About Searcy's Downtown Searcy Ar

This old building dates back to WWI, according to Dr. Ray Muncy's book called "Searcy Arkansas, A Frontier Town Grows Up With America." He reports that the Federal Government gave approval for this building as a Post Office when post office buildings were rare in small towns.

Most communities with a population of less than 3000 at that time picked up their mail at a cage in the corner of a merchandise establishment, said Muncy. It still occupies a place of importance on Arch Street just about a block from downtown Searcy AR, White County.

I really feel proud of this building each time I drive by and I drive by often! It is largely unchanged and note it has a basement!

I posted a picture yesterday and will post it again below. It was this magnificent mansion in Searcy AR, White County, very near downtown, that was torn down many years ago. At least I think it was this house. If not this one, one so similar.

Before it was torn down, they held an auction of the things inside. I went and took my children. We went all over the house looking at things. My kids ran up to me and whispered, "Mom, we found something upstairs that you will love! Come see!" So I went to the attic with them and they showed me a portfolio of art work! I did love it. I am an artist. The kids knew I loved art. So we left it where it was, in dust and grime in the attic and declared that we would stick around and buy it when the auctioneer got to the attic.

Hours later we were ready. All bidders were in the attic. The portfolio was up and I bid on it. No one else bid....except this man. He was a minister; it was his wife's birthday; he thought that I knew something that he didn't know....like this was a valuable piece of artwork even though he had never seen it. So he bid against me and he bid so high that I had to give up. My face and my kid's faces were so forlorn....

I was so distressed that I stuck up my hand up at the wrong time and bought a stinkin' steamer trunk that weighed a ton. I had to call my husband to come help me get it down from the attic. He didn't like that at all.

A few weeks or perhaps months later my doorbell rang. It was the minister. He confessed that he'd been bidding on just a "hunch" and he felt bad that he'd outbid me. So he had a gift for me. He gave me the picture shown to the right and said it was much too "sensuous" for his home and he wanted me to have something from the portfolio.

I, of course, was delighted. I loved the original pastel drawing, that may date back to the 1800's, and framed it immediately and it has hung proudly on my wall since. I thought the minister was extremely nice to give me one of the pictures. I wish I knew what other treasures had been in the portfolio!

This house was torn down for progress. I think there is an apartment complex sitting where this old house used to be. My Searcy historians can tell me exactly where it was but I believe it was on Center Street.

It shows the fancy architecture that was loved a long time ago. People actually sat on the wrap porches. This house was the ultimate. If it were around today, my thinking would be that it is a maintenance nightmare and the fireman would probably think of "fire trap" with all that wood.

Our friend Paula took this picture in the 40's for her Girl Scout photography project. Thanks, Paula!

This old picture is another treasure and I believe it is also from our girl scout photography project done by Paula. She took them in the 40's. To take this she must have climbed up to the top of the Court House. The view she took shows the old Searcy Bank which we've featured before.

What I like best about the picture, however, is the view of the houses barely in the distance. Little rooftops are everywhere. House rooftops, not businesses, because Searcy was still a small town and Paula, Don, Ludean, Anita and others could walk downtown at any time! Notice the Safeway Store. Note the Stotts Drugstore.

Paula, my friend who did the photography project for Girl Scouts back in the 40's, photographed what we now call the Person building. Persons/Quattlebaums have owned it for many years. It is about a block or two from the court square so it is considered downtown.

I'm going to depend on my friends from Arkansas to give me more of the history of this building and what the sign above the corner entry door said. I find it interesting that there were quite a few corner doors. Was there a reason for that? This building as you can see, is largely unchanged, and may be for sale right now.