THE LONG AGO IN
RANDOLPH COUNTY, ARKANSAS

Welcome to In The Long Ago, photos of Randolph County, Arkansas. It appears that these photos were originally published in the Pocahontas Star Herald around 1968-70, but are much, much older than that. Remember that you can use your special "find" or "search" button on your toolbar to look for surnames - and be sure that you check different spelling variations. So ... sit back ... scroll down ... and enjoy ...

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Pictured is most of those serving on a grand jury in 1908 in Randolph County. Kneeling in front at left is Larkin Johnston. Seated are, from left, W. A. Brooks, John L. Fry, Jury foreman, Joe DeClerk, clerk and D. C. Fowler. Standing are, from left, Frank Harrison, Tom H. Wells, Charley A. Dixon, Andrew McCarroll, T. Jesse Redwine, Joseph Hufstedler, John R. Holt, J. E. Hufstedler, W. C. Brown, John R. Ray, W. A. Taylor and Green Davis. There were 17 instead of the usual 16 because W. A. Taylor became ill and J. E. Hufstedler replaced him. Other listed as called up for jury duty in 1980, but not pictured here were C. A. Going, William Spencer, Jr., J. H. Hodges, J. W. Presley and Gid Thompson. The photo was furnished by Miss Nema Hufstedler of Birdell.

Mrs. Catherine Beasley of St. Louis furnishes this fine old photo, taken on the south side of the old Randolph County Courthouse in the late 1920's. The group had gathered to discuss thie re-routing of Highway 67, and the sign seen in front states: "Put the Road Along the Railroad." They list Pocahontas, DeBow, Engelberg, Paulka, Running Lake, Keller, Biggers, Rayno, and Cherokee Bay. The group was advocating that the new road be built from pettit Crossing to the Current River Bridge, following the railroad. Of course, the road was not going to be paved, but a possibility of getting anything better than the existing road at that time, which probably had been an old ox trail, was a welcome improvement. The old courthouse seems to have been rather poorly cared for, even back some 50 years ago, as evidence by at least two broken window panes. Note the dirt road and the limestone curbing at front of photo.

Picture on LEFT - The Star Herald's Gravesville correspondent, Mrs. Olvie Brewer, is pictured on her 19th birthday, Oct. 23, 1920, wearing her last pair of high topped shoes. The following year, women began wearing low cut shoes (and the more daring even wore oxfords), and shorter dresses. Women's styles today are much like those of the 1920's, even to the high topped shoes.
Picture on RIGHT - Pictured are two sets of twin sons of the late W. Ruff and Jane Johnson of Randolph County. The photo was taken by the late George Lemmons, Sr., at his studio in Pocahontas in 1910. They are, from left, Tom (now deceased), John P. (who is living at 1509 West Marr St., in Pocahontas), Delbert (deceased) and Elbert, who resides at 1527 Alameda, Bakersfield, Calif.

Most Readers of the Star Herald well recognize these three familiar faces of just a little more than a decade ago,----Randolph County's beloved physicians, from left, Dr. J. W. Brown, Dr. J. W. Ryburn, and Dr. W. E. Hamill. The photo of the three revered doctors was taken at a birthday observance for Dr. Brown in the late 1950's, and local photographer D. Holt photographed the three as they sat together in the lobby of the Bank of Pocahontas. Being physicians of the "old school", they answered calls of the sick, day or night and often traveled many miles on horseback or by horse and buggy, and many times without remuneration in money. Dr. Hamil left general practice in 1924 to specialize in eye, ear, nose and throat surgery here. Born near old Alberta, Dr. Rybern was a graduate of the Dallas, Texas Medical School, and his lifelong companion was his childhood sweetheart, Mollie Ulmer, with whom he reared a family of four daughters. It has been said of him that there is no way of approximating the free service which he gave in his lifetime to the poor and distressed.

The girls' senior basketball team at Pocahontas High School in 1939 was made up of this group of aggressive athletes, from left, Rhudine Haymes, Norine Wilson, Glenda Patterson, Roberta Stubblefield, Lora Mae Fry, Frances Lee Wells, Velma Lee Owens, Bonnie Bee Lawhon, Jean Johnson, Azalean Daniels, Lucille Steimel and Maxine Dawson. Sidney Ruby, right, was coach. Girls' basketball was discontinued at PHS during the 1950's.

Mrs. Nell James of Route 1, Pocahontas, furnishes this photo this week of a street scend taken about 1911 near the grocery store of her late father, Herbert Rice. The Bennett and Rice Grocery was located on Marr Street, about where S & J Furniture Co., is now situated. In front of the store is the delivery wagon, drawn by two white horses, and a smaller sign on the wagon reads, "Phone 8" - indicating that Pocahontas had a phone system of some sort at that time. A large sign over the horses advertised Brown Shoe Co., of St. Louis shoes, and other smaller signs advertised Star tobacco and Ferry and Company seeds. John Bennett was a partner of Herbert Rice in the business, and the two youths seated in the wagon are Fred Rice and Charley Brown. Herbert Rice is standing at right. A surrey can be seen parked directly behind the Rice wagon, in front of the Haynes Store. A sign on the window of this store reads, "L. C. Haynes, Staple and Fancy Groceries". The store was located where Wilson Jewelry is now situated. The two story building on the corner has a sign reading, "Joe Peters Restaurant" and was located on the site now occupied by Freds' Dollar Store. The large wooden barrels in front of Bennett and Rice Grocery are sure to have held flour, meal, candy, crackers, fruit, or a dozen and one other things for which barrels were used in grocery stores in those days.

This interesting photo depicting women's styles in the early 1900's in Randolph County, is of a group of older women (mostly widows) taken on the birthday of Mrs. Hogan at Ravenden Springs, about 1910. The Star Herald has been unable to obtain first names of all the women. They are, front row, from left, Mrs. Dona Holder, Mrs. Permelia Poteet, Mrs. Hogan and Mrs. Susan Barker. Back row, from left, Mrs. Colbert, Mrs. Lovella Garland, Mrs. Finney, Miss Emily Lomax, Mrs. Hannah Welch and Mrs. Eliza Edwards. The photo was furnished by Mrs. Lena Hughes of Poplar Bluff.

The Jim McDaniel family, pictured above, resided at Oak Grove near Attica, just after the turn of the century. Ed Thompson of Pocahontas, who identified the members of the family for us, said he didn't know just what year the photo was made, but "it was a long time ago". Pictured are, from left, Mrs. Sular (Elvira Elkins) McDaniel, Sular McDaniel, Miss Willie McDaniel (later married W.W. Hufstedler), "Uncle Jim" McDaniel, Lucy McDaniel (later married George Purdy), "Aunt Emma McDaniel (seated), and behind her is Kate McDaniel (later wed Ben Newton). George McDaniel can be seen looking on at left, as he sat on the front porch. It was said that George didn't want his picture made and sat aside and looked on as the remainder of the family posed. He was unaware that he would be in the photo. The picture is the property of Oather J. Thompson of Littleton, Colo., and was made by "The National View and Portrait Co." a photographer then located at Maynard.