Sharp County History (continued from page 9) Ozarka College built a campus in Ash Flat and provides affordable, accessible college-level education locally. Ash Flat was chosen to be the home of the American Veterans Memorial which was built in 2006 to honor veterans of wars US forces have fought in. Evening Shade is probably the County’s best known town because of a sit com based loosely on the town of Evening Shade. The show had an all-star cast led by Burt Reynolds, and ran for four seasons in the 90s, but left a lasting impression on Evening Shade. The Old Independence Regional Museum in Batesville (in Independence County) maintains Sharp County’s history as well as the other twelve counties that origionally made up Independence County. Our local Sharp County libraries have good collections of information on each area and many older residents accurately remember verbal histories passed down from earlier generations of their families. You never know what you’ll discover when you journey to Sharp County!
Williford
(Latitude: 36°15’10”N, Longitude 091°21’21”W) Population: 75 • Incorporated: December 8, 1914 • Area: 0.3 square miles. In 1841 Jeremiah Pitt Baird built a homestead on the Spring River. Ambrose Williford moved to the area and became influential as the town grew. During the civil war, many of the town’s men joined Confederate forces, and two skirmishes were fought in the area in 1864 (Martin’s Creek, 1/7 and Morgan’s Mill, 2/9). A local home guard force was formed to protect the area from marauders during this time. J.J. Belamy, was one of the first teachers in Williford’s one-room log schoolhouse that was built in the 1870s, and he moved on to become speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives. In 1909, he proposed the legislation that gave life to the four state agricultural colleges. The Depression-era Works Progress Administration completed a school building in Williford in1941. David Mullins (Superintendent during 1932–1935) later became president of the University of Arkansas (UA) in Fayetteville. People were excited and moving to town when plans for the railroad were announced and a line was completed in 1883 to run between Memphis (TN) and Springfield (MO). On October 1, 1883, people came from miles around
Capone’S
to watch the first train come through. The population of approximately 275 enjoyed the conveniences of living in a commerce center with passenger and freight transportation running through town. Greenville sprung up when a little fourteen-house work camp was built to support workers for a limestone quarry which had moved operations. The houses were all painted green. Stone was cut and shipped, enough to fill forty to fifty railroad cars each day, and the economy prospered. By 1890, the town had grown to include a doctor’s office, a one-room schoolhouse, three general stores, a post office, a blacksmith shop, a cotton gin and a saloon. By 1900, the population had doubled. A steel frame bridge was constructed across the Spring River in 1907, and increased opportunities for mobility stimulated growth. Williford Methodist church (listed in the National Register of Historic Places) was constructed in 1910. The Sharp County Bank was established by 1911. A ten-room hotel was opened in 1912, and on December 8, 1914, the town was incorporated. In 1915, floods ravaged town and the bridge over the river was washed out. It was rebuilt. By the mid ‘20s, twenty-five businesses (Continued on page 38-- See Williford)
Auto Repair
Owners : Nathan and Jennifer Rackmyer
Call us for all your repair needs. Nate: 815-712-1309
Jon Jon: 870-847-5311
251 Hwy 62/412, Ash Flat, AR 72513
We’re located inside Dillard & Dillard Motor Company
Terry Dillard
251 Hwy 62/412 (870) 256-3340 Ash Flat, AR 72513
(870) 994-7337
Spring River Area Chamber of Commerce 2013 Guide 34
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For more info: www.SRACC.com
(870) 856-3210