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Searcy, AR Real Estate News

By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
 White County courthouse drawing.1986 is the date signed by the artist and must be the approximate date  of the drawing for this plan for the courthouse grounds.  I clipped this article by Tommy Jackson, editor of the Daily Searcy Citizen, but I did not keep the extension of the article on page 3A.  The article says there was a move afoot to enhance the beauty of the courthouse which was built in 1877.  The White County Quorum Court had agreed to match on a dollar-for dollar basis up to $3000 for contributions  made by the public to the Courthouse Grounds Beautification Committee for the purpose of professionally landscaping and maintaining the courthouse grounds, and dollar-for-dollar up to $100 per month for maintenance.I guess I liked the drawing and it looks like it is signed by She...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
We were visiting houses on our weekly tour of new listings.  The house was expensive, custom built, and in a lovely area of Searcy AR.  I expected everything to be perfect, which it was but I was especially impressed with this rock that was in a flower bed in front of the house.  Notice it has a hole in it and water is coming out!  It just looked like a rock.....Someone had done a clever job of putting a fountain, hidden, into the rock so that it spouted water all the time.  They put rocks over the operating mechanisms so you only saw the rock with water.  This could even be common but it was a first for me!  I loved it!
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
 We have been dwelling on memories of old downtown Searcy AR.  Here's a picture that a friend contributed and it is a good one!  Here we see what used to be a bank and now was Esquire Men's Shop.  Beside it is Mrs. Harris's Cafeteria.  The year is not given.  I seem to remember that Mrs. Harris once ran the Rendezvous.  Sleuths, is that correct?  You could also tell us who ran Esquire, a high-classed name that must have sold expensive men's clothing. Notice the parking meters?  How long since we had those things?  And look how wide the street is.  With the new "beautification" concrete beds built out into the street, it no longer looks as wide.  I must admit that I could not read what the sign on the corner across from Esquire read.  Perhaps you can tell us what was there also.  Was it ...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
The year was 1978.  Young people were running around getting ads for the Searcy High School yearbook.  I posted a picture a few days ago from the yearbook featuring Quattlebaum Music.  This one features JC Penney.  It is hard to remember but JC Penney was downtown at 113 North Spring.  And it is even harder to remember that JC Penney had a loft upstairs.  These students were up there.And I can not remember at all what was up there and how it operated.  Seems as if they sent money up there from the downstairs area but some Sleuth will have to clarify that.  So, Searcy Sleuths, tell us more! 
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Did you ever do this?  Did you visit the record store and thumb through dozens of vinyl albums looking for your favorites?  I suspect you did and you did it with the same enthusiasm that young people of today embrace their smart phones.  This picture was in a 1978 yearbook from Searcy AR.  It was taken to advertise Quattlebaum Music Center in downtown Searcy.  The students would visit the advertisers and have their pictures taken while they were smiling at the camera.  Not this one!  The students appear to have become infatuated with the record search and forgot the camera! And!  Quattlebaum's is still there and still  being loved.  They have kept up with the times.  They are in the same location downtown and folks still visit them regularly.  Stop by for a visit.
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
The Rialto Theater in Searcy AR is SO loved.  It seems that it may have almost been a tradition for seniors to gather in front of it for a photo.  Here's one from the yearbook of 1978.  I wish we could zoom in for closeups of all the students but if you are one of them you'll find yourself quickly.  The Rialto has just been restored on the outside so that it's original beauty and color shows.  No person grew up in Searcy without attending and loving the theater and for those of you who don't know, the theater is still operating! 
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Have you always heard this phrase?  Find a need and fill it!Our small town of Searcy AR with a population of perhaps 22,500 has a need.  We have several auction companies who successfully come to your property and conduct an auction that rids you of all the property that needs to be sold.  But some people think that is rather impersonal.  They'd like their precious things to be priced, and studied, and appreciated with lots of buyers.So.....our little town needs an estate sale expert!  The expert works for days and days sorting and pricing and loving the loved-ones property.  She/he falls in love and appreciates the items that someone else once loved.OK?  Done.  We now have one.  V Smith Estate Sales has started doing this business of loving and sorting and pricing.  It takes hours and ...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
I am not sure that I have seen this scene before.  It says that it is Main Street, Searcy ARK but do they mean it was the main street in Searcy or was it Main Street and named Main Steet?  It is in one of those portfolio folders that used to be sold with several pictures of postcards in it and it is for sale on ebay right now.  The other pictures in it were the public school, the court house, Spring Park, and Galloway Hall.  I copied the picture from the ebay site to share with out Sleuths who can probably give me the proper location plus possibly the building names.  All of the other scenes have been shared on this blog before.  So, Sleuths, tell me where and what these buildings were. 
