Page 6 - RVO Hometown Morrilton June 2017

6VV SUNDAY, JUNE 25, 2017
HOMETOWN MORRILTON • RIVER VALLEY & OZARK EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
A DAY
IN THE LIFE
Waterways, railways and highways
await Morrilton explorers
BY SARAH DECLERK / SPECIAL SECTIONS WRITER
A city that grew with the railroad industry, Morrilton has long held a place on travelers’ itineraries, first as a stop for passenger trains and now as the gateway to Petit Jean State Park. I began my drive north eager to learn more about the history of Morrilton and excited to visit the attractions atop Petit Jean Mountain.
9:55 A.M.
The last passenger train stopped at the Morrilton Depot Museum long ago, but the build- ing still exists as a historic landmark and home for area artifacts and genealogical records. Located at both the geographic and cultural heart of the city, the depot is maintained by the Conway County Historical Preservation Association. The organization’s president, Todd Ras- mussen, showed me around the museum and explained the city’s history, which began with an adjacent community named Lewisburg.
Located on the Arkansas River, Lewisburg was a busy port town that played a notable part in history as an unplanned stop for Native Americans traveling west by river during the Trail of Tears and a station for the Third Arkansas Cavalry, a Union regiment, during the Civil War.
When the railroad came to the area during the 1870s, the community declined to pay extra fees for the railroad to lay tracks downhill and back uphill, so the railroad built on flat- ter ground two miles north of Lewisburg. The area was home to two families named Morrill and Moose, who decided the new town’s name by flipping a coin.
“As soon as that happened, the steamboat industry died and river transport ended because everything was going by rail,” Rasmussen said. “So when that happened, Morrilton grew up.” The museum also boasts a large collection of historic photos and artifacts related to the
cotton industry, railroad industry, the world wars and local schools. One of the museum’s greatest resources, however, is extensive genealogical records from the community, many of which are being indexed to ease research efforts. However, the volunteer-run museum is short on helpers, Rasmussen said.
“We just don’t have the energy,” he said, adding that most volunteers are in their 70s and 80s. “We need young people in the community to step up and come help us.”
After I toured the museum, Rasmussen took me to see Lewisburg Cemetery, which he and his wife help care for. During the drive, he provided tidbits of information as he pointed out landmarks such as the Conway County Courthouse, the churches on Church Street, and the historic Moose Home, an 1835 structure that was moved from Lewisburg to Morrilton.
Some of the earliest graves at the cemetery dated from about that time, he told me as we arrived at the site. The association recently erected a sign explaining Lewisburg’s role during the Civil War. Nearly 100 Union soldiers stationed at the Garrison died of smallpox and other diseases during an epidemic in 1864. Rasmussen pointed out a number of unmarked graves, which I might have mistaken for stones, where the soldiers are thought to be buried. We spent quite a while examining the worn names and dates carved into other tombstones, which ranged from the 1800s to the 20th century.
Petit Jean’s Gravesite at Stout’s Point offers breathtaking views of the Arkansas River and surrounding farmland.
11:10 A.M.
After parting ways with Rasmussen, I decided to explore historic downtown Morrilton by foot. I started by returning to the courthouse for a closer look at the structure, which was built in 1927 to replace an 1883 structure that burned down. Then I strolled over to the Conway County Library, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year.
The structure is one of only two remaining Carnegie Foundation libraries in the state that are still used as public libraries, and they were funded by industrialist Andrew Carnegie. “Later in life he decided that he wanted to make good because he hadn’t been known to be the nicest man, and so he decided to put all the money that he had into good will,” said Linda Green, assistant director. “So he started building up libraries and giving grants for libraries to be built across the world. He did a few in Scotland and Ireland and then started
doing it in the U.S.”
The library is in the midst of its summer reading program, which helps kids retain
reading skills during summer vacation by participating in activities offered at the library throughout the week, she said, adding that the program also offers a way to beat boredom and the summer heat. However, people may soon find plenty of ways to play downtown.
“I love that Morrilton’s downtown area is coming back again. We’ve been hoping for that for a really long time,” she said. “The library here used to be the center. Everything in town used to be built around it and the railroad depot, so I’m really excited to see [the revitalization].”
She said because books and coffee go hand in hand, the library recently donated a num- ber of books to Big Cuppa, the new coffee shop downtown. The library also participates in First Thursdays, in which area businesses stay open late to provide opportunities for folks to socialize and shop local.
After leaving the library, I ambled past several other historic building, including the Rialto Community Arts Center, before reaching the Coca-Cola Plant that was built in 1929. The structure has served a variety of purposes since Coca-Cola moved its operations in the 1960s. It was the site of the No. 8 Walmart and, more recently, housed the city hall and police department. Now the building, like the rest of downtown, is ready for its next stage of life.
Lataviat Pirtle, 10, left, and Isaiah Glover, 9, hang out at the Conway County Library in Morrilton.
PHOTOS BY SARAH DECLERK/RIVER VALLEY & OZARK EDITION