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Searcy, AR Real Estate News

By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
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. Click https://activerain.com/droplet/7Kcg .Or read it here.  Using your wit.Using your wit is a great way to make it in life.  My daughter decided to go to San Francisco shortly after graduating from college.  She'd been in small cities all her life and all at once she was on her own in a huge city where one side of th...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Good Times!I dragged out my motorcycle jacket.  ( I only wear it for special occasions and this was a very special occasion).  My far-reaching blog had reached this lady from several states away.  She is the daughter of Judy Deener who grew up in Searcy AR and the grandchild of Richard Deener from Searcy.  Remember them?  They lived here a long time ago with Judy graduating in about 1954!Jennie, shown above, had such favorable memories of her visits to Searcy as a child that she longed to return for a visit and contacted me through the blog.  She has no relatives left in Searcy but she drove for hours to get here when my good friend and a best friend of Judy's, Anita Hart Fuller, and I agreed to give her a tour.  The tour was one week ago.  Here is one of the main places that we were fo...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
How long since you have seen one of these?Pineapple upside down cake!!  Isn't it beautiful!  And one of our Searcy AR Chicken Cookin' Queens from 1972 make it yesterday, July 20 2024, and brought it to me!  The mystery is whether they are still as popular as they were so many years ago!  I was absolutely amazed at the beauty!!Here's the queen back in 1972.And here's the blog that I did just a few days ago with her as a finalist.                      https://activerain.com/droplet/J9stShe still reigns supremely!  Thank you, Queen Betty!!
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Ladies from Searcy ARWay back in the 1970s Searcy had a lot of Chicken Cooking Queens.  I loved seeing their newspaper clippings and as I have complained about before, we were lovely ladies but had no names.  We were called by our husband's names in the clippings. In the one above, 1973, notice Mrs. Benson Robbins (Betty) who was a finalist.  This blog has come to my attention because she just gave me a gift.  She became the winner in 1978 and she just gave me a little copy of her recipe.  Here it is!Wonder if she still makes the dish!Congratulations, Betty, and thanks for the recipe!! 
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
There is a book about the history of McRae AR.  Inside I found the picture above from so many years ago and was fascinated to see the way it used to look.  Notice the businesses around it.  I wrote a blog about it.  Click                       https://activerain.com/droplet/5WWvto read the blog.  The blog  has more pictures and even mentions bank robbers!  Go check it and then come back. Wasn't that fun!!  Such interesting history. Sadly, the buildings keep declining as the present picture below shows. But thanks to First Security Bank, it remains open!! 
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Who remembers Arni Anderson? He was a very good artist and was a Harding College (now University) graduate.  He attended and then taught Art at the school during the years of 1972 through 1976.  A very good memory for all of us left in Searcy is the coming of McDonald's restaurant to our town.  The restaurant manager commissioned Arni to do paintings of historic homes and buildings.  In this article     https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2013/oct/13/harding-alums-coloring-book-sparks-interest-searcy/    Arni says he did from 30 to 40 paintings of historic homes and buildings in Searcy that were to hang on their walls.  Here is a picture of Arnie.  Go to the article above to read about his coloring book that he is working on in the picture..Now continue this interesting story by clickin...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Girl's Football Searcy ARHere's an old Searcy Citizen photo from 1973 that I saved and recently came across.  Why did I save it? Someone very close to me is in it and mama's always clipped pictures.But pictures get lost or mixed up so I just now discovered that I had done a blog about this a few years ago.  A good blog!  It even told about the program from the person who started the program, Harry Miller.  So click                       https://activerain.com/droplet/5pJnand read all about it!  If you have more to add about it, (looks as if the star was Ouida Fincher) tell us about it!
