Life is not over (yet) for this house in Searcy Arkansas

I think this house will be a challenge for us.  One think I note about the first picture is that the house is on a paved street with curbs.  In the '40s that would have limited the areas in Searcy where it could have been.   Curiously, the last picture shows it does not now have a curb but there are signs there was once one. 

Anita, I remember when I would go out to Morris Institute that occasionally some of the boys would have a pet flying squirrel.  He would come up to them and climb on their shoulder.  Maybe you could adopt some of yours as a pet.  :-)

Barbara, as with those other houses, don't have a clue, YET.  The sidewalk does tell us something.

Gene, Bob rememembers the Morris School boys having a flying squirrel, too.   No thank you, I'll just keep killing them as long as they inhabit my attic space.   Sorry, Nutsy.....if they are friends or descendents of yours, give them the good word not to fool around in Greers Ferry. Ar.

What do we know about this house? 1) Basically it's the same as the one in 200 block of East Academy, but the rooms may be smaller. ( Barbara how do the floor plans compare?) 2) It faces east on a north-south street. See satellite dish in Barbara's photo.  3) It has a sidewalk which appears to run just in front of the house. (A tricycle run for the little guy who lived there). 4) The six inch curbs look as if they were poured off-site in approx. 6 foot sections and placed along the street. I'm thinking just in front of this house. The six inch curbs along the streets that Don mentioned appear to have been poured in place.  The rest of this street and curbs may have been upgraded during the mid fifties paving project. Note the rounded curb at the right edge of the latest picture.

It'll be a challenge that's for sure. I'm thinking of checking the streets near the cemetery and near the house on east Acad. I'll concentrate on the blocks Don mentioned. BTW, I believe that the E. Acad. house belonged to a letter carrier who retired early due to problems with his legs. Can't remember his name tho.

Bob C.

Walks in the 50s mean main streets close to downtown. I agree except a lot of homes around town had sidewalks just in front between the property lines.  Two examples come to mind: 1000 w. Vine  (walk no longer there) and the house across the street at 9?? W. Vine which still has the walk. I think the curbs in front of the mystery house were also a homeowner project and not something the city did.

Assuming the installer knew what he she was doing, the satellite dish in the picture faces the equator. That tells us that south is to our left. Ergo the home faces east. So it is on the west side of a north-south street.

Bob C.

You two guys are FANTASTIC.  But WHERE is it, Don?  Address, please.

Bob, would the mailman who had to quit being a mailman because of a bum leg be Malcomb "Chick" Murray?    I think he took Arthur Smith's place as our mailman, on West Arch Street.

Anita Fuller

Barbara, thanks, but I'm not that kind of sleuth; just an old country boy from Searcy. However, now that you've learned the trick of navigating by satellite dish you can go squirrel hunting with Anita without fear of getting lost on the back roads. Just look for an antenna on the nearest double-wide. BTW, don't either of you dare shoot any squirrels wearing WWI flying clothes or Mountie's jacket.

Congratulations, Don, on finding the house. Now, maybe we can get Anita to find out who rode that tricycle back and forth on the sidewalk.

Bob C.

Anita, not Chick, but his name came to mind. The Murray's lived, for awhile, in a duplex on Arch at the corner of Hickory. The band director, Bill Laas, lived on the other side. Chick was married to one of my mother's cousins who "baby sat" me at least once. But that's a cute story for another time.

Bob C.

Nope. I never found it. However, I recall this much, maybe, "Copper" Davidson and his sister Vivian lived one house south. There was a "mom and pop" grocery across the street. The M&NA depot was, at one time, about a block south. That may be the reason for the sidewalk and curbs.  Thanks again, Don.

Anita, who owned that tricycle? : )

Bob C.

Miss Forrest lived on Woodruff.    Ive found  Lyman Forsyth  408 S. Spring   532-J,   Oma Davidson, who was probably Copper's mother: 509 S. Spring  phone 660,  Annie Mae Alston  117 S. Spring  1433,  Jim Atkinson  also ll7 S. Spring   (they were both teachers at Harding so are probably living in a boarding house)....Rev. M.D. Hemphill  601 S. Spring   1078-J.

Sorry,Bob, doubt if I"ll ever i.d. the tricycle....as I don't think we'll ever figure out who lived in THAT house.  cute little trike, though.

Anita Fuller