Marble Hall, the oldest building on Garrison Avenue, was built in 1859 by Ethelbert Britton Bright. Judging from the surviving newspapers ads, his mercantile store held the very wonders of the world, steadily supplied by steamboats docking at the foot of Garrison. The son of a missionary to the Osage tribe, Bright became fluent in their language. He came to Fort Smith in 1853 and set forth in business at a lightning pace. By 1857, he ran the Old Red Mill on Tenth Street, had married the niece of Stand Waite and built a mansion on Sixth Street. Marble Hall was used as a hospital during the Civil War. By 1862, Bright had enlisted in the 51st Arkansas Militia Regiment. Bright returned from the war and launched back into business but his obituary notes that he met with reverses and lived quietly until his death in 1890. Marble Hall has housed many businesses including a shooting gallery in 1900. Marble Hall was restored by Phil White in 1977.
(Industry & Commerce • War, US Civil • Man-Made Features • Patriots & Patriotism) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
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(Peace • Politics • Charity & Public Work) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
Constructed in 1889, Crawfis College, Putnam County, a two-story twelve room brick building with auditorium, science laboratory, grade and recitation rooms constructed for $11,000 and two frame dormitories at $2,087, provided for :common branches", high school and business training. Courses included German, mathematics, science, elocution, penmanship, shorthand, typing, telegraphy, violin, and piano.
Superintendents; L.L. Harmon, Job Hill, L.S. Lafferty, B.J. Beach, W.S. Wallen, John Hathorn, George R. Miller, F.P. Cummins, Dale Richard, Lyle Burkholder, C.L. Bard. Building Committee; A.C.Hall, N. Conine, B.O. Robinson Architect: E. Zoll
In 1831, John's brother, Otho Crawfis, was the first white settler in Blanchard Township, Putnam County. They were sons of Nicholas and Mary (McElroy) Crawfis.
(Education • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
In December 1878, Teddy Vogel and Michael C. Wallace bought the old rough hewn log store building and home that had been been [sic] constructed on this lot circa 1845 by Samuel Boothe. They razed the log structure and began building a stout, stone building. The newspaper gave periodic updates of the rock walls going up and giving thanks that the "wretched rookeries" on this corner were being replaced by the "fine rock business house" being erected by those "two young and successful enterprising merchants, Vogel & Wallace." Business was so good that Vogel & Wallace moved to a new location in the 500 block of Garrison Avenue in 1883. Then 73 Garrison, as it was numbered in those days, was rented by Robert Henry Gannaway, the 2nd of three generations of Gannaway photographers.
Postmaster and future District Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas James K. Barnes purchased the building in 1882 and from 1885 to 1887 the Federal Post Office occupied this building while the new Federal Courthouse and Post Office was built on South 6th Street. Gabriel Mone, an Italian immigrant, bought the building and opened a saloon in 1887. His son Joe was convicted of selling liquor to the Indians in 1890. By 1892 Gabriel went back to Ohio. After Joe Mone was released from prison he became a lifelong worker at the Immaculate Conception Church. Will Wirsing had a gun shop here for 1894-1900, but with a few exceptions this building was used as a bar, saloon or liquor store into the 21st century.
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Fort Smith Weekly New Era.
Fort Smith, Arkansas, Wednesday, August 20, 1879.
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Removal
The undersigned have just removed to their new, elegant, fireproof store corner Green Street and Garrison Avenue a few doors below their old stand and we invite our old patrons as well as the rest of mankind to give us a call and see us in our new quarters. We keep only the best of every thing in the family grocery line and try to please everybody by the quality of our goods and low price.
Thanking for past favors we respectfully ask a continuance of the same.
