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Searcy, AR Real Estate News

By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
This pretty little house that once had a front porch is on its way down.  While driving by I did my usual OMG reaction to seeing this one almost gone.  And then I started remembering that its neighboring house was already gone!  So, Searcy Sleuths, what was the neighboring house?  Ok.....here's the picture.  The White County Court House still has the two pictures on line.The one on the left is gone.....with no signs of it left.  They are/were both owned by the Dale family and David Dale had told me they were going to remove the rock house for more room for the dress shops that now operate on each side of these two houses.  Several years ago this was the location of Francis Dale's Antiques and I bought lots of antiques from them.  The grandchildren have turned the shops into dress shops ...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
We have published the old Plaza Theatre picture before but this time it has the names of the band members.  I have always loved the looks of the building and the perfect way all the band members are sitting and standing.  The sign to the right on another street says, "Varner's Cleaners & Tailors.  We clean everything.  Phone 81."   Movies were HIGH WIDE AND HANDSOME, EBB-TIDE, and DOUBLE OR NOTHING.The picture was taken by Faucett-Hogue Photo Co of Litle Rock, ARK and was loaned to me for this blog by Shirley Baugh of Searcy.  I believe it was saved by the first boy, front row, left to right, Dale Van Patten.  Do you see any girls in the band???
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Where was it and what were they doing?This picture has Nov. 1952 written on the back.  The front lower corner says Novak Bald Knob Ark.  The water tower has something that looks like " ...national ......Co" written on it.  Could it have been International Shoe Co.?So, Searcy Sleuths, can you tell us where it was and what was going on?  The people seem to be dressed nicely and there is a crowd.  Perhaps someone was speaking to the group.  There are lots and lots of light poles.  I really like the picture and think you will too.  It was loaned to me by Shirley Betts Baugh for this blog.  Thanks, Shirley.
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Giant!  One giant of a movie!I was watching Giant, the 1956 movie that is still a great movie and one that I had not seen since it was first shown.  One memory is still sad.  I heard that James Dean, my idol at the time, had died.  In fact, he died before the movie was released.Anyway.....back to the subject.  Anita Hart Fuller, our super Searcy sleuth for history, insisted that I pay attention to the movie when two beauty operators come out and deny service to a character because she is Mexican.  She said one of them was a Searcy girl who went to Hollywood to become a movie star.  I am going to let Anita explain the end results of Martha Gene's leaving Searcy.  Above, however, in the center is Martha Gene Randall in the movie scene.  Below is Martha Gene's photo from the 1945 yearbook....
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Kathi Raines at The ArtistryI stopped by The Artistry at 802 S. Main, Searcy AR today and almost didn't get away.  It is a creative artist co-op with retail shops and a learning center.  Kathi Raines is the artist/owner.  I have known Kathi for years but didn't realize all the creativity that has gone into her business.  Lots of people are showing their artwork/treasures in the shop.  I saw the picture above and had to admit, "Kathi, that IS you!"  My daughter had described The Artistry as a "happy place."  So this is the perfect happy face of Kathi Raines, and it had to come home with me so that I could brag about the art work and exhibits at this happy place.  You cannot look at this picture and not smile.  At the moment she did not know who the artist was but I suspect the artist was...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Mercury dealership approximately 1952.The building is still there. I drive by this building daily, almost, and have wondered what was once there.  Seeing a picture in the book, "Memories of America Searcy" with my husband, a former car dealer, he pointed out that the Mercury dealership was once located in the building at the corner of Woodruff and Spring Streets in Searcy.  Compare the pictures and you can tell that he is right.  So we are seeing a before and after shot of a structure in Searcy AR.  It still has class and it would be nice for it to be used for business again.
