Remembering The Ozarks

For any wondering, the original library was located just off of the Ozark square and was for a time known as the Christian-Stone Regional Library!

Howard Garrison donated the land that the Ozark library has now sat on for 50 years. Cheers to 50 years by the Finley and to 50 more!

It’s been so fun helping out!!

A Springfield Officer investigates a fight near the Frisco Passenger Station and is attacked by two civilians. Hear about the fascinating case from 1930’s Springfield.

https://www.rememberingtheozarks.com/blog/shooting-at-the-frisco

Shooting at the Frisco — Remembering The Ozarks A Springfield Officer investigates a fight near the Frisco Passenger Station and is attacked by two civilians. Hear about the fascinating case from 1930’s Springfield.

“While they read and talked together, there was opened before them the great book wherein God has written, in the language of mountain, and tree, and sky, and flower, and brook, the things that make truly wise those who pause to read.”

- Harold Bell Wright, The Shepherd of the Hills

Today celebrates 150 years since the birth of Harold Bell Wright to Alma and William Wright of New York. During the early years he worked as a decorator and landscape painter, then later a preacher.

Harold wrote his first novel, The Printer of Udell’s, in 1903, and in 1907 released his second novel, The Shepherd of the Hills. In total Wright published 19 books, and his writing continues to live on, immortalized in the Ozark Mountains by plays, monuments, folklore, and a special place in all of our hearts.

Happy Birthday Harold ♥️

“What would become known as the Great Comet of 1811 streaked through the sky as the few inhabitants of New Madrid slept in their beds. A rumble shook through the still night air and flashes of light graced the sky, a warning for what was to come.”

Read about the New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-12 and their effect on the newly formed Missouri Territory.

https://www.rememberingtheozarks.com/blog/shaping-the-ozarks-the-new-madrid-earthquakes

Shaping the Ozarks: The New Madrid Earthquakes — Remembering The Ozarks “What would become known as the Great Comet of 1811 streaked through the sky as the few inhabitants of New Madrid slept in their beds. A rumble shook through the still night air and flashes of light graced the sky, a warning for what was to come.” Read about the New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-12

In my next blog post, I’ll be talking about the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812 that devastated the sparsely populated Ozarks.

To tide you over until then, here are some of the drawings of the chaos of the New Madrid earthquakes.

The first is titled “The Great Earth Quake at New Madrid” and this second, “Scene of the Great Earthquake in the West.” Both can be found in James Lal Penick Jr.’s book, The New Madrid Earthquakes.

At the tail end of 1906 amid the investigation into the murder of Crawford Hibbard Sheriff Morgan of West Plains and Deputy Sheriff Robbins of Mountain View visited Josie Forbes. Josie was a “seer” and was known around the midwest as “the witch of Taskee” able to tell your past, present, and future.

While in her trance, Josie told the officers of Crawford's murder and that a man had shot him and not his wife Ann as officials believed. Sheriff Morgan and Deputy Robbins were thrilled by this new lead in the case but swore to keep their visit to Josie a secret to avoid ridicule.

As you can see by the comic above featured in the October 8th issue of The Journal-Gazette, their visit did not stay secret for long. Although they suffered much ridicule from the press for involving a psychic, during the trial it was soon proved that Ann Crawford was not her husband’s murderer and she was eventually cleared of all charges.

If you’d like to learn more about Josie’s involvement in the Hibbard case or learn more about Josie and her career as a seer check out my newest blog post on Remembering the Ozarks.

Photo Source: The Journal-Gazette, 08 October 1908.

It’s no secret that I’m an avid park goer. I love seeking out the hidden treasures that they all have and uncovering their often very rich history, but I also love seeking out the best views. During my time working at Doling in my teenage years I got to know every inch of the park and my favorite view? The one from above the cave.

It’s not the easiest to get to, as you either have to climb through a hole in the fence they can never seem to fix (as soon as they do, a new one is cut) or trapeze up the side of the hill through spider webs and tree limbs it’s well worth it as you get to look out over everything and feel entirely enveloped in nature.

On hot summer days the rocks cooled by the cave below and trees shading the area are often the only refuge from the sweltering heat.

I’ve eaten too many lunches up there to count and spent endless hours up there watching the park below and it’s still one of my favorite spots at the many parks Springfield has to offer.

Has anyone else visited the giant windmills near Lockwood? Some of them reach 600 feet high!!

Autograph books were popular all the way through the end of the Victorian era and captured the signatures of acquaintances and friends.

This one belonged to Dr. Harry Carlock of Dadeville Missouri. Most of the signatures date to the 1880s and the sayings accompanying them serve as a fun look into the popular quotes of the day.

Sharpened my photo restoration skills today on a picture of my grandad Elwood taken in California c.1940.

In my latest story, Murder in Dadeville, I dig into the robbery of the Crisp Prairie Bank in Dadeville witnessed by a young Elwood in 1926. If you haven’t read it make sure to go check it out!

I love finding the old hidden towns and decaying foundations that populate the rural farm fields of the Ozarks. One of my first discoveries was the small district of Smart that once nestled itself between the growing railroad towns of Billings and Clever in the late 1800s.

Once home to a school (referred to interchangeably as Tell or Smart) and a polling place, all that now remains is a cemetery and road bearing the name of the Smart family who had once populated the area.

Each year another old house is torn down and another barn crumbles, but if you know where to look, you can still see the evidence peeking out of the dirt waiting to be discovered.

