Barbara S. Duncan ABR, CRS, GRI, e-PRO Searcy AR

Notice the title says the house is "going away." That is better than saying "being torn down."

I've always felt that this big old house located on the very edge of Highway 16 North (1105 N Maple Street) was a mystery house. It stood starkly and was empty of people, shrubs, fences or anything to make it look occupied. It was just there, a landmark. I always wanted to go inside and find out it's history and mystery.

It was always too close to the highway. Even when the highway was a little two-lane one.

Driving past it today, my old heart flipped again. It's going down! Someone is tearing it down! I hate that!!

But what does that sign on the front say? It says that it is being moved! And saved!

Steve Ghent is a builder in our town who loves history and saving historic homes. He will move it someplace where it will fit in and have a new life.

While being happy that it was to be restored and I didn't have to do the old "Another one bites the dust," I started looking at the construction.

Look at the boards! Real boards! Where's the wiring?

The house was built in 1937. Evidently it had absolutely no insulation in the walls.

Times are changing....have changed....will change more!! And even though I liked to see this old house, I wouldn't trade my super energy efficient house for this one. Green is the way to go!!

I am reblogging this for Don Thompson, one of my localism contributors who knows all about our Searcy and surrounding area. He tells a little about Steprock.

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Recently there was a postcard in the local paper showing a scene from the little farming community, Steprock, which is about 18 miles North of Searcy.

Steprock, circa 1910 A minister in a white shirt baptizes a young man as a woman watches
from the riverbank near the small White County community. The number of Arkansans who practice
religion has always been high, with most identifying themselves as Christian and Protestant.
The state's largest denomination is Baptist, including its Southern, Missionary, Free Will, Primitive
and other branches. Arkansas has been called "the buckle on the Bible belt."

My mother and stepfather, Boyce Bryant, had a farm in Steprock. I visited the farm when I was 9 by riding a bus which probably took over an hour to travel the 18 miles. Up the hill from the farm was a chicken farm owned by K.K. King who also ran our movie theater, the Rialto.

In the 40s, the farm had outhouses and a well for water. I remember hauling up one of those narrow shaft well buckets--also sometimes called "bullet buckets" or "torpedo buckets" and emptying the water into a communal water container. We used a dipper to get a drink. I remember the water had lots of strange particles but we just ignored them and gulped down the water without further thought.

Bald Knob, Arkansas, located about 12 miles from Searcy Arkansas, used to be the strawberry capital of the world! Now it is still a pretty busy little town but the strawberries are mostly pick-your-own.

Ebay had this card showing the Americana Motel located at Highways 64- 167 & 67 in Bald Knob. Phone number was Parkview 4-3204. It boasted electric year around air-conditioning, wall-to-wall carpets, tile baths and showers, TV, phones, and swimming pool.

I took a close look and felt as if I knew those people beside the swimming pool. That woman in white looks just like my mother used to look when she was younger and alive. She is sitting like my mother did. AND, that girl in the yellow dress looks just like my sister who was tall and sat just like my mother! Now I could say that the girl on the pool steps looks like me.....but I'd be lying. I'm more like the mousy one sitting in the third chair.

Now I know that my mother never visited a motel in Bald Knob.

But did you ever get that feeling that you were seeing your family all over again? Spooky. That's why I bought the card. And since I bought the card I might as well show you the "now" and the "then." The motel is still there and is now a Budget Inn.

Thanks for the paranormal visit, Mom!

My old friend called me today. She said it just as she always did.

"This is Lill [pause] Williams."

For the hard of hearing, the slow to catch on, the busy person....it was definite who was calling. There was never a quick, hard to understand, "ThisisLill," with the person on the receiving end of the call wondering who the devil this was. [Don't we get annoyed when someone calls and says, "This is John." Well, John who???]

Lill was my mentor when I started in real estate. We were on the phone each night comparing the day's events. She was a top-producer. She was smart. She was educated and motivated. She loved people. She made changes of importance in our Board of Realtors. She served as President of the Board. She helped start our Multiple Listing Service. She was a leader.

She taught me everything I know! She retired in 1992 and everyone hated to see her retire.

We had a party for her, a retirement party, at my house. She and her husband had plans to play golf, travel, read, and have a good time. They've done that. She called today to see if I was still selling because she didn't see my ad in a certain little Real Estate Guide. I assured her I'm still around and still missing her.

This cartoon was my parting gift to her. I figured it would take her a little while to master golf!

THANKS, LILL WILLIAMS! YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MY MENTOR!!!

Look what I found in this latest foreclosure that I'm having to work up.

I thought that it was so neat! The house was built in 1969. So perhaps this was part of construction in those days. However, I've been in a lot of 1969 houses and I've never ever seen one of these.

I thought it might just be something hanging on the wall like a picture. However, when I started to take it down there were wires and things behind it. It didn't intend to come down easily.

So I'm handing this puzzle to activerainers. Home inspectors, what would you have said about this device?