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Find yourself in this group?  Check and see.I was just doing a preview trip and a "visit my daughter Valerie Smith Canepa" at the up-coming estate sale on Pin Oak in River Oaks when I saw two huge pictures that were so clear and full of nice folks on a bus trip.  The first one is shown above with kids and parents lined up in front of the bus that says First United Methodist Church.In the second picture is another large group with winter clothes so it must have been another church trip.  The pictures are so big that they are fascinating and make me wonder if these were specially made or were common for the trippers.  I placed the two on a chair for a snapshot so you can see approximately how big they are.  They are to be in the estate sale this weekend and are worth a trip to Searcy to c...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
 Interesting!  Building permit from Searcy AR. 1948This old building permit has been loaned to me by Sherry Person, whose father was Colonel Ivan Quattlebaum who collected everything, and whose husband was Leon Person who also collected lots of things.  She has a store of old and historic items and is willing to share them for this blog.  On the back of this old document is handwritten, "First building permit made in Searcy."  It was made out to Simon Person for a building to be constructed on Lots 46 and 47 Block Moore's Subdivision Watkins and Quarles Addition.  It was signed by Mayor B. L. Oliver and another person whose signature I can't make out.  It had to be finished by July 15th 1948.  I wonder if the building is still there?       
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
 What a fine group of students!Searcy Arkansas 1959 students ready to go out into the world!  They are standing in front of the historic Rialto Theater in Searcy.  The Rialto is still operating in Searcy and is still loved.  Lots of the students in this picture are still living in Searcy and the group is gathering this weekend, September 28, 2019, for a class reunion.  Don't mistake the Barbara Duncan on the first row for me, REALTOR Barbara S Duncan, but she is my sister-in-law and when I looked through the 1959 yearbook to find a picture of the group for this blog, she was on every page, almost, and was extremely active and popular in Searcy High School.  I like seeing the style of dress again.  Look at the bobby socks and saddle oxford shoes on the ladies, the skirts and sweaters, an...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
1950 Basketball Boys Searcy AR High SchoolHow do you like this group of guys?  They posed in 1950.  Boys used to wear short shorts for sports.  What happened?Anyway, these guys were named by Anita Hart Fuller at some time in the past.  The names are attached to the photo which was loaned to me by Sherry Person.  Front row:  D. D. Young, E. L. McCollough, Jim Christian, Buddy Huff, Chub Smith and Kenneth Smith (no relation).Back row:  Don Christian, Don Brown, Glen Adams, Bruce Douglas, Elwyn Hughes, James (Red) Morgan, Carthel Mac Angel, and Jimmy Dale Adams.Handwritten on the back is something like this.  "Their record on the homecourt was the best in history."   
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
 White County's Oldest Banking InstitutionLook at this old picture that was in the 1936  White County Centennial Edition of The Daily Citizen and White County Citizen.  It is a drawing of White County's oldest bank with three tiny vehicles in the street.  Let's see what it looks like now.  It is at the corner of Arch and Spruce on the Court Square of Searcy AR.I drove by there this morning and snapped this picture.  Looks as if it has lost some of the trim at the top of the building.  We have gained paved streets, fireplugs, street lights, sidewalks with handicapped accessibility, and garbage pickup.  The building still has class but has not been a bank in a long, long time.I am glad it is still a part of our town.
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Searcy's first female barber?While sitting in the barber chair a few days ago, I noticed this framed advertisement on the wall.  I examined it more closely and saw the "Searcy's First female Barber" written under one of the pictures.  The ad was from approximately 1977 and I was in her barber chair.....as I have been each time I needed a haircut for many years!  Dianne Felt Watson is a great barber and has been in the business since first hired by Wyatt & Poole Barber Service.Nosy me.....I had to ask what that was like.  She said it was hurtful when some people turned and walked out of the shop.  I said, "NO, they didn't!"  She said, "Yes, they did.  They said I was intruding into male territory and they didn't like it."  I guess that was an example of sexism which we are still trying t...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
 Wonder what year this was taken.Under the picture is written "Class of 1927."  There is no address or name of a school or town.  This is just one of those thrown-out, no-longer-cared-about pictures that some family treasured but their heirs don't.One of my associates asked what year I thought this might be.  Could you tell by the dress style?  I see all ladies wore skirts, and all skirts were the same length.  I do remember my mother fretting about the current year's dress length to be in style.  Not that I thought she was stylish but evidently she cared and the length varied from year to year.  Experts on style, what was the possible year and age of these folks?
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Another one bites the dustThis lovely little house with so much beautiful wood construction has been eliminated.  I loved the way it looked with stained glass windows and a combination of brick and frame with a matching building with car storage at the back.   The thing that I liked best, however, was the attention the previous owner had paid to making it comfortable for her pet cats.  Several years ago I talked to the builder that she had hired to do special features for the animals.  She loved animals so much that she let the an animal society operate a thrift shop, Paws Inn, in the back building.  The address was 207 N Oak.This picture, though, will help us remember a lovely small home.  I got it from the internet.
