An Arkies Musings

C is for Carnton Plantation.  Recently on our way to Ootelwah, Tennessee for my Aunt's 85th birthday party, we stopped in Franklin, Tennessee.  My sister and her husband from Missouri were also heading to the same party.  We called them to see where they were, and they just happened to be in Franklin.  We got together for lunch at the Franklin Mercantile Deli .  After lunch we toured the Carnton Plantation. Carnton was built in 1826 by former Nashville mayor Randal McGavock. Throughout the nineteenth century it was frequently visited by those shaping Tennessee and American history, including President Andrew Jackson. Carnton was a working plantation of 1,400 acres of which 500 acres was used to raise wheat, corn, oats, hay and potatoes. After his father died in 1843, John McGavock took possession of the property and continued to farm it until his death. Under his direction, Carnton grew to become one of the premier farms in Williamson County, Tennessee. ...

While I was visiting my Aunt Opal Vega for her 85th birthday celebration she let me have a copy of her Memories that she had written down. I am transcribing them to this blog so that as many people as possible will be able to see them. Grandma Reeve, Edith May Lewis, was born in De Moines, Iowa, on July 19, 1877.  At a young age, her mother, Nancy Jane Swan Lewis went to take care of her parents for ten or twelve years.  Edith and her father, John Henry Vreland Lewis, were not allowed to go. Her father came to visit his sister in Tennessee.  While there he took sick and died. He is buried in St. Elmo's Cemetery at the foot of Lookout Mountain. Aunt Lola and Aunt Fay (Reeve) Prowant looked it up when visiting Donna and Bill near Chattanooga, Tennessee several years ago. Many of us cousins have visited his grave. Grandma went to school in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1891. She visited the Chicago World's Fair in 1892. She had three sisters (Jenny, Ella, and Ida), and two...

Steamboats changed the face of America.  Before steamboats, freight had to be either hauled by wagon or on rafts, flatboats, and keel-boats. River transport was difficult, hazardous, and costly. In 1811 the first river steamboats left the dock at Pittsburgh to steam down the Ohio River to the Mississippi and on to New Orleans.  With the use of steamboats, the freight rates per hundred pounds from New Orleans to Louisville dropped from 5 dollars to 25 cents, between 1815 and 1860.  Steamboat traffic including passenger and freight business grew tremendously during this period . So too did the economic and human losses inflicted by snags, shoals, boiler explosions, and human error.  From 1811 to 1899, 156 steamboats were lost to snags or rocks between St. Louis and the Ohio River and another 411 were damaged by fire, explosions or ice.  Travelling by steamboat was dangerous. Back in the days when steamboats were common, a passenger stood watching the pi...

This is my article as published in the July 25, 2013 issue of The Mena Star A few years ago my friend Richie Owens spent a year of his life writing and recording an album. I remember his enthusiasm as he would bring me new songs to listen to. Songs just seemed to pour out of him as he focused on this project. One of my favorite songs that he wrote was titled "Like A Child". Richie ended up choosing the song as the title track of the album. Here are the lyrics I remember the story from when I was young Where Jesus was teaching one day And there were some little ones come to see Him But the men tried to send then away Little did they know this gentle young man Was the one by whom all things were made He decided to make an example of them To explain something He had to say Let them come unto Me For such is the kingdom of God Come ye also like them For unless you do you'll be lost We have to trust fully in Him, not ourselves Rely on his word before ...

B is for Blend.  Recently the group Blend was in concert here in my hometown at the Ouachita Little Theater.     Blend started at John A. Logan College in 2005 for a talent show and ended up winning it. From there, they decided to pursue it as a career.  The real strength of Blend lies in their ability to entertain crowds of all ages with songs which most everyone has heard at one point or another.  On top of their classic doo-wop routine they are also a deeply spiritual group and love to share their gospel music as well. I really enjoyed the concert.  Blend is an acappela group, they use no instruments or pre-recorded music.  What you get is just some guys singing and having a good time.  They put on a very entertaining show and kept the audience involved, often coming down off of the stage and singing in the audience. Some of the songs on their setlist included, Chain Gang, Duke of Earl, Pretty Women, Come Go Wit...

Today is my Daddy's 77th birthday.  He was born in Kansas on the hottest day ever recorded in the state.  The official weather service temperature in Fredonia, Kansas on July 18, 1936 was 121 degrees. He was born just a few miles away.  I have heard stories from my grandmother about how they had to keep wetting sheets with water and drape them over the crib to try and keep him cool. In honor of Daddy's birthday here are a few photos of him over the years. Happy Birthday Daddy!!