 |
| Carrollton hub of activity when county seat |
|
| Question: I would like more information on the little town of Carrollton. |
| Answer: Today, one would never know that this beautiful, wide spot in the valley of Long Creek on Highway 412 was once the location of the county seat Carroll County. But, let's take a look back into the past history of Carrollton. |
| In 1833, Governor John Pope signed a bill that created Carroll County from Izard County and the same year the town of Carrollton was formed and became the county seat. |
| Records show that James Jones was the first settler in the valley. He, along with Methodist preacher Henderson Lafferty, had pushed for that location to become the county seat. Surveying of the town was under the leadership of John Blair, Henry Keys and B. Cheatham, with actual survey work done by a Dr. Saunders from Huntsville. Early merchants were Lafferty, Keys, Blair, H. L. & Tif Denton, and John W. Peel. |
| The Civil War had a most devastating effect on Carrollton. In April 1863, Federal troops moved into the area. Stories tell of homes being burned, and local men being murdered. |
| By the end of the war, only two buildings were left in the town. Turnbo's Tales of the Ozarks and Judge Roger Logan's writings in the History of Boone County, Arkansas are excellent reading about the suffering and depravation faced by the people during that time period. |
| Until 1869, most of what is now Boone County had been part of Carroll County. |
| Henry Fick, who was a close friend of Governor Clayton (known as a carpetbagger) came up with the idea of creating a new county, and along with Captain James "Town" Hopper, sponsored a bill to establish Boone County. In forming the new county, fine farm land was taken from Carroll County but only a 6-mile strip was taken from Marion County. In 1875, a 3-mile strip was given back to Marion County, thus setting the present boundaries of Boone County. |
| As it is with towns that serve as county seats today, Carrollton was th hub of legal and business activity. A great many men from this area, who enlisted for service in the Civil War, did so at Carrollton. Lawyers, such as Colnel William W. Watkins, made his home there and served as a state senator before the war and as a Confederate congressman during the war. |
| After the war, he moved to Bellefonte and practiced law there. |
| In the past few years, the Mountain Meadows Monument Foundation has worked with the VFW in restoring the Old Yell Lodge. The Lodge building will house interpretative materials related to the surviving children of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Carrollton town square served as the return site when the orphaned children were reunited with relatives in the summer of 1859. |
| A replica of the original grave monument at Mt. Meadows, as placed by Major Carleton's troops in 1859, has been erected at the Old Yell Lodge. Situated on a cement slab and surrounded by a wrought iron fence, the interpretive sign explains its purpose. This marker is located between the lodge and the adjoining cemetery. If you are passing through Carrollton on Highway 412, take a few minutes to visit the site. |
| Historical societies of Boone and Carroll Counties have compiled a vast amount of history about the early days of Carroll County, the town of Carrollton and the formation of Boone County in 1869. We invite you to visit the Boone County Heritage Museum, located on the corner of South Cherry Street and Central Avenue in Harrison - and include a visit to the Carroll County Heritage Center on the square in Berryville. |
| Boone County Heritage Museum does not receive state or Federal funds and will not receive direct funding from the local hamburger-motel tax money in 2006. We need your support to continue our effort to preserve the history of Boone County and its people. |
| This column appears Fridays in the Harrison Daily Times. Mail questions to Boone County Heritage Museum, P. O. Box 1094, Harrison, AR 72601. Marilyn Smith can be contacted at bchm@windstream.net |
|
|
 |
|
|