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Historic Black House in Searcy ARThis newspaper clipping was a long time ago but the old house in the background is still old, still lovely, and still loved by all of Searcy, AR.  It has been around since the 1860s and had been restored by Dr. Porter Rodgers, Jr. and the Yancey-Quattlebaum real estate firm.  Standing in the yard were E. D. Yancey, Tom Quattlebaum, Johnnie Beavers, and Peggy Sims.  Today it is the home of the Searcy Art Gallery and is owned by the city of Searcy.  Exhibits are featured at the gallery and are always interesting.  Stop by during their open hours and see the exhibit and the way it is decorated in the style of years gone by.  It really takes you back in time.  Located at 300 East Race.  Hours are Tuesday - Saturday 12 - 4 p.m.
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Old money bagToo bad you can't feel the age of this money bag.  It is stiff and inflexible and a bit dirty but the zipper still works.  The small print at the bottom says Member Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.The pictures on this bag show the bank, I think, when it was remodeled somewhere in the 50's or 60's or 70's.  My history expert, Anita Hart Fuller, tells me that the bank was originally named The People's Bank.  The employees at the bank had a contest to see who could rename it.  Her mother, Corinne Hart, won the contest with the name Security Bank.  Here is her picture. She is the one with black hair and she lived to be 100!  We have done several blogs about her.  Later on the bank became First Security Bank.....and still is.Searcy Sleuths will now need to help further.  I...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Recognize these locations?Here it is 2019 and Searcy is having a great time having new murals painted downtown, winning a contest for lots of money, and having new people come to town, love the town, and work to keep the town alive and vital.So these two buildings are the SAME buildings.  They come from my old issue of White County Centennial Edition of The Daily Citizen and White County Citizen, given to me by Letain DeVore, and published in 1936. The picture on the right above was Robertson's Drug Store in 1936.  (It is now Quattlebaum Music.)  Notice the corner entrance door and the drive- through or walk-through side window.  Now look at the picture on the left!  As it looked 30 years earlier!!  I can't tell about an entry but the upstairs is delightfully the same.  Perhaps someone ...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Hotel Mayfair, Searcy ArkansasThis picture was published in the August 1936 White County Centennial Edition of The Daily Citizen and White County Citizen.  It's the Mayfair Hotel in downtown Searcy and what impresses me the most if the extensive foliage around it.  If the trees were this big at that time, how big must they be now?  If they are still there.....The Mayfair has been a part of the history of Searcy for so long!  Finding this picture was fun.  Even better pictures of the Mayfair can be reached from this older blog.  Click here to see the hotel in other views.  I even tell a story about one of my favorite people from the hotel, Nick D'Auteuil, gone now but never forgotten.
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
 Another Morris School picture.We have found another few pictures of Morris School.  These were included in a 1936 issue called White County Centennial Edition of The Daily Citizen and White County Citizen published in August 1936.....a long time ago.This blogsite has had lots of responses from boys who attended Morris School in Searcy AR through the years.  Here we see some actual photos of boys swimming and hiking.  The school is  no longer in operation but it has a road named after it.  The road turns off Hwy 36 and leads to the location of the school.  Some parts of the school still remain.  This picture shows magnificent buildings.  A drive-by now shows such huge trees that you can't see very much about the remaining buildings.  Here are two other blogs about Morris School.  Go the...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
"Head-in at Headlee's"These photos are from The White County Centennial of The Daily Citizen and White County Citizen that was published in August 1936, a long time ago.  I like the drug store picture and the phrase underneath the picture.  Second picture shows the interior with several people.  Lots of shirts and ties.  Were they employees?  Customers?  And then there is the picture of the owner, Frank Headlee, with a little bragging that he was not just the genial proprietor but also the president of the Searcy Kiwanis Club.  On the side of the building, signs say DRUGS.....SODA.....CURB SERVICE....LUNCHES and something else that I can't see well enough to interpret.  I am impressed that they had a drive-through (or walk-through) at such an early date. If Searcy Sleuths have something...
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