotel. The hotel was first known as The Avery, then The Belser, The Forrest City Hotel, and finally The Marion. It was opened in 1886 and contained forty rooms and was four stories high. An older history book had this to say about The Marion. "The tables are bountifully supplied, and the bill of fare includes the best the market affords in the way of luxuries, Memphis being frequently called upon to supply the cullinary department with choice brands of dainty and digestible edibles."
HOTEL MARION
John T. Gadberry was born April 10,1897 in Moro, and lived his entire life in the Forrest City area. He has many descendants living in Forrest City.
MR.JOHN T. GADBERRY
Driving a cotton wagon is Jim Thompson, uncle of Marie Phillips of Forrest City. He is stopped in front of a building of A.L.Stevens' which is located on Vadakin Avenue. The building is now occupied by Walker Insurance and Carwile Cleaners.
JIM THOMPSON
John R. Brown came to Linden. (Now the Tom Buford place) in 1859. He owned and operated a cafe‚ in Forrest City and served as a deacon in the First Baptist Church. He was the grandfather of Mrs.O.W.Wyles.
MR.JOHN R.BROWN
This 1900 picture of the C.S.Tittle family and the Huffstuttler family.
TITTLE AND HUFFSTUTTLER FAMILIES
Fount and Mary Weeks Ursery are pictured by a house on the banks of the St.Francis River which was built about 1890 to stand the yearly overflow. They are the parents of Mrs.Ida Todd of Forrest City, great uncle of Lee Horton of Newcastle and great aunt of Claude Tittle of Forrest City, and aunt of the late R.R.Weeks.
URSERY FAMILY
Champs of the Eastern Arkansas League, were these members of the 1920 Forrest City baseball team:left to right, standing:Bugs Hinton/Pat Folbre/Ted Easterly/S.A.Rolfe, manager McBride/James R."Red" Scott/Sigler-Sitting:Frenchy/Herschel Bobo/Red Andrews/"Sunshine" Wilford Thompson/and Sweet Haven's luckpiece, C.N."Charlie" Haven in Front.
1920 EASTERN ARKANSAS LEAGUE BASEBALL CHAMPS
Dr.J.T.Brown was the son of John R. Brown. He graduated from what is now the University of Tennessee Medical School and came to Forrest City in 1886 to practice medicine. He lived here until his death at age 84. Mrs.O.W.Wyles, the former Willie A. Brown, is his daughter.
MR.J.T.BROWN
The Frying Pan Club of 1917 included F.W.DeRossitt/S.P.McDaniel/Ed Landvoight, the owner of the Forrest City Times, and J. M. Davis.
1917 FRYING PAN CLUB
Editor of the Crowley Ridge Chronicle, a weekly newspaper, was Charlie Izard who with his family was one of the leading founders and citizens of Forrest City. One of the city's main streets was named for the Izard family.
CHARLIE IZARD
The owner of the funeral home, Mr.A.L.Stevens, is on the left, and Dr.James S.Alley is holding the reins of the horse-drawn hearse. A.L.Stevens was the great-great grandfather of the late Stevie Stevens who along with Dr.Richard Spelzhous, were chairmen of the Centennial Spectacle!
FIRST FUNERAL IN 1897 BY STEVENS FUNERAL HOME
FCHS BUILT IN 1931, torn down and moved the High School classes to the old Junior High School built in the 1950's, making the new Junior High School right next to Division Street instead of being on rear of property!