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| Research Note | Water held in check by Table Rock Dam now cover many of the old area landmarks, but perhaps no place is affected by the change as much as Eagle Rock.
Eagle Rock is located in the southern Barry County, Mo., and gets its name from a big rock, high on a hill above the town, where it is said eagles nested. At one time, Eagle Rock boasted two general stores, a drug store, a blacksmith shop, school, church and several dwellings. The post office was located behind a latticework at the back of one of the general stores (Curry's before that Whittingtons). Time and progress have made many changes in Eagle Rock. When area farmers began buying automobiles for their transportation and tractors for farming, Old Dobbin was turned out to pasture and did not need to be shod. There were not so many plow points and hoes to be sharpened. The local blacksmith found himself with more and more idle time on his hands. The little drug store was owned and operated by the Larceys. It supplies the people of the area and surrounding countryside, with Carter's Liver Pills, Peter's Headache Tablets and Castoria for babies. That building was destroyed by fire many years ago. Eagle Rock once had its own doctor. Dr. Taylor kept a small office and boarded with the Dock Skelton family. (Dock's wife Julia was a sister to Columbia and my Mary Russell). His small bay horse was usually tied to their front gate after returning from a visit to a country family or in readiness to make such a visit. There was no other doctor closer than Cassville, 16 miles away. Dr. Taylor was getting along in years and retired shortly before his death. By that time there were a few automobiles in the area and folks had a better means of transportation to Cassville for their medical needs. The stone store building was built in 1910 by Richard Whittington and replaced the small frame store owned and operated by Bill Ayres. The stone store building was the pride of the entire community. Its walls were lined with shelves to supply the needs of customers. The Whittington store in Eagle Rock may have been the forerunner of today's supermarkets. One side was taken up by groceries and tobacco. There were no commercial cigarettes. If a man smoked cigarettes, he rolled his own from a can of Prince Albert or a sack of Bull Durham. There were very few, if any, women in the Eagle Rock area who used tobacco in any form. Some may have chewed small cuts from a plug of Star or Horseshoe which could be bought at the store and was cut with the tobacco cutter at the end of the counter. She usually sent her husband to make the purchase and hoped that her secret was well kept. Dry goods, or "piece goods" as it is known today, and shoes occupied the opposite wall of the building. Hardware was stocked on the shelves at the back of the building. The farmer could bring his wife and children to make the purchases at a one-stop store. Mothers selected bright colored ginghams and calicos for their daughters. If she was lucky, she had enough egg money left to buy something for herself occasionally. Mrs. Whittington, familiarly known as "Elsie" by young and old alike, was always on hand to help her customers with their selection of purchases. She kept a small stock of millinery and delighted in helping the women and girls in selecting matching hats to the material they bought to make into dresses for themselves. If some mother came into the store who was not very handy with a needle, Elsie Whittington often volunteered to make the dress herself on the sewing machine which she always kept in the store. The children of many needy families were outfitted by her. It was never done as charity. Elsie Whittington had that rare quality of being able to give a gift to a deserving person that made the recipient feel they were doing her a favor by accepting it. When death struck a family in the community and the news reached the store, the Whittingtons as well as everybody in the area, gathered together to see what they could do to help the bereaved family. Undertakers and funeral homes did not exist in Eagle Rock. Henry Reading, the local carpenter, was always called upon to make the coffin. He did it in Cap Bradford's blacksmith shop, often assisted by other local woodworkers. Often the job was done under the watchful eye of a dozen other men who had gathered to offer their help and tell of the things they remembered most about the departed. When the pine casket was finished, it was covered with white or black cloth according to the wishes of the family, and finished with metal handles, which could be purchased at the store nearby. Often, if the casket was being built for a small child, it was taken over to the store, placed on the drygoods counter, where Elsie Whittington would do the covering job herself. It was not unusual for her to get someone to stay in the store while she saddled her horse and rode to the funeral, where she would help with the singing at the service. Services were usually held at the graveside. Cap Bradford's blacksmith shop was the gathering place for all the men in the community. Some engaged in the telling of tall stores while others spent their time in pitching horseshoes. Many were guilty of engaging in such sports while their dinner grew cold at home, all of which did not add much to the cheerfulness of the waiting wife. The horseshoes used for games, were kept hanging on the edge of a nail keg in the shop. Cap Bradford saw to it that they were always there. If he did not keep shoes for the purpose, he very often found that shoes he had fitted up for some farmer's horse had been carried out without his permission. When the time came to shoe the horse, the shoes were otherwise engaged. The horseshoe games attracted lots of spectators who looked on, cheered the winners and razzed the losers. They knew that when Henry Skelton, Bill Couch, FINIS BALL and Tinker Wilson were engaged in a hot game, there was fun in store for all. Many old timers today recall seeing Tinker Wilson dance a jig around the post after he had thrown a ringer. Nothing remains the same. Progress came to Eagle Rock in the form of the Table rock Dam. For years it had been discussed but in the late forties, people in the area knew that it would be a reality. They knew that the little church as well as the school building which was located in the valley near the Roaring River, would be inundated. They were among the first buildings to be either torn down or moved to higher ground out of reach of the water which would be backed up by the dam. Standing in the little valley around the site of the old church are trees which still bear the scars, made by wagon tongues, as restless horses rubbed their tired heads up and down as they waited for the sermon to be over and their owners to untie them and drive them home. Gone too, is the old mill which was operated by water power. The big wheel which was turned by the rushing waters of Roaring River is still. Young lovers of today have had to find another place for their twilight strolls. The water-powered gristmill was first owned and operated by Richard Whittington (with the help of his Maloney cousins). For several years it was operated by Wesley Reed and his son George, who ground wheat and corn for the local farmers. Often, it was necessary to run the mill both day and night in order to keep up with the grinding needs of customers. Mr. Reed often left the night time operation to his son. George did not like working alone. He quickly found a solution to that problem. He invited his friends to come and spend some time with him. Rural youngsters were always looking for something to do and some place to go. So they gathered at the mill, sang their songs and played their games while the grinding went on as usual. The little village of Eagle Rock did not die it just moved. As Table Rock Dam was being built, the people were alerted to the fact that soon it would all be under water. In 1958 the old buildings were torn down and moved away. Perhaps the last to go was the old Skelton home which was destroyed by fire. The Easleys, Balls, Priers and Curry's still make up a goodly percentage of the populace. Eagle Rock folks can be distinguished by their old-fashioned warmth and genuine "glad to see you" welcome. Article was published in the "The Ozarks Mountaineer" March-April 1979. The location of the "Old Eagle Rock" is just a short distance from the "New Eagle Rock" on Highway 86. All that is left are the foundations of the old stores and part of the low water bridge. My parents, Oman and Faye Ball, owned the second store in the early to mid 50's. The site wasn't covered with water by the dam but it could be flooded when the river comes up. I am related to all of the people mentioned in the last paragraph. |
| Date Taken | - |
| Resource | Written by Lida Wilson Pyles (desceased) and posted by Darla Marbut |
| Submitted by | Submitted in 2001 by: Darla Ball Marbut |
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