The Harbin Home
The John G. Harbin home, one mile south of Washburn, was the last stage stop in Missouri before entering Arkansas for the Butterfield State Coach mail route. It was the I. B. Davis farm on the 1909 plat map. John G. Harbin was the original station-keeper and the stop was 15 miles SW of Crouch’s and 6 miles north of the Missouri Arkansas line. The house was a two-story double log home that stood a mile SW of Washburn and was burned during Civil War. A modern house stood there in the 1930’s and it was occupied by Mrs. S. L. Davis and is in the photo below. The mail road approximates Highway 37 but ran slightly east of 37. The mail road ran 25 feet east of the house. Hwy 37 was established west of property isolating it from the flow of traffic. The mail road continued south along the east side of 37 about another mile and then meets up with county road (1050) and goes south by Rock Springs school and church and on to the Elk Horn Tavern. John G. Harbin and W. E. Frost acquired this land in 1857.  Pictured are Mrs. S. (McCary) Davis on right and Pauline Henry, on left, about 1916. Pauline Henry was the mother of Roberta Cantrell Ellis. Pauline married Tif Cantrell. From the Don Matt research and web page you will see the stage stopped just up the road from the Rock Springs Gowen farm. Don Matt's Web Page Photo curtsey of Don Matt and Roberta Ellis |
Sally Davis Home It was owned by a Harbin and was known as the Harbin farm. Virginia Harbin married Bert Davis. She died after giving birth to Gertie Henry and so Mr. Davis remarried Sally McCary. This is probably the Mrs. S. L. Davis that the Conklings reference that owned the place in the 1930’s. Photo curiosity of Don Matt and Roberta Ellis |
Spring where they watered the horses, across the road, in the trees, from the house pictured above. |
 Map, T 21 N. Range 28 West - I. B. Davis farm in section 4 is where the stage stopped. The land description should read: NE quarter of the NE quarter of Section 4. The old wire road goes by the Rock Springs school and church and south to the Elk Horn Tavern near Pea Ridge, AR, and does not follow the present day hwy 37. |
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Bill Landers added this: "Alfred S. Harbin and Isaac Peevey settled in Section 4, Township 21, Range 28 before 1840, bought government land in sections 4 and 5 and lived as
neighbors until the Civil War started to turn. John Graham Harbin, nephew of A S Harbin, bought land south of Washburn in 1850. James Carroll Harbin (relationship never established) bought land in section 4 in 1850, adjacent to the land owned by John G. (This was corrected to 1845 by a later email) In 1909, O D Davis owned the land just south of Washburn and I B Davis, his brother, owned the land first purchased by James C Harbin. The photo of Sally McCary Davis and Pauline Henry standing in front of the old house is precious. I slept in that old house! Sally was my mother’s aunt. She was the daughter of Benjamin F. and Tennessee (Peevey) McCary. She was also the second wife of Isham B. (Bert) Davis and the step-grandmother of Pauline Henry. Family tradition says that Pauline visited Sally often and eventually came to live with her full time. Her mother, Girtie, lived up the road and had other children. When Pauline married, her husband, Tiff Cantwell moved in. He later built the bungalow on Route 37. I suspect that the little road that runs between the bungalow and the Burl Gowen house was the old Wire Road." |
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