Advertising was big when this thing was published just as it is today.  We might even pass these things out as ad gifts if times hadn't changed.

Hotels were featured here.  In Little Rock, Arkansas check out the Grady Manning, The Marion, The Albert Pike and The Lafayette.

You youngsters give up?  I found this in a stack of old stuff and it brought back memories.  On the back of this advertisement, which is slick and attractive on the front, there is a very porous paper which was used to blot ink!! 

I hate to admit that I can remember when ball point pens were "discovered."  Before that you either used a pencil or an ink pen.  The ink pen could be the kind you dipped in an ink bottle or it could be a fountain pen.  Either way it had to be blotted.  These little conveniences were found everywhere.  Not too many are found today so perhaps this is a collectible!

Pioneer Village, a part of the White County Historical Society, held an open house today.  I attended.  It was delightful and brought back so many memories.  Here's the main house that is NOT for sale.

And here are few shots of the rooms inside it.

An amazing thing about this house was how many bed spaces it found.  There must have been enough bedspaces (can't call them rooms) for 5 or more kids to have a sleeping spot.  Here's a picture of one of the least favorable things from yesteryear....the out-house.  But who ever heard of a log out-house?

Pioneer Village is located on Higginson Street in Searcy Arkansas.  It contains a post office, general store, school house, blacksmith shop, a depot, smokehouse, barn and an old jailhouse in addition to this period house that is called the Gordon House.  It is an on-going project with members of the Master Gardeners taking care of the grounds. 

Today costumed members were greeting visitors and demonstrating crafts, arts, and everyday life from the past.  One lady had a fire going with a pot of stew cooking.  Walking through it, entering the buildings and visiting with the hosts made for a very enjoyable afternoon outing. 

Sobering old photos!  These pictures are sorta continuing the story we started a few days ago regarding the house on Arch Street in Searcy Arkansas that has been changed so much.

These are what we need when we are feeling as if times are awfully tough.  Blogging buddy Anita supplied these photos of possibly some of her relatives, definitely at her home on Arch Street in Searcy.

The question is whether this man is absolutely worn out from working, whether the car hit the tree, or whether he is just doing what he usually does everyday.  If he'd had air-conditioning and TVs as we have today, he'd not be doing the nap at this place!

Another question here.  Is she exasperated because of the man's behavior under the tree?  Is she just showing off her legs? 

I can remember hanging clothes on a clothes line.  If you had children and diapers it took a lot of hanging.  Once we got a clothes dryer and my husband made the observation that he sure missed the smell of sheets hung outside to dry and perhaps it would be nice to use a clothes line again I didn't speak to him for days!  And I said dirty words under my breath.

A new restaurant has opened at 2315 W Beebe Capps Expressway on the West side of Searcy Arkansas.  Lots of vehicles have been parked around it saying that Searcy is trying it out.  Searcy is great about going to a new restaurant and giving it a try.  Usually ONE try!  If the food is not excellent, that's it!  It's not going to be around very long.

I gave it a try the other day.  Here's what I liked best of all.  The decor will bowl you over when you walk in the door.  There are boats hanging from the ceiling, bicycles perched on dividers, old uniforms hanging from the ceiling.  It is like visiting a museum and stepping back in time.  You can feast your eyes on all the old stuff. 

And the one who provided the old stuff, free of charge and doing the work himself, is our very loved builder Steve Ghent who moves old houses and restores them, who respects and loves history.  He has collected these items throughout the years and used them to give atmosphere to this restaurant.

My friend and I had a very pleasant meal so the food is good at this new restaurant.  I hope it is here for a long time.  And if you see Steve Ghent tell him how much you enjoy his decorating this building.

The White County Historical Society has a collection of pictures on its website and they've said we can share them.  Here's a great one of the train depot in Letona, Arkansas. 

Letona is about 15 miles from Searcy and has 215 residents at this time. 

We're exploring how the trains went to every little town and below is a picture of the Letona depot.  But first we we found this picture of a young woman named Corrine Harrison Hart at about 1924 sitting at the depot.  Corrine is Anita's mother.   Anita is a contributor to this blog.  Anita, do you think the man in the background is ogling your mother?

I love the depot picture because of the houses in the background.  Letona, if you visit, still has a lot of houses with large lots.  I'd have to go back to see if any of these are still standing.

One very interesting thing I discovered about Letona this year is that if you live in city limits you have to go to the post office to get your mail.  I sold a house in Letona and the people were surprised, as was I, that the mail didn't run to the houses in the city.  That would be good exercise if you walked to the post office each day.

