Special offer
Home > Blogs > Barbara S. Duncan > Barbara Duncan's blog
bookmark_border

Searcy Arkansas Arch Street postcard showing J. D. Pope's piano shop.

By
Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX Advantage

Oops, I did it again.  I bought another old postcard from ebay.  It shows the South side of Searcy's court square and I find the piano shop of interest.  I can't tell for sure but it is probably Pope's Piano.  See if you can tell.

West Arch Street Searcy Ar

Luke Jones, who wrote historical articles about Searcy before he left us to live in a bigger city, had the best article about John Dee Pope in the Daily Citizen on Sunday, July 11, 2010.  I saved it!

It says that Mr. Pope was friendly and OH! SO! Strong!  Reportedly, on a day in November 1934, he appeared outside his shop, hefted a piano into his truck and sped off towards Wynne.  When he got there he lept from the truck and carried the 502-pound piano into the customer's house___by himself!  And it was on his 73rd birthday.

The Searcy Sleuth question is whether this does indeed show the J. D. Pope Piano Shop or is this another one.

 

Show All Comments
Dom Naidoo
Westside Properties - Venice, CA
Malibu to the Marina Real Estate

Barbara,

That sure looks like a vintage postcard. Thanks so much for sharing. All the best!

Nov 30, 2011 01:13 PM
Larry & Jacque Ficek
Alaska Dream Makers - Wasilla, AK
Realtors - Wasilla Alaska

Barbara, this one is in pretty good shape. The story with it is amazing-he could lift a piano by himself at that age and I, at (being incredibly nice to myself) at half his age cant read the postcard. I even enlarged it but no luck. Sorry!  :(

Jacque & Larry

Nov 30, 2011 01:23 PM
Barbara S. Duncan
RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR
GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Dom, I love the old postcards!

Larry and Jacque, I couldn't read it either so I'm hoping Searcy old-timers will just remember.

Nov 30, 2011 01:37 PM
Anonymous
Sherry

The sign is..........J. D. Pope  Piano.

My Dad, Ivan Quattlebaum, would load & deliver pianos for him too.

Nov 30, 2011 02:52 PM
#4
Barbara S. Duncan
RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR
GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Thanks, Sherry.  I knew someone would remember what the sign read.    Ivan was strong too, I'll bet!

Dec 01, 2011 12:20 AM
Don Thompson
Donthomp Associates - Sunnyvale, CA

Just as Sherry said, the JD Pope Piano store just got on the card at the far right.

When I was 8, my grandparents bought a heavy upright piano from J.D. Pope. My grandmother had high aspirations for me to play piano. After a year of piano lessons and a recital or two at the First Methodist Church, I decided I was not cut out to be a pianist. I couldn't stay still long enough to practice. Too many more interesting things to do around Searcy town.

Dec 01, 2011 01:17 AM
Valerie Canepa
RE/MAX Advantage Realtors - Searcy, AR

Nice postcard!

Dec 01, 2011 02:26 AM
Anonymous
Debbie Wantulok

You have the greatest finds...beautiful card...Searcy looks so pretty...the old cars all lined up and the colors on the buildings...even the sky is just picture perfect...but I think I enjoy the stories that your post inspire even more...Don's piano lessons and Mr. Pope, the Samson of piano moving...people don't know what they are missing by not visiting your blog.

Dec 01, 2011 02:48 AM
#8
Luke Jones
Garver - Little Rock, AR

Thanks for the shout-out! That was my first history story I wrote for the Citizen. I also made an error in there somewhere - I described someone (Margeret, I think) as the wrong relation to J.D., and I got some gentle rebuttals by phone the next day. Fortunately my history stories were pretty accurate after that, and the White County Historical Society gave me a writing award. I miss those folks.

But enough about me. I always meant to write a follow-up on J.D. Pope's house, because over the year or so after that story was written, it was given a comprehensive makeover. When I first saw all the equipment in front of the house, I thought another historic home was about to bite the dust, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong.

Barbara, I'm pretty sure you blogged about that house during its renovation. I've always wondered who sunk all that money into it.

Dec 01, 2011 03:22 AM
Barbara S. Duncan
RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR
GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Don, can you just imagine now how many kids were pushed in to piano lessons.  Or maybe the kid asked to take them and then gave them up.  I definitely had one who took for awhile, turned out to be not interested and then the boy, who probably who would have liked them, never had a chance.  LOL

Valerie, nice picture.  Nice comment but no points unless you have at least 10 words. 

Debbie, you flatter me so and my head just gets bigger.  Actually, doing this blog has made me appreciate our town more.  And I have always loved old pictures.

Luke, we miss you here in Searcy.  I saved that story possibly because it was about the old Pope house that I was keeping pictures of.  The house reached a certain level of repair and then tenants moved in.  I believe Harding students probably live there and the lot is large enough for apartments someday.  It will be a good investment for the future.  The mirror behind me in my office came from the old Pope house and was bought at the auction.

Dec 01, 2011 07:46 AM
Anonymous
Billy Fuller

Barbara, just a quick note.  Can't believe Anita hasn't chimed in on this one yet.  Just wanted to let you know that J.D. Pope is a relative of ours.  My grandmother, Nora Pope Fuller, was a cousin of J.D. Pope's, I think.  Margaret, J.D.'s daughter, was present for many of our family functions.  My dad's middle name is Pope, carrying on that family name.  Hopefully, Bob and Anita will come forth with some more information.  I was too young when the Popes were around to know or really care what the relationship was.

 

Dec 02, 2011 04:30 AM
#11
Barbara S. Duncan
RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR
GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Billy, where IS Anita?  It must have been an interesting family.  J. D. must have had one child, Margaret?  These old stories fascinate me.  He must have supplied you with the piano that you mastered????

Dec 02, 2011 10:08 AM
Anonymous
Anita Fuller

Have I been missed?  I've been laying low...hoping that Santa Claus will remember me in a good light.

Bob has always thought that Nora Pope Fuller, his grandmother, was J.D.s sister.

Dec 02, 2011 10:34 AM
#13
Barbara S. Duncan
RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR
GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Anita, you are just like my kids were when growing up.  I told them Santa would not come unless they cleaned up their rooms so once a year they straightened up.  We will miss Anita Tart fuller if you clam up for a month, though.  Did J. D. just have one child?

Dec 04, 2011 04:56 AM
Back to Top

What's the reason you're reporting this blog entry?

Are you sure you want to report this blog entry as spam?