D (USPS156-140) Vol. 131, Number 48 DeWitt, AR 72042 • 16 Pages • 2 Sections • 75 cents
AROUND THE COUNTY
eWitt High SchoolPowder Puff Game
Story and Photos on Page B1
Serving Arkansas k County, Arkansas k Since 1882 Thursday, November 28, 2013
Reliving The History of Arkansas Post
THANKSGIVING DAY FELLOWSHIP
Nichalis Chapel AME Church located on Maxwell and Dudley St. across from the Old Key School will have their annual Thanksgiving Day Fellowship. Come join in praises to God for His bountiful blessing. Service starts at 6 p.m. and please if you would bring one item for the food basket that will be given away at the end of service to someone who can use it.
DEWITT ATHLETIC BOOSTER CLUB
The DeWitt Athletic Booster Club will meet Monday, December 2 at 5:30 p.m. in the DeWitt High School Gym.
DEWITT COMMUNITY CHURCH
The DeWitt Community Church invites you to come help us celebrate our Pastor Eld McClinton and First Lady Margaret Trotter 3rd Anniversary Sunday, December 1, 2013 at 3:00 p.m. at the DeWitt Community Center off HWY 1/Whitehead DR. Be Blessed in the Lord and Thank you for attending. Dinner will be served immediately following the service.
GRAND PRAIRIE JOB CENTER
The Grand Prairie JOB Center ( 427 S. Maple St. Stuttgart) will be hosting an Open House Dec 4th from 3-5:30pm with a Ribbon Cutting at 3pm. GPJC has recently expanded and updated our building and would like to invite the public to stop by and see the improvements and learn more about what we do.
ABOVE: Cannon Crew: Clint Crater, Don Hubsch, Justin Walker, Dustin Danner standing at attention, waiting for orders to fire the cannon. BELOW: Joe Herron addressing the crowd to explain the use of the cannon in battle.
By LeeAnn Morgan Photos by LeeAnn Morgan On November 23, Arkansas Post National Park held its 19th Annual Ghosts of the Past, allowing visitors to take a walk through Arkansas History and experience firsthand snippets of every day life of the people that established what was once a major river port city. As visitors strolled along the pathway around the park, the “ghosts” acted out scenes of how men and women carried out their daily lives during a crucial time in Arkansas history, from exploration and settlement, battles during the Civil War, letters between a soldier/husband and wife, Post-Civil War celebrations, and the change in the course of the Arkansas River leading to the erosion of the
town of Arkansas Post and the fort. Previous year’s attendance ranged on average from 200-300 visitors. Because of the government shutdown, the event, which is typically held on the third Saturday of October, was moved to November, thereby making the night of the event dismally cold (39 degrees with a north wind of 10-20 mph), as well as the opening day of duck season, and the night of the pageants for the festival in Stuttgart. All of these factors played a part in bringing the attendance this year down to approximately 50 visitors. Decline in visitors did not hamper the spirits of the twenty-five volunteers and nine staff as they continued to recreate the stories and perform as if the crowds
were enormous. Visitors were greeted in the lobby by hospitable hostesses serving cookies, coffee, hot cider, and spiced tea. The staff showed great patience with the many questions asked of them and were very knowledgeable about the event. The Hubsch family has made this into a three-generation volunteer effort: Don Hubsch (cannon crew), his daughter Jane (park ranger/tour guide), and his grandson, Brittan Williams (soldier) have been volunteering at the events for many years. According to Joe Herron, the 20th Annual Ghosts of the Past in 2014 will be held on the 18th of October. Everyone should make plans to attend and be educated on the key role that Arkansas Post, in Arkansas County, played in Arkansas’ History.
ABOVE: Traders and Trappers - Tommy Peacock, Stacie Peacock, Hardy Peacock reenacting the buying and trading of essentials.BELOW: Post-Civil War celebrations of singing and dancing, lead by Della Jamison.
Dyan Bohnert reading actual letters from her ancestors that were from the Arkansas Post area.
DeWitt Era-Enterprise wishes you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving!