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Articles by Barbara S. Duncan
Christmas is around the corner! Different Santa. Holds candle inside!
Different Santa Claus! He was at an estate sale that had SO many vintage and different items that I ended up bringing him home with me. What seems different is that the candle goes inside his body. Note the round opening at the back of him and it looks as if the top part of him may come off for a taller candle. Warnings on the bottom says to be very careful with him......which I certainly will. But he does have some charm, doesn't he!!
Black Cat! Crosses path! BAD LUCK!! Halloween is back.
Remember way back....your mother told you that if a black cat crossed in front of you, you would have bad luck! I think everyone believed that and was fearful. If you can click this link go back and review this Halloween yard blog that I wrote a few years back. https://activerain.com/droplet/HHs9 That family loves Halloween fun and has got them all up again....PLUS.....a big black cat and lots of new things!! Note the spiders! Now see this photo.
Perfect example 1952 photo young folks. Searcy AR High School yearbook
Check this out. It is such a good example of dress and behavior in the early 50s at high schools probably all across the country. This one was from a yearbook of Searcy AR High School in 1952. Check out the saddle shoes and folded bobby socks, skirt and sweater outfit and probably a little scarf around her neck. The boy, of course, had his blue jeans rolled up and the shoes look like lace-up oxfords. (Correct me if I am wrong on that, Man Sleuths!) And they are getting a coke from the machine.
100 year old Underwood typewriter! Wanted by Historical Society.
Here's the front view! Here is the back view! Don't they both look so complex! The age seems to be around 100 years old and made in about 1921. It belongs in a museum which we hope White County can establish before too much longer. Its story is interesting. Robert and Pam Edwards were just gifted (regifted) this Underwood typewriter. It looks so complex in these photos. Robert says it had been owned by his grandfather, Oscar Hargis, from Morrilton.
OLD! Very old eyeglasses case. Dr. J. L. Jones, Searcy AR
Found! Extremely old eyeglasses and case with the doctors name on the case. It reads that he was an Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat physician in Searcy AR. Searcy has this fantastic history book written by Raymond Lee Muncy in 1976 that we always search. Muncy's book tells us that John L. Jones was a general practitioner but may qualify for Searcy's first specialist since he was noted for his treatment of eye, ear, nose and throat ailments.
Moms clipped & saved! Newspapers we now miss. 75 year old sports.
Clippings!! Note the dates....1953, 1955....a long time ago!! I discovered these tucked into my late hubby's graduation certificate. It made me think of how we will probably have no more of these old treasures because newspapers are not prevalent like they were back then. Moms always read the paper and clipped things that interested them and definitely anything about the kids was saved. My husband, Rodger Duncan, apparently did well in sports in Searcy High School.
Monkey Pod Canister Set? Odd? Kiln dried. Mabini Handicraft Philippines.
These are especially unusual for a canister set. Looks like carved wood and there are four of them labeled flour, sugar, coffee and tea. They nestle into the largest one. I found them at a yard sale in Searcy AR. They have a hard-to-read label on the bottom that reads Kiln Dried Monkey Pod (that pod looks like poo and I misread it for several minutes) Handcrafted in the Philippines, Mabini Handicraft.
The Course at River Oaks. Golf course. Searcy AR 1993. Tee Markers
Found at Carport Sale! What are these things? Seller responded they were tee markers. I had never seen or heard of a "tee marker." Question time! I asked several folks about how they were used and I am still not sure but intrigued. But the interesting thing was their being from our popular golf course at River Oaks Subdivision in Searcy AR. I remember the creation of that fabulous new subdivision around the 1990's and folks were so proud to get a golf course surrounded by beautiful homes.
Sign down. Searcy AR historic Yarnell billboard. Hwy 67 S near airport.
So sad to see historic marker gone. Here's a picture of how it has looked in the past to welcome folks to Searcy and perhaps brag a little. It dates back to at least the mid 1960s and held a Yarnell's Ice Cream sign and was probably put up by Yarnell's. I have tried to find an older picture of it but have not been successful. Don Thompson, Searcy native and blog super-sleuth, provided this one. It is (or was) located near the airport at the corner of Booth Road and Main Street.
Spittoon? What's a spittoon? Historic item. Brass and very old.
History documents that people, especially tobacco chewing men, used to sit around in a group and needed to spit. Thus, the solution was a thing to spit in, a spittoon. They were built with a wide, funnel shaped top and heavy base so they would not tip over easily. They were common in public places like saloons, hotels, train stations, and many places during the 19th and early 20th centuries. I just met this one at a carport sale this weekend. It is made of brass and is very old.
Unusual? YES! Buy house, get artist-painted wall free! Sheila Parsons.
The house was built in 1969 in Searcy Arkansas and is now for sale. The actual date that this Sheila Parsons painting was done is not known. But it is signed by Parsons and has been saved throughout the years. Who is Sheila Parsons? A google search (https://www.arkansasheritage.com/arkansas-art-council/registry-rosters/arts-on-tour/sheila-parsons) says she is a Conway AR artist and has been a very active artist for years and years.
Long time friends! Long time, no see. Special occasion for sure.
I had to love this special meeting after having not seen Lora since the 1980's when I was doing art instruction and real estate! She is on the left in the pictures above and my real estate partner/daughter, Valerie, is on the right. Note my special shirt. It is my "motorcycle jacket" and it takes a very special occasion for me to drag it out! This one was! I loved Lora then and still do. She has not changed. She and Valerie still look lovely!! Thanks for the meeting!
Small box. BIG ITEMS! Strange. How'd they do that? Shru
I needed new pillows, king sized. So after a trip to the stores with so many pillows to choose from and so little help from sales staff, and free shipping offered online, I decided to order them. It may have been a good idea because I learned something new. The box shown above arrived through the mail! Surprise! What was it? How could those huge pillows be backed in that small box? I solicited the help from daughter to open the strange package.
CHRISTMAS IS OVER!! Sez who? This lovely Santa goes o
Very special Santa Claus He is tall, beautifully painted, and could fit in my house all during the year. He would not be sent upstairs with the other decorations waiting till next December. The painter was able to order the ceramic items and finish the item in her own style. Look at the finish work on Santa. Makes me wonder how much she would have been able to do.
Once famous. Loved greatly. Dolls. Who were they? Begin
They stare at me! They want attention again, I think. This big old storm day keeps us all home.......no getting away from the old painting of two dolls that used to be SO loved and SO played with. The artist was not a trained artist but liked trying. But it was a long time ago and I can't remember their names. I think the one on the left was Mary and a lot taller than this shows. And I think the one on the right was one whose hair grew and was so advertised that all little girls wanted one.
Searcy AR had a saloon! 1906 Photo. Matthews. Where was
A Saloon! In Searcy AR, dry county? This is a newly found photograph labeled with Matthews Saloon 1906 that is being shared with us for this blog. The lender found it in her parent's collection and knows nothing about it and hopes the Searcy Sleuths can provide more information. A super Super Sleuth has done some searching and has come up with the following interesting information. Here is what he has supplied and has written his own blog and let me share it.
When vehicles were smaller. Searcy AR downtown. Arch St
Wider Streets, Smaller Vehicles? Which is it? This old view of West Arch in Searcy AR towntown is very interesting. Folks will remember the businesses, and definitely the one with the Pianos sign.
Old vs New look. Once was Jack Price house. Searcy AR.
Old look. 401 W. Woodruff. Searcy AR. Built 1930. This is an old picture of what is now called the Jack Price house. So who was Jack Price? Some of my friends say he was once sheriff of White County and lived there for a long time. That was sometime back in the 1960s. Searcy Sleuths, if you know more, share it! Meantime, here's the way it looks right now! It is being restored! I am glad it is not being torn down!!
Remember? Parking Meters? Searcy AR. Arch St. Years ag
Look hard. Parking meters! And look at those favorite businesses, some that remain today. Quattlebaum Music, Stotts! According to this old picture showing the car on the right, the parking here must have been at an angle. My memory about how they worked was you'd park and go to the parking meter and put in change like pennies, nickels or dimes and buy your parking for a set amount of time, maybe an hour, and the meter would show if you had time reserved.
Coca-Cola 1888 advertisement. Miracle drink. Cures all
1888 Advertisement for Coca-Cola! Look at this interesting advertisement for Coca-Cola. My blog buddy, Don Thompson, from way back sent it to me after he read the blog I wrote about the Coca-Cola Mailbox holder. Read it if you'd like. Click this. https://activerain.com/droplet/JFgK Then go to google and search the history of Coke. The history says this Mr. Pemberton died in 1888 and sold all his interest in Coca-Cola and from then on it gradually became the national treasure as it is now.
UNUSUAL! Strange! In Searcy AR! Coke mailbox!! Betcha n
Coco-Cola mailbox holder! Look closely and see that a coke is also on the mailbox! I had to drive by again, stop the car, and go feel of the coke/post to see if it was made of glass! It wasn't. (Now I need to go back and feel of the small one attached to the mailbox and see if it is glass with half of it on each side of the box. I forgot to feel of it.) The big one was some kind of metal and the red strip had to have been separately made.
siri
Does Siri paint for you? I can't remember where I got this pretty still-life painting but I thought it was nicely done. I can't forget the signature on it, however. Siri has become a part of our lives in the past few years. And is Siri a she or a he? So I am wondering what all she/he can do! So can she paint a picture?? And how would she do it? This picture looks like an original but may be a print. Can you help me with this picture?
Rhodes Memorial Field House. Harding College. Searcy A
Here's a neat old post card showing a very historic Harding College, now University, building. It was built in 1949 and was a re-purposed WWll airplane hangar! Google told me that. Next is the address side of the card. It is rather hard to read but says that it had facilities for many sports including roller skating, seating space for 800 spectators and the playing floor was large enough for 3 basketball games to be played at once. It was named for the late B. F.
What is this!! Fruit from Tree of the Month. Osage Oran
Strange! Weighs almost 2 pounds! Don't be under the tree when it falls! The tree is shown below. The sign is calling it the Tree of Month in Searcy AR and is located right behind Mayfair Hotel which has just been sold to new owners. The third picture shows parts of my car parked amidst the dropped fruit and shows how big the fruit is and some that has been crushed by traffic. I picked up one and brought it home with me. Here is what City of Searcy facebook entry says about the tree.
Lorene Smith, REALTOR at Searcy AR, passes. One of firs
A long ago picture All of the real estate agents in Searcy AR loved Lorene. She was one of the first lady REALTORS in this town. I began real estate in 1979 and she was already a successful agent in the business. She was among the first women to serve in the profession in Searcy AR and helped pave the way for other women to be in the profession.
Colorful cars. N Spring, Searcy AR history.
Ok. I admit it. I have a white vehicle. My husband had a white truck. Most of my friends and his friends have white vehicles. Seeing a bright yellow or baby blue or red vehicle will make you blink several times from surprise. So, what happened to cars like these in this old picture above of our beloved North Spring St. in Searcy AR? And what happened to parking meters? Did double-color cars cost more? And notice the lack of pickup trucks above? The vehicles above are attractive, aren't they?
New Shop! Searcy AR! Ivory & Oak. Molly Hale & Amand
Lovely new shop at 814 Holmes Rd, Searcy AR. Just head out Hwy 16 North and turn left on Holmes RD, just hehind Sonic, and there you are! Here's the yard sign. Now I know you have a question. That's a strange name. Here's a closeup of the sign on the front of the building. So I agree. That's a different name.....tell us about it. Molly answered me and I quote her. Molly answered me and I quote her. "The meaning behind out sign, Ivory & Oak Design, is more than a name.
Over large mail. Big mail box full. Searcy AR. Gifts. D
A gift (unexpected) for me! A few days ago https://activerain.com/droplet/Jzv4 I wrote a blog about over-large mail stuffed in mailboxes, at least in mine. Click above to go to the blog and see a picture. WELL.... Now the largest ever has come. I practically had to pry it out of the box and I wish I had taken a picture of its coming out of the box. Inside my house I put the objects on my table and above is the picture of the contents. 1.
Favorite fun picture, Rodger Duncan, girls, Searcy AR,
I love this picture! I married the boy years later and he passed away 3 years ago this weekend. All who knew him loved him and miss him. This blog is in his memory. Here's the original one. https://activerain.com/droplet/7S5b Look at the little boy standing there strutting his stuff. Never mind that his pants were too big, his shirt a bit small. His smile was large and genuine. One little girl is holding on to him. I think of words to describe him in this picture! Join me.
Searcy AR new gifts at Historic Benjamin Clayton Black
This is lovely! As is everything in this Searcy Art Gallery Historic home located at 300 E. Race, Searcy AR. Gifted by old Phoenix Club heirs is this china cabinet plus desk space. And this chair that has this plaque on the back of it, shown below. The plaque says ARKANSAS SEARCY 1803 LA PURCHASE EXPOSITION 1903. So what's the story? Back in 1896 a group of Searcy ladies decided that Searcy needed more culture, like a Cultural Club, and established one that later became the Phoenix Club.
Oversized junk mail. Too much of it! Searcy AR history
Too much oversized worthless mail! It will not easily fit in mailboxes. Mail carriers must not like carrying the oversized mail. Makes me think of the history of mailboxes. My older house and most of our Searcy Arkansas older subdivisions still have little hanging mailboxes beside the front door and the "mailman" still walks through the neighborhood and delivers the mail. Wonder how they like this big stuff? That made me start thinking. Betcha you have paid no attention to mail boxes.
Buttons! Talk about buttons. Pearl buttons. Arkansas's
Buttons!! In my blog career we have never talked about buttons. What can you say about buttons? I just read an interesting article about buttons. First Security Bank's weekly email had an article about buttons that I found interesting and had never heard of. Keisha Pittman McKinney wrote about "The Hidden Story of Arkansas's Pearl Button Boom." In the early 1900's, Arkansas was at the center of a pearl rush and by the mid-century was producing lots of buttons.
Drive by...Stop!! Is that another bite the dust! 307 Ce
Looks bad, doesn't it? I was driving by this old house and noticed the condition of it. Built in 1901, so says the Course House info about it. That means it is about 124 years old! What is going on? Is it another one getting prepared to "bite the dust"? So I hurry home and start my research about it. It sold a few months ago. It had been sitting there empty for years and going down.
Mayfair. Historic hotel in Searcy AR. New owner coming.
What's next? Mayfair Hotel is changing hands. Here are a few of the old pictures and one made today! It is almost 100 years old! I put this view on a blog a few years ago. 2009 I believe it was. Pull up that blog and see the pictures and read an interesting story about one of its original owners. click here......... https://activerain.com/droplet/74XQ And possibly this is the original look in the picture above. Fancy, fancy, and the vehicles reveal the age. No, I don't know what age they were.
Cattails. Good memories. Searcy AR. Surprise Mom. Overg
Cattail Ditch A few days ago I stopped at a store, opened my car door, stepped out and saw this grown up ditch with what in it!!! Cattails! You often see them while traveling down a road but don't stop. This time I was already stopped! They were very attractive and a few, very few, were reachable from the edge of the ditch. And then the memories began.
Sad memory. Searcy AR. Jr High taken by fire. 1981. Sho
Old Junior High Seems as if I spend a lot of time now going through old saved things. Sometimes the memories are delightful and other times the memories are not pleasant at all. So it was with these two discoveries. Way back on Dec. 30, 1981 the Searcy Junior High shown above burned. I had a son who was very close to the school and I had taught there just a few years before. My son prowled around after the fire and brought home these two objects.
Spring St. Searcy AR. Haircut plus bath at same place.
Baths in Searcy AR?? Public Baths? Searcy AR? Surely Not!! But look at this old, old postcard! See the sign on the side of a building on the left side? If you are confused about where you are it is Spring Street looking North. Imagine that on the left side, just before the first building, would be Mayfair Hotel! Reportedly, the vehicles are about 1920's. The street looks very wide and there are quite a few people. In small towns folks went downtown on Saturdays so maybe it is Saturday. BUT BATHS???
1954 Class. Fun to analyze. About 75 yrs ago. Kids fa
South Georgia kids about 75 years ago. Check their outfits and compare with our students today. Of course, girls could not wear pants to school. And they sure loved those saddle oxford shoes and bobbie socks. The skirts had to be the same length and might change from year to year. Boys were crazy about blue jeans rolled up and apparently plaid shirts and skirts and dresses were the chosen style. Now look at the middle student on the front row. Is she a boy or girl?
Norma Young again. Searcy AR. Chicken cooking queen. Wo
Here is our Norma Young again. I discovered a National Chicken Cooking Contest Recipes book this week and it was written in 1971 for the 23rd annual contest winner's recipes. And there she was! Our Searcy Arkansas queen, Norma Young with her signature! We think she discovered and made famous Chicken Nuggets. Go to this earlier blog and read more about her and the recipe. And the recipe is easier to read. Click below. https://activerain.com/droplet/Jpqm WASN'T THAT FUN!
My mother. Was she fashionable? Check hair style. Rosie
Rediscovered. Painting of my mother from 1966. Well, yes. It was done by little me and it has resurfaced. It is still located in Georgia, where I grew up. It was painted in 1966 in Searcy AR with my signature. She was probably in her 20's at the time. She does look young and pretty here. What I have noticed this time and probably before about her hair covering. It looks a lot like this style. Seems as if ladies could use a hankie or scarf to hold back the hair and tie the wrap above the forehead.
25th annual KTHV11 Cereal Drive. Searcy AR. Successful!