Halloween parties are fun!  The elaborate costumes that some folks buy or rent are amazing to see.  We attended one last night and the star of the show could be this butler.  He talks, he growls, his eyes shift and he makes you feels as if he is alive!!  Or could come alive!!  Or may be alive!  After all, it was Halloween when spooks run free.  Those eyes followed me all night long.

The guy on the left owns this spook and that guy on the right is the owner's twin! 

And the couple on the right************************

*******************we were underdressed! 

Formal gardens still exist in parts of the world, I'm sure.  But in Searcy Arkansas I see only one example of what I think of as formal.  This house is on the Historic Register and has a vast history.  One of the stories that I heard was that the lovely wood shades which show on the windows here had been thrown away once.  The neighbors hauled them out of the trash and saved them until a person bought the house who would appreciate them and then they gave them back.

The yard, let's say garden, is always perfectly maintained just as you see in these pictures.  This is not new landscaping.  The little shrubs have been small for years.  I assume that they are a type plant that does not grow large.  The owner seems to maintain the garden himself because I see him out in the garden a lot.  I hope he does not mind that I'm featuring his historic home and garden on this blog.

This house also was featured in a book published in 1993 called "Millicent, the Millicent Collinsworth Story" by Millicent Collinsworth and Jan Winebrenner.  I looked on Amazon.com and didn't find it available so perhaps my copy is a collectible!! 

My blog on West Point Arkansas aroused a little interest in old depots in the tiniest towns.  I found a couple more photos of trains and depots.

Here's the Augusta depot, or so it was labeled.  It looks  as if it is saying New Augusta.  Now was that  a name for Augusta?  Augusta is actually in Woodruff County and was once a thriving town.  Was it called New Augusta. 

I did a Google search for New Augusta AR and it pulled up what we know as Augusta.  We may have another mystery here.  I have never ever heard Augusta called that.  Maybe it's a name similar to Little Rock and North Little Rock?

And while speaking of depots, here's a view of a train that reportedly traveled Doniphan Kensett and Searcy Railroad.

Today was tour day, or caravan day, or get-in-your-car-and-fill-it-with-your-friends-and-go-see-houses day.

I feel that touring is a must when you are a beginning agent.  Not only do you get to know the inventory but you get to learn the streets.  After 30 years I still feel guilty if I don't tour.

Today, while leaving one of the houses, I noticed there was an all-glass storm door right there on that front door.  The main door was open so it was so hard to see the storm. No, I didn't walk into it but I very well could have.  Or a client could have.  And a client might!  It is very simple to stick one of those little papers up about eye height for safety.

The listing agent was there being nice and acting as hostess.  I yelled out to her that I'd advise her to put a sticky note on that storm door.  I like her a whole lot and wouldn't want her to have an injured party on the premises.  I hope she appreciated it instead of thinking that old Barbara Duncan was being bossy again.  But sometimes I do think I should keep my mouth shut.

Anita grew up in Searcy, Arkansas and I didn't.  I've just been here for the past 40 years while she's been gone.  She contributes to this blog with photos and comments.  She shared this picture and others of old Searcy with me.

I knew I'd seen that house somewhere so I took off to find it, sat in front of several country houses while people honked and stared and I finally had to call her and ask her where the house was.  The one with the little kid on the porch, I said.

She said it was this house that you'll below.  It was the house below before her mother did a remodel on it in the 50's.  And she even had the audacity to say she was the charming little kid on the porch.

Ha!  I yelled back that that could not be the same house.  It was absolutely not....she was wrong....her memory was bad.....and the kid didn't even look like her!!

She fought back with (she's really stubborn) a definite yes, yes, it is!! 

"YES, YES, YES.   That is my l008 W. Arch St. house, in it's original state..That precious little child, sitting in a very graceful pose, is ME.....You're going to have to trust me on this one....."    that's what she said!

So I parked in front of this blue house again today with the same honks and funny looks as people drove by.  I tried to see the front porch, the steps, the little kid.  And I can almost see it. 

"What she did to the porch is.....she just torn it down and made a little (very little) foyer, with a coat closet....She made a picture window for the living room.....There she would display her "flocked" Christmas trees.  Later she added a bedroom on at the back of the house, plus a bathroom.
Originally off the kitchen was a small screened porch, with steps.
I'm telling you, she took a little basic house and made it much larger, more rooms.  She also added a screened in porch off the dining room....I have pictures of it.  Later, she enclosed this porch with the paneling that I think is still there, and made a fireplace.  Also have pictures.
After I was in college, she added the present carport off of my bedroom.  Before the carport was added, I would put a couple of pillows in my bed (as if a body was asleep) and crawl out the window and go riding with my girlfriend from Griffithville.  Never did get caught."    that's what she said!

She how stubborn she is!!  How can you argue with her.  BUT, Miss Anita, what happened to that giant tree that shows on the right side of the old version?