Page 5 - Searcy Parks and Rec March 2015

EILISH PALMER/THREE RIVERS EDITION
Left: The Black House, located on Race Street in Searcy, is a prime example of one of Arkansas’ early Victorian homes. The architectural style of the home was derived from 1800s Louisiana influence. Middle: Myra Shock, executive director of the Searcy Art Gallery at the Black House, is shown standing at the bottom of the staircase inside the historic home.The Searcy Art Gallery has been housed in the Black House since 1999. Right: Visitors to the Black House have the opportunity to view rotating exhibits, as well as visit the Gallery Gift Shop, where available items include jewelry, woodcarvings and other works of art.
A local treasure
Art gallery nestled in historic home offers visitors unique combination
By Wendy Miller
SPECIAL SECTIONS WRITER
East Race Street in Searcy might seem like any other street in an Arkansas town, but tucked quaintly off the road is a two-sto- ry home reminiscent of New
Orleans in the late 1800s — one of Arkansas’ earliest Victorian homes.
With a second-story veranda, intricate woodwork, yellow paint with white trim and neatly kept grounds, the Benjamin Clayton Black House is considered a visible symbol of Searcy heritage. Black was an influential figure who took an active role in the early development of the city.The home was ini- tially a two-room log cabin, but after Black and his wife, Molly Rosamond Jones, honey- mooned in The Big Easy, the two purchased the home and sought to replicate the archi- tectural style seen in Louisiana.
What isn’t quite so visible is the art gal- lery found inside the home.The Searcy Art Gallery, managed by Searcy Parks and Rec- reation, has been located in the Black House since 1999 and, in association with the Sear- cy Arts Council, offers contemporary state
and local exhibits, bringing an artistic touch to the historic home.
“I really feel like we can learn so much from the past,” said Myra Shock, executive director of the Searcy Ar t Galler y at the Black House. “I think it is a double treat to get to see beautiful artwork when you visit.”
The transformation of the cabin into a Victorian beauty was completed in the 1870s. Black and his wife raised 11 children in the house, and his was the only family to live there.The couple’s youngest daughter, Lorena, moved back into the home in the mid-1900s, keeping it in the family.The house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, Shock said.
After Lorena’s death at over 100 years old, Searcy physician Dr. Porter Rodgers pur- chased the home. Later, Rodgers deeded the home to the city of Searcy, and today the home falls under the umbrella of Searcy Parks and Recreation.
“It has been a real nice partnership,” Shock said. “Parks and Rec helps us to maintain the house, and they’ve just been wonderful.”
Former Parks and Recreation Director Brian Smith, who was in charge of the de-
partment when the home was acquired, said he believes the home is a great addition to the Parks and Rec’s system.
“The Black House has been a really posi- tive cultural addition to the community,” Smith said. “It is in remarkable condition.”
Currently, the gallery is displaying the Sear- cy Student Youth Ar t Exhibit, which features more than 40 local students’ work.
“The children get to see their art hang- ing on the wall with a title card,” Shock said. “They take pride in what they’ve done, and this is going to help them make their mark in the art world.”
While visitors gaze upon the exhibit that is on display, they will also get an additional dose of history from the historically accurate pieces throughout the home. Much of the original ceiling and floor is still intact, even though there were major renovations to the home prior to the 1980s.
One of the most important pieces of structure in the home is the staircase ban- ister that Black ordered from Paris and had shipped upriver to Searcy while he was trans- forming the home.
“It is a beautiful piece of wood, and I am so happy it has been preserved,” Shock said.
In September 2014, the Black House sustained water damage from a broken pipe, and the house and gallery were closed for two months for repairs. Now that the house is back in full operation, Shock said, the only things that need to be replaced are some carpeting and a bit of wood flooring that was not original to the home, in addition to new paint and trim.
“It was just one of those things, and it is an old house,” Shock said.
Over the years, Shock said, the gallery has hosted exhibits of watercolors, photography, oils and acrylics, among others. In August and September, the gallery will host an exhibit of quilts from the White County Quilt Guild, and in 2016, Small Works on Paper, a trav- eling exhibit coordinated by the Arkansas Ar ts Council, will make a stop at the galler y. Admission to the gallery is free to the public, and private tours can also be arranged.
“I consider the home to be a treasure,” Shock said. “I think a visitor can walk into this house and take a step back into the 19th century and think about how families lived a few generations ago, and think about 11 children growing up in this home and the love, laughter, joy, sorrow and all those things that go with family living.”
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