Wallace Ashe, an ex-soldier, was one of the many suspects in the robbery of Crisp Prairie Bank in Dadeville. Despite him being in a veterans hospital in Kansas City at the time, he was brought to Springfield and investigated for the robbery of the bank and murder of Charles Landers.

Read more about the many suspects and the almost 100-year-old cold case from Dadeville, Missouri now on Remembering the Ozarks.

Macon Chronicle-Herald. 06 August 1926. Viewed on Newspapers.com

I like to call this one ‘ghosting through the museum’.

What are your favorite haunts?

Although today Dadeville is nothing but a blip on the map on the way to Stockton Lake, in 1926 it was a booming town and home to a bank robbery that is still unsolved to this day.

Read more about this almost 100 year old cold case now on Remembering the Ozarks.

“Fools names and fools faces, always appear in public places.”

This quote appears again and again on the walls of the Greenfield Opera Building, seemingly poking fun at the thousands of signatures ranging all the way back to the 1800s that litter the old drywall.

Huge thanks to the city planner, Tucker, for giving me a tour of this iconic part of Greenfield.

Last week I visited the small town of Dadeville. Although not much exists of it today besides some brick buildings that disappear more and more each year and a thriving local cafe, the town was once home to just over 450 people.

My paternal grandmother’s family flourished here in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and I have heard so many stories over the years that I wish I could somehow bottle them up and keep them as vibrant as the day they were told. But, unfortunately, it’s a losing race as I scramble to record the fading pieces. One piece, however, I have grabbed onto; the robbery of the Dadeville Bank.

Join me Tuesday for my newest blog post, Murder in Dadeville, as I dig into this almost 100-year-old cold case.

What’s your favorite view in the Ozarks?

The view of the mill from Finley River Park has to be one of mine.

Don’t forget to read my newest blog post, the Bride Under the Bridge, talking about my investigation into the local lore surrounding a ghost bride that haunts Phelps Grove Park!

Link in bio 👻

“On foggy nights and fall evenings when the shadows stretch further each minute, a woman in a white wedding dress can be seen, watching from underneath the bridge. Look again and she’s gone, was she ever really there?”
Read about the haunting of Phelps Grove Park and the search for the truth behind the legend. Now on Remembering the Ozarks!

Two of the beautiful murals that were painted by Sharon Young in Seymour, Missouri. I had the pleasure of talking to Sharon’s sister-in-law while photographing the first mural (it’s a small small world when you're out taking pictures) and I'm thankful for her tipping me off about the second one!

📍Seymour, Missouri.

Two days ago was the 155th birthday of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Laura and her stories have been a part of my life since a very young age and I have many fond memories of spending afternoons with her books.

When I was a child the Little House series was my favorite, I devoured the books. When those were through, I devoured all of the offshoots that had been penned by other writers about Rose.

You know when you finish a book or a book series and you're overwhelmed with the loss of the characters? The loss of never being able to read something for the first time again? These books were one of my first exposures to the love someone could have for books and I will forever be grateful to Laura for sharing her childhood with us all.

Happy Birthday Laura.

My current read is Gone to the Grave: Burial Customs of the Arkansas Ozarks, 1850-1950 by Abby Burnett and boy is it an interesting read.

One of my favorite passages so far tells about Memorial Day customs:

“Pauline Davis Steele recalled how her mother brought an abundance of flowers even though her family had no graves to mark (Washington County, early 1900s). “One grave stood out … it was off to one side and [had] no marker and no one knew who had been buried there. My mother would put extra flowers on this one. She would always say, ‘Poor soul, poor soul.””

I love the idea of bringing extra flowers for those who are no longer decorated.

Looks like someone had a visitor 🪦❄️

📍Rose Hill Cemetery, Billings, Missouri.

Join me Monday February 7th, 7pm at the Library Center on South Campbell as I discuss the various records available for cemeteries and the meanings of many common inscriptions and symbols.

Hosted by the Ozarks Genealogical Society.

Did you know Carthage, Missouri is nicknamed “America’s Maple Leaf City” for their gorgeous maple trees and annual Maple Leaf Festival?

Having trouble finding death records? Don’t know where to start? Try these free resources!

Read about the story of Christine Kiehl, a St. Louis sculptress who was discovered when she began making busts out of bar soap and wax chewing gum!

Now on rememberingtheozarks.com

Check out my blog tomorrow to learn about Christine Kiehl Frerking, a St. Louis artist who was discovered for her talent of carving sculptures out of bar soap!

In the meantime, don’t forget to check out the other stories I have posted on my blog rememberingtheozarks.com

Picture from St. Louis Post Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri) 07 July 1907. Page 56.

Wishing you a very merry Christmas from Remembering the Ozarks.

A marital dispute ends in a tragic murder-suicide forever changing the course of the Napper family’s lives. Check out the full story now on my blog.

https://www.rememberingtheozarks.com/blog/The-Napper-Tragedy

The Napper Tragedy — Remembering The Ozarks On the morning of October sixth, 1895, Emma Napper began the journey from St. Louis to Billings. Her mission? To keep her husband George from selling her piano and make further plans for a divorce. Emma had married George Napper not long after his first wife passed away in 1889. He was 30 years old

Check out these Christmas recipes shared by the US Department of Agriculture in 1924!

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Source:
"Fruit Cake Recipes For Christmas Use". Christian County Republican. Ozark, Missouri. 12 December, 1924. Page 2.

Anyone else missing the green of spring? ❄️❄️❄️

Guess who's working on a video at Smart Cemetery.