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... 08/26/2019

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 ... 08/19/2019

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. 08/09/2019

 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... 08/07/2019

"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... 08/05/2019

Recognize this home?  This photo was in the 1936 White County Centennial Edition of The Daily Citizen and White County Citizen.  It is a large 16 page edition with various pictures and it was given to me by my friend, Letain DeVore.  This picture was on a two-page spread entitled A FEW OF THE MANY ATTRACTIVE HOMES THROUGHOUT WHITE COUNTY.  Somehow this one looked familiar and it did turn out to be one that we see daily if we drive East Race St.  It is located at 1215 East Race and the view below shows it as it is today.  The tiny tree in the picture above now has a huge limb that shows in the picture. Interesting, isn't it!   07/28/2019

A lovely groupVani Quattlebaum Geroy, on front row, far right, posted this photo of a group of 9th grade cheerleaders in Searcy Arkansas.  She gave me permission to put it on a blog. I know several of them and am sad to say that the girl on the front row, far left, has passed away.   Also, just this week, the tall girl in the center, back row, has passed away.  She was Merrell Walker, loved by all who knew her.  I know we'd all like to know the names of the other girls so hopefully, either Vani or a Searcy Sleuth will give us their names. 07/21/2019

Anyone remember radio as a big item in Searcy, AR?  Anyone remember the radio show, "Party Line?"This delightful calendar from 1957 has shown up for sale on ebay and my friend and Searcy Sleuth Supreme , Don Thompson, did research on the radio station.  Here is what he seems to have found.  He put quite a few question marks in his write-up because he is not sure of the accuracy of what he pulled up.  He moved away from Searcy before all of these things took place so he is hoping that some of you other Searcy Sleuths can tell us more about what went on  in the radio world.  I seem to remember a Party Line but never participated.  Let's hear from you who may remember.At 5:30 a.m., August 25, 1951 KWCB went on the air forthe first time, operating at 1000 watts and located at 1300 on the AM... 07/12/2019

Remember Double Knit?  Back in the late 60's and early 70's there was a fabric called doublt knit and it was wonderfully comfortable and easy to sew.  The style at the same time was mini-skirts.  So shame on me for holding onto clothes that were very special to me at the time.  I loved them too much to give them up so they are "vintage clothing."  I, unfortunately, can no longer even get half of me in them but I found a willing model to try them on and let me get a final photo of them.  She was caught off-guard so she didn't have the spike-heeled shoes or the make-up to wear with them and I have  hidden her face and feet but she might show up at the end.The pink dress is the one I wore when Rodger Duncan became my husband.  We married in Las Vegas so the dress was appropriate.  Lesson l... 07/08/2019

Found.  Broken tombstone.My friend was working on a fixer-upper when he dug into an old storage pit.  He found this old tombstone and wonders if anyone knows the family or how the stone got into this spot.  It is definitely old.  The top part says, "Mishey A wife of R F Edwards."The bottom part says "Born June 23 1853  Died April 19 1903."The address where the stone was found was 805 N Birch in Searcy.  My friend wants to return it to the family if anyone can give information regarding a family.  And he would give it to the Historical Society if they wanted it.   07/02/2019

Leaders of Searcy Art GalleryA treasure?  Yes, Searcy Art Gallery is not just an art gallery that displays art.  It is really a historic treasure.  It is called The Black House, named for the Black family who built and lived there for so long.  Yesterday, June 29, 2019, the house was dressed up for company like it would have been done in the past.A beautifully dressed table with special prepared foods is shown partially in the photo above.  A reception was held to feature "Small Works on Paper " touring exhibit and was held from 1:00 to 3:00 pm.  Everything was lovely with fresh flowers all over the house.  Debbie Higgs, shown above in the photo, worked hard to get all things just right.If you missed it, don't despair.  Plan to visit 300 E Race sometime soon.  You will experience how th... 06/30/2019

A scene from the past.This is a slightly tilted picture that I was allowed by Searcy Art Gallery to scan for this blog.  I don't think it was a postcard or it would not be so tilted.  But it is a great scene from the past.  Old cars, Coke signs.  Was it Headlee Drug Store or Headlee's Drug Store?The building was at the corner of Center and Spring Streets downtown and reportedly Headlee had two drug stores.  Searcy Sleuths, am I right about that?  I definitely remember the last Headlee Drug Store.  It was extremely popular with Searcy folks who came to visit with friends, drink coffee and have good food.The date?  Perhaps the age of the cars will reveal the approximate date.Thanks, Searcy Art Gallery. 06/29/2019

E. D. Wakenight Supply Co.This is a new one.  I had never seen this picture before.  I was visiting the beautiful Searcy Art Gallery and noticed lots of old postcard copies on an antique table.  While thumbing through them, I found this one and got permission to scan it for this blog.  There are several trucks and my guess is that the people were employees and owners.  I am also hoping that some Searcy Sleuth will identify where this location in Searcy was and the approximate year.  Notice there was a sign saying BEER SANDWICHES.  Did they make a sandwich out of beer or did they sell both?  Another good question for the sleuths.  And the cafe sign must have said City Cafe?Searcy Art Gallery is so interesting.  If you have not been by,  go by and enjoy history and beautiful art work and ... 06/27/2019