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
I was just visiting with my friend/neighbor and wonderful artist, Phyllis Alexander, and got surprised.We were talking about her new project of making paper dolls ( a coming blog) so that kids can remember how earlier kids found entertainment.  I did notice and commented on a pretty bird sitting in the door of the cage and trying to interupt my conversation with Phyllis.All of a sudden the bird left its perch and found a new one....right on the top of my head!  I was stunned and Phyllis was laughing her head off and the bird just sat there.  I leaned over and the bird sat there. The bird sat there as Phyllis took photos.  The bird sat there until Phyllis actually had to lift the bird off my head.So now I am wondering whether the bird just liked me or thought my messed up gray hair was a...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Maybe, just maybe, someone from West Point AR may remember a little cabin that was there.  My Super Sleuth friend, Anita, invited me up to her home in Higden where she and her husband retired many years ago.  The home they bought came with this cabin that had been reportedly moved from West Point to this property.  They used to use it for fish fries and parties and had great fun.  Here's the side view of it.Inside we found several memories from way back.  How'd you like to be heating your home with this stove?  And take a look at this tiny kitchen.  You have heard that tiny homes are the rage right now.  Wonder how big the kitchens are in the tiny homes.  This one, as you can see, has a stove and a sink and a refrigerator and a window.  Please do not judge Anita by the condition of the ...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Today this corner of Spring and Market holds White County Title and beside it will be the newly redone Robbins Sanford Grand Hall in Searcy AR.  So how many of you remember when the corner held Headlee Drug and looked like this?  Seems that it was made to have a western look with old boards and shingles.  This picture was taken from a 1978 Searcy High School yearbook.  I definitely remember that so many people would go to the drug store each morning for a cup of coffee and a lot of "catchin' up." And while you are remembering, notice the parking meters!  They have been gone for a long time!And also notice the sign saying "No right turn."  That has gone away also.  You can turn right again.
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Let's use our imagination.  It is about 1930.  This house is about 5 years old and takes up a huge portion of a lot near downtown Searcy AR.  Erase the extra electrical wiring that is for 4 or more apartments and ignore the couch on the front porch.  Just admire the curved front porch, the tall gables and the large windows and the sidewalk and the front walkway to the front porch.  Imagine a very fine home that probably had a family of some substance living there.  By the year 1984 it had been turned into apartments.  It was evidently common at one time to take big houses and make them into apartments for income.  This one was done well with separate utilities for each apartment.  A very popular plumber/electrician, Cotton Fuller, had modified it and had done it well.  I think I had it ...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Big home!  About 26 years old.  Pretty home!  Well maintained home! The home was architecturally designed.  So what does anyone object to regarding this home?  The silo.  No, it is not an actual silo but you know how folks are.  They called it a silo anyhow and declared that they loved this house except for the silo.  The silo was built with a flat roof which had a tendency to leak so a homeowner made it have a round raised roof.  The house has recently sold and we started seeing changes being made.Goodness!  What is going on?  The brick color has changed.  The silo no longer looks like a silo!Within a few more weeks, we saw a different house.  We call it the transformation....done mostly because the new owner loved the house and the location but hated the silo!  Here's the new look!Sil...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
 The National Association of Junior Auxiliaries, Inc. has sent out their latest magazine called the Crownlet.  They are celebrating their 75th year of being a group of women who help children by doing various projects throughout the year.  Searcy AR has a very successful chapter of this association and it has been in operation since sometime in the 1960's.  Right now Searcy's chapter is planning the annual charity ball to be held on February 25, 2017.  It is always a wonderful production with members and guests dressing to the hilt.Hubby, while browsing through the booklet, saw this picture of a uniform and said, "You never wore one of these uniforms, did you?"  Here's the picture that was in the book.My reply was, "Of course I did.  We had to wear these when we working with children an...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
I was just visiting my friend, looking at the pictures on her wall when this one jumped out and grabbed me!  The look!  The expression!  The charm was just too much.  Was she trying to smile or trying not to smile just because she was not enjoying the session?  I am also thinking that it was one of the photographs that was hand colored back then.I grabbed the picture off the wall and told my friend that I had to put this one on my blog that has so much Searcy AR history on it.  In 2010 I put up another blog about a kid's picture that grabbed me.  Go here if you'd like and review it.  It was a great blog even if I do say so myself.  This little girl spent her life in Searcy and still lives here.  She has a million friends and everyone loves her.  I predict you'll tell me immediately who ...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Well, I'm guilty again.  I bought another historic post card on ebay. This one of our historic White County AR court house appealed to me because it was different.  It is not a photograph.  It seems to be an artist's rendering of the historic building.  It does not have an artist's signature on it and if it was newer we could say it had been edited to appear as original art work.  The back of the card calls for a one cent stamp so that puts a little age on it.  Perhaps the Sleuths will know something about the card and can respond.  Perhaps when I get it through the mail I will discover more clues regarding its history.