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Historic building Kensett ARKensett AR is a very close neighbor to Searcy AR.....almost like a subdivision in the town of Searcy.  But is is so peacful there with little traffic and some very historic places to see.  The pictures above show one.Every time I go to Kensett, I admire this building and wonder about its history.  This time I took a picture and one is a close-up of the name and there is a mural on one side of it.  So what is that picture of?  Looks like cactus to me and I had thought this was possibly a cotton gin?  Off I went to google to see more about the gin.  Such an interesting bit of information and photos about Kensett AR pulled up!  The article was done by Scott Akridge and the White County Historical Society.  Go tohttps://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/kensett-...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Searcy Lions vs. Beebe BadgersMemories sometime just fall in your arms....so it seems.  This old program did that to me.  Hubby's name is in this football line up.  Way down at the extreme bottom it gives a possible date of 1955!  Who won?  Someone from the Searcy Sleuths may remember.  I was not in Searcy AR.  The front side advertised Dizzy's Drive Inn and The Beebe News so the game must have been in Beebe.Sure, it does seem pretty ragged but what wouldn't be after about 69 years and saved by a football star?  Check and see if you know any of the guys!Miss you, Rodger Duncan!!
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
What was a Monitors Club?I like looking through old yearbooks from Searcy AR and have a fairly nice collection of them .  During the mid 50s and early 60s they included a Monitors Club with members and officers. Notice they had a treasurer along with the other normal officers.  Did they have dues?   I called a few members that were in school at that time and asked them, "What was a Monitors Club?"  Silence.....and then a response of "I don't know."  They would think and think and perhaps remember something about hall-monitors. What's a hall monitor? A little more searching seems to point out books of 1955 through 1961 had the club and nothing about it before or after.  So perhaps Searcy Sleuths can help me with this question.  
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Original watercolor honors Mr. OrtcotterIt has been over 20 years since Searcy lost Ed Ortcotter but probably lots of Searcy residents remember him.  His profession was painting houses but he also loved painting pictures and took art lessons.  The one above was done by Searcy artist, Terry Williams, as a tribute to his good friend, Mr. Ortcotter, after his death.I remember him because of his love for Christmas.  He dressed up his yard and house with decorations.  He sometimes had a Santa's Workshop in his front yard and at times dressed as Santa and handed out candy to kids who drove by with their parents.  So if you were a kid in the 1990s you might definitely remember him.   He also was a pet lover and fed birds and stray cats and dogs.  Notice the tears in the eyes of the grieving an...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Terry Williams with framed picture!Terry Williams has been an artist in Searcy AR since around 1971 and has had frame shops in several places in town.  Right now he operates at the Mayfair Hotel.  He graduated from Harding College around that time.  He once had a studio in this house.....now gone.It was located on Center Street right behind the old Rendezvous restaurant.  Before it was taken down he let me enter it and he still had loads of art and art supplies.  I think you could call him an art collector!A few days ago one of my favorite framed photo pictures in my kitchen came crashing to the floor making a loud noise.  Inspection told me the glass was not broken, the frame was disabled but probably repairable so I tried to see if my  artist friend could repair it!  He could and he d...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
A Frontier Town Grows Up With AmericaYes, I know.  It's a rather ragged book but it IS almost 50 years old.  It was written in 1976 by Dr. Raymond Muncy and has received lots of wear and tear from being read and loved the whole time.  I was reminded of this while going through a stack of old White County Record newspapers from that time.  Here is what I found on the front page.I did go to his first book signing and bought three books.  I got one for myself and two more for my kids.  Hundreds of folks turned out for the signing.  We had preordered and went to pick up our orders.  Notice in the article above that Dr. Muncy had DONATED his time and many citizens contributed information and help.  Even I helped a little.  Pages 18 and 19!This is a wonderful book and if you want one today, c...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Searcy AR?This does not look like Searcy AR!  Looks like a big city!  Definitely Searcy AR is changing.  I went to a meeting in this brand new First Security Bank building and was very impressed.  We were told to enter the double doors on the west side of the building.  We had to check in and then check out. (The building is so big and elegant that they may have thought we'd get lost in it.....and you could!)  Once upstairs, I took a picture looking toward our old historic courthouse.  Over the years it has seemed to soar above everything.  Now?  See it peeking above the trees and other buildings?  