For sale by owner signThis sign has been a source of interest and humor.  At first this was just a big sign attached to a tree and folks wondered what it was going to say.Then the sign as you see above appeared.  It is unusual, for sure, and we are all eager to assist our service members.  As a REALTOR I don't usually feature a for sale by owner, but I am putting this online with the permission of the seller.Here's the thing that has won us all over.  THE DOG!  While driving by we noticed a dog near the sign.  OK.  Nice dog.  The next time we go by the dog has moved to another spot near the sign.  Each day the dog is in another spot. Then.....and then.....the dog has climbed the sign!  That feisty pooch guards that sign and we who drive by so often, smile each time.  I love the creativi... 06/19/2019

Truman Baker SignAt first, all you see in this sign is a car license plate saying Truman Baker.  It is pretty historic because Truman Baker has been gone a long time and so has the Truman Baker car dealership in Searcy AR.  Their best location, in case you are new to Searcy, was where Walgreen's is now.  Right there on that corner of Race and Main for years and years.This sign, however, is quite creative when you think about it.  Look at the second line, Race Street.  It has speed lines on it and is printed in italics which makes it look speedy.  There is no date on it so it must have been used to advertise a speedy dealership on a speedy street!!  Now you see that it was designed with creativity!Where did I get it?  Dragged from the attic and I don't know how long it was up there. 06/13/2019

A Surprise GiftAn unexpected package arrived at my office today.  The address was from a friend that I met through this activerain blog and developed into his listing a property with me and getting it successfully sold.  He actually carved this lion clock himself!  He grew up in Searcy AR and loves the Searcy Lions.  On the bottom it says "Hand made by Cliff Wiggs 2019."  He did this himself, inserted the clock which came with the correct time and a note saying that it can be reset and a new battery can be installed by prying the clock gently out of the wood.It is lovely, Cliff Wiggs, and I am so happy that we met through this blog!  Thank you so much!!! 06/10/2019

Mesmerized!I don't remember ever using that word before.  But it came to me as I watched out the window for approximately two hours as four guys trimmed and topped trees in our front yard.  I was unable to get away from the window as the bucket was moved all around the tree with controlled chain-saw drops from the trees.  See that tiny light fixture on top of the pillar at the driveway?  The company was skilled enough to not drop a single limb so that it would hit that fixture.This picture was taken as they were almost completed.  As the limbs dropped, two guys gathered them up and fed them into a wood shredding machine which spit the results into a truck to haul off.  They then cleaned up the yard and left the yard in perfect condition.That's why I was at least two hours late for work!... 05/26/2019

Johnny Cash's childhood homeWe traveled for miles and miles.  Not a lot of traffic but lots and lots of farmland on either side of the road.  Neither of us had been in this part of the country before.  We were leaving Searcy AR and going to Dyess AR to visit the restored home of the Cash family.  Valerie was taking a day off to tour history with this old mom.We traveled through several scenic small towns.  It made me think again about my blog, "The larger the tree, the older the house."  The main street (now the highway) would run through the center of the town and the yards had huge trees with nicely maintained old homes.We detoured for lunch and visited Wilson AR, a charming small town that has English Tudor style on all the buildings.  She knows I love English Tudor so she planned we... 05/19/2019

Happy Team of Youngsters.A friend just sent this picture  to see if perhaps I knew who the folks were.  It reminds me of the old training we had for writing reports.  Who?  What?  When?  Where?  All of these were important.  So who were these delightful boys who had probably just finished a game of softball or baseball.When was this.  Possibly a year could be given.What they were doing is rather interesting.  What are those things on the table?  Are those minature trees on the table?  And what is that in the hand of the man in the striped shirt?And finally, where was it?  A park with a picnic table for sure. That building in the background looks somewhat like the old Searcy Library in Spring Park.  Go here for a great picture of the old library.  So now we need some input from the Searc... 05/02/2019

Here's a blog that I wrote in 2010 that has had a lot of views.  40,283 views as of a few minutes ago.  Someone just commented on it and I went back to check it out.  I did have to smile again when I visited it.  It really is fun!  Here is the old blog.  Try it.  I am sure it is nothing compared to what can be done today but it is still up there with nice faces to watch speaking your words. I wrote a blog about a spooky voice saying to me, "Have a nice dinner.  I will call you tomorrow."  It was from a landline text.  The voice is robotic and mysterious sounding because you don't know who it is from.A blogging buddy sent me this fantastic web link and you need to visit it just as I did. Click here.  You'll meet Julie who will say whatever you type in.  She'll say it in different languag... 04/28/2019