VOGEL & WALLACE
(Industry & Commerce • Man-Made Features) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
From 1836 to 1878, the log cabin of Jeremiah and Sophia Kannady stood on the present-day 500 block of Garrison Avenue. In that cabin Kannady's uncle John Rogers, founder of the city, died in 1860. In 1877, Kannady sold land around his cabin to make room for new commercial buildings. A wood-frame building at Garrison and North 5th was occupied by Berman's Dry Goods, when a two-story brick building for the confectioners Guler & Brunoldi and the general merchandise store of Haglin & Pape was completed next to it in Sept. 1877. More buildings would be built east to the alley. A unified brick complex nicknamed the Phoenix Block rose from the ashes and was completed by April 1884. The elegant cornices of galvanized iron were manufactured in Fort Smith by August Reichert.
(Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers • Man-Made Features) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
Built 1892, during land boom. Has not been used as jail since 1903. Recorded Texas Historical Landmark, 1966
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South Dakota's rich western heritage has been remembered along the interstate highway system at safety rest areas and tourist information centers.
Est. 1889
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John Crawfis, Fairfield County, Ohio native, and wife Sarah (Moorehead) bequeathed two grants of $25,000 and five acres for schools in Fairfield and Putnam counties in Ohio in 1880.
Dedicated to all who serve
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Largest Indian battle in Civil War. 15 miles east, at ruins of Bent's Old Fort, on the Canadian.
Built 1899 with materials hauled at great peril across the Canadian - then without a bridge. Mr. McCormick, his wife, Capitola, and eight children lived in a covered wagon and a tent while they put up their house.
Hutchinson County, named for prominent judge and writer Anderson Hutchinson, was one of 54 counties created out of the District of Bexar in 1876 by the Texas Legislature. It was not until 1901, however, that the county was officially organized. That year a temporary county courthouse was erected in the county seat of Plemons. A permanent courthouse was built in Plemons by contractor E. E. Ackers. Stinnett replaced Plemons as Hutchinson County Seat in 1926.
The town of Plemons was settled about 1898 when James A. Whittenburg, an area rancher, built a dugout house in a hill overlooking a bend in the Canadian River about seven miles northeast of this site. The town was named for Barney Plemons, son of Amarillo judge and State Legislator William Buford Plemons, and when Hutchinson County was organized in Spring 1901, Plemons was chosen county seat. E. E. Akers contracted to build a brick courthouse in that year. According to local oral history accounts, Mrs. E. E. Akers was the first to be interred in the Plemons Cemetery, probably in 1902. Plemons experienced slow growth as a river crossing town. By 1905 a wagon yard, barbershop, doctor's office, drugstore and mercantile store formed a business base for about fifteen families. Former buffalo hunter, scout and Hutchinson County's first Sheriff William (Billy) Dixon and his family operated a hotel for three years.
Named for Charles (1799-1847) and William Bent (1809-1869), famed for frontier trading with mountain men and "wild" Indians. As early as 1835 they came from their headquarters near present La Junta, Colo., to trade with the Kiowas and Comanches along the Canadian River, in this vicinity. They built at least three posts along the river and tributary creeks; most permanent post was Fort Adobe, built 1843-1844. In the ruins of this fort (NE of here) Kit Carson fought his last big Indian battle (1864), and buffalo hunters and Indians fought the Battle of Adobe Walls in 1874.
Fifteen miles to the site of the
The Alabama Gates and gate house were constructed in 1913 when the Los Angeles Aqueduct was built to dewater the aqueduct when maintenance is necessary. On November 16, 1924, seventy or more local citizens seized the aqueduct at the Alabama Gates and diverted the city's water supply through the gates into the dry Owens River to publicize the concerns of Owens Valley residents. Four days later the water was voluntarily allowed to again flow into the aqueduct. Over the years, attempts to reconcile the city's water needs and the concerns of valley residents have moved from confrontation to negotiation.
Fritz Thompson was Hutchinson County Commissioner from 1937 through 1952, during which time much of the highway system in Hutchinson County was conceived. He was Borger City Manager from October 1, 1953 to September 30, 1956, during which time he was active in planning the highway system in and around Borger and procuring right of way therefor. He served as president of the Texas Good Roads Association from 1958 to 1961, and he is presently active in the Association as one of the past chairmen. Fritz served two terms as Representative to the State Legislature from 1962 to 1966.
