A Peek at the Past!

March has been roaring like a lion the past couple of days again, and my jonquils look a bit unhappy in the snow. So, lets go back to last Sunday, when March was being a sweet little lamb, and we took a drive to the tiny town of Maynard, Arkansas.


Maynard has a population of about 380 residents these days. But back in 1910, it was a big town of 500 residents!

A Directory of Randolph County published in 1910 gives this description of Maynard "The town of Maynard located twelve miles north of Pocahontas among the foothills of the Ozarks, just south of the Missouri line, is a thrifty town of about five hundred inhabitants and is beautifully located, and the healthy record, good drainage, moral tone and hospitable people make it an ideal town in which to reside. There are no saloons or bad influences thrown out to people in that section which are demoralizing, not only to the residents but to the visitors to this beautiful little place." This same perspective holds true today, according to the updated directory!


The big attraction in Maynard is the Maynard Pioneer Museum & Park. The log cabin with its natural look is currently getting some work done on it.

This is the second little log cabin in the park, and it's a tiny log House of Worship. The age of this cabin is questionable, some residents remember it as being an old cabin back in 1922.

Here it is again, a tiny House of Worship, of the past.

And another attraction is the old concrete jail. A 6’X10’ structure was erected around 1936 and was in use until 1953. The door of the jail is made of old wagon rims. The little jail served its purpose for many years, and they say those who spent a night there, never wanted to return! From the looks of it, one can see why.

Although the Museum was not open for its Log Cabin tours, these Log Cabin tours take people back to the era of the founders of the community, when pioneers were struggling to make homes for their families. The furnishings of their homes and the farm equipment they used will tell you that were hard-working people.

I enjoyed my visit to the Pioneer Museum and Park on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, and I hope you enjoyed this peek at the past in the tiny town of Maynard, Arkansas.

Have a blessed week, everyone!

Rustic Charmers of the Past

Tucked away in a corner of our small town is the Heritage Homestead, with it's rustic charmers of the past. Since today was the first rain free day in a week around here, I decided to snap a few pictures of them. Above is the Patterson Family Cabin, built in 1867. This cabin was located out in the country originally, near where I live, but was moved to town to grace the, Heritage Homestead. Decorated with festive red bows for the holidays, I hear it is the place where Santa will be visiting with the local kids, Saturday, after our Christmas Parade.( If Mother Nature cooperates, that is. Rumor has it that we're in for some nasty weather by Saturday; a rumor started by our weatherman!)

This rustic little log cabin reminds me of, Laura, and the clan from the Little House TV series!

Of course, on every homestead of the past, there always was a rustic log barn as well. This one was built sometime in the late 1800s, sports some hand- hewn logs, and is an oldie but goodie!

The side of the barn sports a "garage" of sorts, for the buggy. It looks like it's waiting to be hitched to the horses, to take the family to town.

Behind the barn and it's neighboring Blacksmith Shop, some old farm machinery is on display. Of course, I should have zoomed in on them, so they could be distinguished as such, but maybe you'll take my word for it. There is some old farm machinery back there!

The last photo above is of the old Blacksmith Shop. The owner and long time resident blacksmith, Tom Kennon, operated his shop into the early 1980s, when he was already quite elderly. I hear he was a man who loved his job!

I hope you have enjoyed this peek at some of the rustic charmers in our area. And I hope everyone is well, and ready for Christmas!