And I saw the roof of the older bank building. It is a truly lovely new building with extensive parking around it and Searcy has changed in an impressive way!  Thank you for the changes!!!PS!...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Rediscovered!Here is what has been tucked away in my bookcase for years and years.  It is in a shadow box and had things sorta covering it.  I thought, "WOW!  I forgot this and it has real meaning after all these years!"Here is a close-up of what is in the frame.And here is a closer close-up with the writing almost readable.  My daughter inherited this from her dad's family, her Aunt Roma Henry if I remember correctly.  She lived in Fort Smith and loved antiques.  Her name is at the top of the note card. Poor me.  I can't remember whether it was framed when given to my children or whether I framed it.  But it is special now.  It is enlarged below to be readable....mostly and maybe!Sounds as if the first item is a turkey caller that belonged to G. G. G. grandpa  Phillip P. Ward.  Ward wa...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
I borrowed this picture which was on MLS saying that it has just sold. I did a blog about this house several years ago regarding its history and its changes.  Look at these older pictures.All right,  the house today is at the corner of Arch and Olive and that is not a sidewalk in front but the street.  It was occupied by Tetie and Dick Hart (Dick Hart was at one time Chief of Police in Searcy) and Bridgit Hart says, "In the 50's Tetie Hart remodeled the house and lowered the front porch.  There is a well under the back sun porch.  The sun porch was formerly the open back porch.  When we sold the house, it was the breakfast room, and probably still is.  In 1953 when Jim went to Korea and my baby and I didn't have a place to live, Tetie put a bathroom in upstairs in the west dormer of the...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Front of 1855 built home in Searcy ARI wrote a blog a few weeks ago begging for this house to be saved......not bought at foreclosure auction and torn down as so many of our historic houses have been! Click    https://activerain.com/droplet/HG5S  for blog   .  It has now been bought by a person who loves it and respects it and calls it home!  She even says that it was partly my fault that she bought it because the blog brought it to her attention!She even invited me to tour it!  Which I proudly did!  We started with the basement.  She is a great historian and has studied the history of the house and she says that the basement once held the kitchen which seemed impossible to me when I got into it.  Here we are peering into an interesting spot in the basement.  And here is the new owner b...
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
This sign is a recent gift.  There was an estate sale at a house near the airport.  This sign was part of the sale.  No one bought it so it was a gift for this ole blog queen.So now I need some Searcy Sleuths to give me the history of the sign.  Searcy had an air taxi?  How did it work?  Who owned it?  AND.....if you are curious go to this site     https://activerain.com/droplet/4XxS   and see the blog about the first plane to land at the Searcy Airport in 1941!  My blog buddy, Anita Hart Fuller, loaned the pictures to me way back in 2009! 
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Expertly enlarged picture of a car on Arch Street in downtown Searcy AR many years ago!  And here is the original picture.  Looks as it there are two car agencies around Peoples Bank which is now First Security Bank.  One is Ford and the other looks like K. Elwee Auto Co.  Anyone remember it?  I have never seen a more professional enlargement and it was done years ago by a blog friend. Last but most important is a picture of a lady standing beside the door of this bank and she was the one who renamed it.  She suggested First Security Bank and that was accepted!  Her name was Corinne Hart!  Thanks Mrs. Hart!  Her daughter, Anita Hart Fuller, has been so much help with this blog!  Perhaps she can fill us in about these pictures!!
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Few can remember this.....The Roseann Motel-Restaurant in Searcy AR. was a popular spot and this menu opens and prices the food.  Hamburger 35 cents, coffee 10 cents and it goes on and on with those cheap, cheap prices of food.  It is now for sale on ebay.  If the Historical Society does not have a copy, it should have one. It can be found for just a few days by clicking on ebay.com and search for Roseann Menu and it should pull up.  It does not have a date but the seller says the 1960s.  No signs of the building remain but it was there!We did a blog about this before  https://activerain.com/droplet/G2yDand from there you may be able to back further........
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By Barbara S. Duncan, GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR
(RE/MAX Advantage)
Blogging appreciation from WCHS!  Thanks!Searcy has noticed my blog!  I have written 2008 blogs since about the year 2008.  Activerain is a wonderful blog site and somehow lots of history has gone into my blog.  It was a surprise to receive this certificate of appreciation at the last meeting of the White County Historical Society.  The WCHS does a great job of making all of us in White County and Searcy AR more aware of the importance of history!!Thank you, WCHS!!
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