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Mayfair Hotel Searcy AR then and now

The old Mayfair Hotel in Searcy Arkansas was majestic. It was near a park that had healing spring water, a railroad dropped people off close-by and it was a popular hotel.

Old Mayfair Hotel

This old postcard shows how great it was. I drove by today and snapped a present day shot of it from the front and from the back. The back view shows how big it is and was. Trees have grown so big it is hard to get a shot of the entire front. Wouldn't you hate to have to go around this whole building painting those exposed rafters?

Mayfair hotel

Old Mayfair Hotel

And now here's my favorite story about the Mayfair. A delightful Yankee named Nick D'Auteuil came to Searcy and bought the hotel. He made himself a nice suite inside it, rented out rooms, ran the restaurant, and kept it for many years. As he was getting rid of the hotel himself, he came to our house for a visit because he was a golf buddy of my husband's. Upon leaving he said he had something he wanted to give me because he could tell by the rest of the junk in my house that I'd like it and treasure it. He didn't know anyone else who would. He gave me this old tea pot that sat on a pedestal and tilted for service. It is truly unique and I do treasure it. It has a place of honor on top of my kitchen cabinets and I'll always remember Nick and the Mayfair when I glance up there.

And he gave me this old fire extinguisher that had been part of the Mayfair system. I like it too. No telling what dangerous chemical is inside!

Teapot from Mayfair Hotel

Posted by Barbara S. Duncan ABR, CRS, GRI, e-PRO Searcy AR on 01/26/2009 07:12 AM

Comments (20)

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20 Comments on Mayfair Hotel Searcy AR then and now

JAN

good point, about the fire extinguisher. It might be worth a call to a local fire extinguisher company, to see if you should have it "decommissioned".

Best case scenario, nothing happens. Midling case, you have ugly chemicals leak onto your floor. Worst case, an explosion??

Best to err on the side of caution, don't you think?

Alan! That thing has been in a corner for years with no leaks and it won't work for sure. Explosion? Heaven forbid. Now you've got me skeered......

Barbara,

I have always thought the Mayfair was a grand hotel in it's day! I love the tea pot and fire ext.

I guess, Barbara, it depends what's in there. It could be a dry extinguisher... (powders, etc...), or a wet one...(it DOES say "acid" on the front!) but it's probably worth a phone call... or maybe just ask the question of Charles Buell, or Russel Ray (or one of the many excellent inspectors on these boards)... as to what safety precautions you should take.

Or it's fully possible that it's just fine, and leaving it sitting in the corner is adequate. Maybe it's just me...but I would want to know for sure.

Hi Barbara, now this is cool old pic---new pic of same thing......I'm sure the fire extinguisher is ok...but just take it to your local fire station and have them check it out.....O and don't think I wasn't going to say anything about the great looking old cars in the post card..;-)...peace zane

Mary, I couldn't find its age. I wish I knew the date of construction.

Alan, thanks for worrying about me. I am appealing to Charles Buell. He will usually read my blog and reply. If not I'll email him personally.

Zane, I started to put in the blog, "Hey, Zane, look at the old cars!" I didn't because I couldn't be sure you'd be faithful and read it! Thanks!!

Mrs Barbara,

You think, when I come visit, they could put me up there. They may not have that many international film stars stay there. I like the trees and poles and wires.

Nutsy

A couple of stories about the Mayfair Hotel.

In the early 1940's, Tex Ritter was in town for a promotion at the Rialto Theater. For those of you who may not know who he was, he was a popular B-Western movie cowboy and singer. He is the father of John Ritter of "Threes Company" fame. Back to my story, my brother and I ( he was about 13 and I was about 7) went to the hotel to see if we could meet him. We asked at the desk and they told us his hotel room number, so we went up and knocked. He invited us in and we talked a bit to him and he gave each of us an 8x10 glossy photo and autographed them for us. Sure wish I still had the picture but it got lost through the years.

The other story: In the late 1940's we really liked to fish for brean using cockroaches. We would go down to the garbage area behind the hotel and could always catch lots of cockroaches in very little time. We had to work fast because the lady who ran the hotel would soon come out and yell at us to get away from there. She didn't want the guest to see our flashlights and know that they had so many cockroaches.