Look who is admiring my new shirt! Tom Brannon, who gave me the shirt, and who is pictured all over it, points to it. My daughter, Valerie Canepa, is trying to take it because she likes it so much. Actually, it is last year's shirt but I didn't get one last year. The Cereal Drive is held yearly by KTHV11 TV station and goes to several different cities to solicit cereal for our kids. The sign below shows how successful Searcy was with 6503 boxes. Tom Brannon and Karen Fuller are in the group below.
HEY! Support Searcy AR! KTHV11 25th Annual Cereal Drive
HEY!! SO!! We have had Searcy in the news a lot in the last few years. Our Mayor Matt Faulkner has done a great promotion job for our town. He is going to support this drive and will come and visit the drive. KTHV11 is having their 25 anniversary cereal drive this year. They visit cities and collect cereal to help our children. It is time for them to visit Searcy. The drive will be held Wednesday, June 11, 2025 at the front of our large Walmart store beginning at 6:30 am.
A Penny For Your Thoughts? Member of the Penny Generat
The Arkansas Democrat Gazette had an interesting article about the penny being discontinued in a short time. Seems it costs more to make them than they are worth, costing about 3 cents to make a penny. SO.... I am declaring now that I have been a long-time part of the "penny generation." I fondly remember just a few things about growing up way back then. [Maybe not TOO fondly.) 1. For 10 of them I could buy a coke and peanuts to put in it. Did you ever put peanuts in your coke? 2.
Before Any Were Willing. George S Benson story. 1991 bo
Book Discovered. George S. Benson was president of Harding College for years and years, approximately 1936 to 1965. The book was written in 1991 by John C. Stevens. I am sad to say that I never knew that it was written and published. How about you? Just a few days ago I found it at a Searcy AR estate sale and now own it and can put it in my collection of publications by Searcy-interested folks. And now I wonder how the book escaped me. I even graduated from Harding back in the early 1970s.
My very first blog. 9/1/2007! Total blogs as of today.
No picture today. Well, perhaps a picture of my daughter, whom the blog is about. As normal, she had encouraged me to try something new. To be honest, she has insisted that I do many things!! I was a real estate agent and blogging was something new so off I went. How many years is that? 18!! How many blogs have I done? OMG!! 2078 blogs. They began as real estate related and have now grown to be more like historic things from my area. So here goes the first one.
A Great Gift. 1904 Searcy AR Cumberland Presbyterian Co
Let's see. 2025 -1904 = 121 years ago? That's a long time ago when this cookbook was compiled by the Ladies' Aid Society of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Searcy AR. The gift was from my good friend and great Searcy artist, Howard Johnson. He says it is a copy of the original and reportedly possibly the oldest church cookbook in Arkansas. The Church is still in great shape and was already 54 years old when the original book was done.
SURPRISE MAIL! Who sent it? 10 color Pee Wee football p
I received a surprise package in the mail today! It has no name on who sent me the package of 10 wonderful old photos of the beginning Pee Wee football players in Searcy AR from 1969 to 1972. This one is of the Duncan's Roadrunners. Look at the coaches in the back. Aren't they handsome!! The one on the right is of my husband Rodger Duncan and one on the left is Sidney Quattlebaum and they were instrumental in beginning the teams and the program. Okay, next you are seeing a group of 9 pictures.
Sears, once loved, now gone. Sandpaper packet. Vintage.
We all loved Sears, Roebuck and Co. I stumbled upon this very old looking packet of sandpaper with the Sears name on it. All 6 sheets of sandpaper were still in it. I could find no price or date on it anywhere. One of the sheets is shown below. What is Aluminum Oxide?
1993 Searcy AR Real Estate Memories. RE/MAX Advantage c
WHAT A CREW! WHAT A MEMORY! I know, I know! Can't remember some of this crew? Realize it was about 33 years ago and that helps with the reason and I have the same problem. But it is a REALLY good memory. I am on the bottom row right proudly wearing my new RE/MAX jacket and I guess we were holding fingers up because we aimed to be #1! RE/MAX was a brand new franchise in the country and the guy in the white shirt and tie, Robert Cargile, brought it to town.
Memories! Searcy AR. Book written 2012 Carolyn Boyles
Wonderful Memories Check your bookshelves. As I did. You may find this wonderful book of memories of Searcy AR. As I did. It was written in 2012 by Patsy Pipkin, a Searcy lady, and Carolyn Boyles, who seems to go from place to place writing these memory books. She chose Searcy for one and had Patsy Pipkin help her write it. Patsy was an award-winning author and longtime resident of Searcy and White County.
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