We began our search in Russellville, Arkansas. Pope County has 37 places, including several secret archeological (petroglyphs) sites, but nothing seemed to tie together the three sites we visited. We also wandered into an "Historic Neighborhood."
In honor of Black History Month (February), we made this house on the corner of South Houston (formerly spelled Huston) Avenue and West 3rd Street, our first stop. This house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the name Latimore Tourist Home.
Dwain found this book two years ago at the Antique Festival of the Ozarks in Springfield, Missouri. It's no bigger than an old S&H Green Stamp book. We paid more than the original 1959 price of $1.25 because we didn't expect to ever see another copy. Sometimes you only get one chance.
Look carefully. In 1959, African-Americans fortunate enough to be able to travel across the country only had this book as a guide to where they would be welcomed. The first Green Book was published in 1941, and the last one about 1970. In our 1959 edition, the only safe stops in the northwest quarter of Arkansas were Russellville (1), Fayetteville (1) and Fort Smith (2). At that time, Hot Springs was the most welcoming town for African-Americans.
Books like this weren't necessary by the time our generation graduated from high school. We didn't even know they existed. What a shock.
The house operated by E. (Eugene Gene) Latimore, his wife Cora Wilson Latimore and their daughter Anna, was built in the early 1900s. Today, most screens are missing on the front porch, banisters on the upstairs balcony have crumbled along with the paint, and an old storm door looks out of place. Minutes after this picture was taken, a cat jumped out of the porch.
The Latimores added onto their house so they could accept more guests. Allowing guests to stay in their home, increased their income and they got to meet a lot more people and expand contact with a wider world. We particularly liked the aluminum awnings on the west side of the house to keep out the hot, summer sun.
Here's part of the reason we rushed down today. This historic house may not be here much longer.
A window is broken; wasp nests are under the eaves; and many boards are rotting. It wouldn't be safe to walk around inside.
The Latimore's son-in-law, Damon Stokes Jr. (6/15/1926 - 9/20/2015) sold the house to the next door neighbor, New Prospect Missionary Baptist Church, the church he attended and where his funeral was held.
It's now up to the congregation to decide what will happen to the house.
A Notice of Condemnation has been posted on the old tourist home. We suppose that the City of Russellville will consider the historical value of this home before it is demolished, but the church will also have some say in what happens to this house.
A block or so east of the Latimore Tourist Home was this sign, "Old Town Historic Neighborhood." Bonus! We weren't even looking for that. The homes, yards, fences, porches and sidewalks in this neighborhood look so well kept and pretty. Wouldn't it be lovely if someone would gift the church enough money to restore the Latimore Tourist Home so that it could become a museum?
Here is another home in the Historic Neighborhood. As you can see from the scaffolding, repairs are definitely taking place.
A Confederate Mother's Memorial is also on the National Register of Historic Places. This little park was on Glenwood Avenue. It was such a small park that we almost missed it. In fact, we had to turn around and go back to find it. Those two rock columns on each side of the entrance were dedicated June 12, 1924.
The little park is pretty much maintenance free, with pine needles cushioning the walk up the little hill.
The land for the park was donated to the United Daughters of the Confederacy by Judge R.B. Wilson and his wife, Mary (Howell) Wilson on June 30, 1921.
The park originally had plans for a playground and a caretaker's home. But they didn't come to pass.
By October 10, 1921, a "granite shaft" had been erected on a hill in the park with the inscription: "This Park is Established as a Memorial to Our Confederate Mothers *** and Dedicated to the Happiness of the Children of Our United Country."
The other improvements are a gravel parking lot and a pine-laden path to the monument.
You have to take a short detour off Highway 7 to find this historic Center Valley Well House on the grounds of the Center Valley Elementary School. It was a project of the Works Progress Administration and was significant between 1925-1949.
The "official" plaque calls the structure the Center Valley Gazebo from 1937, but we'll stick with the Center Valley Well House. We don't much more about it than that. It may have supplied water to the school next door, but that's only a guess. It's a mystery.
We meant to stop and eat lunch at another structure on the National Register of Historic Places - Old South Restaurant - but it's closed on Sunday. Privately owned since built in 1947: Old South Restaurant was nominated as a historic location by State Government based on Architecture/Engineering and its significance in Architecture.
If you want to know if your property is historically significant enough for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, it should be at least 50 years old and be significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture. But first, you have to nominate your property to the Arkansas historic preservation office.
Good luck.
We're heading back to the Old South Restaurant. Its evidently got good food, but not on Sunday. Consider us educated.
How many of you have eaten at the Old South Restaurant during a trip to Russellville or through Russellville to Hot Springs?
Megan and Dwain
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