Nutsy, the place is yours!! You are my guest! It has so many trees and wires and poles that you can bring all the relatives. It's right downtown, too, for easy shopping!!

Harold Gene, those are great stories. Imagine Tex Ritter being in town. Kids must have gone wild with glee and you got his autograph!! Well, the cockroach story is not so great. Ugh! I'll bet all of our houses and businesses were that way then. Let's pretend the cockroachs were all in the garbage area, not inside. Do you know how old the hotel is?

My sources say the old Gill House was torn down in 1924 to make way for the Mayfair Hotel.

Muncey's book says a 29 room annex was built on in 1929.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

WCHS 1966 White County Heritage. Mayfair Hotel Since 1924, Old Hotel Goes to the Wreckers (Gill House).

Tex sat in a chair on the stage of the Rialto Theater, played his guitar, and sang "Rye Whiskey" http://tinyurl.com/2uxf7n while pretending to be drunk. At least we all thought he was pretending.

Don, I browsed through Muncey's book looking for the age and didn't find it. I think I saw the annex paragraph and quit looking. I wish we had a picture of the old Gill House. Do you have one?

Bob, you were there too! What great memories for you kids. Perhaps he was drunk and that's why he had to play little towns. LOL

Great new pictures of the Mayfair. I love the new ones as well as the old pictures.

Some links you won't want to miss.

http://www.argenweb.net/white/wchs/Searcy_Oldest_Hotel_Files/Searcys_Oldest.html

http://activerain.com/blogsview/615504/Very-very-old-picture-of-Searcy-Arkansas-Youd-not-recognize-it

The late Ernie Simpson commented in the Searcyyesteryear Journal: The old ladies who ran the Mayfair were both no-nonsense sisters and nieces, and not much smiling went on between them. I don’t know why I asked for the job, but it started first as a bellboy, then waiting tables. Most fun I had was recharging the fire extinguishers in the back parking lot: turn them upside down, and the little jar of acid inside reacted with the bicarbonate and, wow!, they could shoot fifty feet, at least. Barbara heed!

The Late Mildred Wilbourn said: The three sisters at the Mayfair were Rose Neeley, May Branch, and Margaret Yarnell. The younger reddish-blond, who walked like she was plowing and was on the desk, was Phyllis Smith, a niece of the old girls.

Ernie further said: Thanks to Mildred Taylor Wilbourn for sending the info about the Mayfair. Those old ladies were really eccentric ... at least, three of them were. They had an old '37 Hudson Hornet in the garage behind the hotel, dusty, but had very few miles on it. I was really impressed by the vehicle...

Hello Barbara, I bet if that old hotel could talk, it could tell some interesting stories. I have a somewhat interesting story myself. In 1958, my wife and I had just gotten married, and were spending the night at her parents. They lived out highway 36 almost at the foot of Joy mtn. about the length of a city block off the highway. We had been to a movie, and as we were coming back to her parents house, a car was on the sholder of the road right where I was to turn off. A big fellow was standing at the car, and figuring he would just follow us to the house, I stoped to see if I could be of assistance. He wanted to know how far the nearest town was, I told him it was Searcy, about 11 miles back. He asked if there was a hotel there and I told him there was. He wanted us to take him there. We drove him back into town, us in the front seat, him in the back. Very little was said as we drove back to town. When we got to the Mayfair, I was going to let him out at the front, but he told me to drive to the back, it was dark back there. He got out of the car, reached into his from pocket and empted it, which was about $8 and gave it t me. We drove back and when we got to where his car was, a state trooper was checking the car out. I stopped and told him what had occurred, and he said "Young man, we've been looking for this guy in 7 states." He didn't say why, and I didn't ask. I was too shook up. The car disappeared after a couple of days, and I never knew what happened to it. Cliff

Sherry, thanks for looking.

Cliff, that's a scary story. No one would do that today, would they? Everyone was so trusting back then. I think if I were you I'd have to know who he was and what he was wanted for! You got a good tip, though!!

Don, you have given us great info. I'm going to try to link the addresses you give us. Here's one that is the picture of the Gill house, torn down to build the hotel....NOT.

And here's the other giving the age of the hotel.

FEB

Beautiful. I'd love to stay there!

Christina, staying today might now be as glamorous as in by-gone days. But come on and we'll welcome you!!

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