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
The house is almost finished in this photograph.  ( Pardon the debris on the side of the street waiting to be carried away.)   Terri Tarkington Milligan fell in love with this older home that had fallen into tough times.  Here's the way it did look.  If you walked under those trees the house was in terrible condition.The house is located at 909 West Arch and has the pleasing combination of native stone and brick construction.  If you'd like, google Silas Owens who has become quite famous for his work in this type construction.  I also have done another blog or two about these houses in Searcy AR.  West Arch Street in Searcy still has a lot of the old homes that made up Searcy many years ago and it is always a pleasure to see one loved and revived.  The old house is now a HOME again.Than...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
 I am copying a blog that was put up by my friend, Don Thompson, who is one of our supreme Searcy Sleuths.  So what you see below is written by Don.   Please do not try to make one of these!!!  Even Don says don't do that.    Growing up in Searcy in the forties gave boys plenty of opportunities to do dangerous things. My friend and frequent blog contributor, Harold Sullivan, reminded me of that recently. He had found a firecracker gun he made as a teen in Searcy. We lived 3 houses apart in 1943. Firecrackers were readily available many times a year. Halloween was one of my favorite times. A firecracker is placed in the cap end of the barrel with the fuse sticking out through a slot. A ball bearing with some padding was stuffed in the other end. Light the fuse and fire at a target. No li...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Recognize this street?It is a great view from the corner of Arch and Spring looking toward the First Methodist Church. Looking carefully you can see Security Bank on the sign, I believe.  The date is not certain but it must have been several years ago.  Car guys can tell the year by the cars in the picture.It also appears to be a filling station down on the corner in front of the church. Historic pictures are so interesting and enjoyable.  Guess I need to visit the area and take a picture of the way it is now.  Tell us about it if you remember it!
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
I consider this a small masterpiece done by our local artist, Terry W Williams, and I had to do some master bargaining to get it from him.  Terry painted this in 1970 and he says it is a portrait of his dad, Nathan Hale Williams from Sunflower Co, Mississippi.  He titled it "My Share of the Crop."Terry did not dwell on the real meaning of the title but history tells us how there was a lot of share-cropping in the South.  Farmers worked for their share of the crops and the crops might be too puny to do much sharing.  He appears to have one basket of probably cotton.My husband loves this picture because it reminds him of his grandfather who sat this way often. Wonder how many of us can sit in this style today?Terry let me buy this only because he knows I will love it as he did and that it...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Another old home in Searcy AR for sale!I remember this house.  It was one of my very first listings when I started in real estate. It was probably in the early 80's, so long ago that the on-line county data does not list the name of the owner at that time.  It looks very much the same and is on the market for a price of $89,900.  The location is 810 West Vine on a corner lot.  What I am wondering now (and did not back then) is wheather it has any interesting history.   Now I have met many Searcy Sleuths who can tell us.  Way back then the owners had opened up the upstairs and had bedrooms up there.  Photos can be found on-line if you want to see inside.How 'bout it, Sleuths?  Anything historic that we should know?
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