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| Traveling salesmen 'drummed' up business |
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| Question: When you mention a "drummer's room" - what are you referring to? |
| Answer: Early hotels in most communities of any size, boasted of a "Drummer's Room." |
| In advertising for the old Connerly Hotel, they specifically mentioned their drummer's room, which was a room set aside for traveling salesmen (or drummers) where they could show and sell their goods. |
| When you think of the early mercantile stores, one has to remember just how their goods arrived. Long before paved roads, the Springfield to Harrison Road played an important role in the development of this part of the area. Thinking back, 100 miles of travel by teams of mules, pulling wagons loaded with goods, usually took three to four days - if weather was good. Compare this to the hour and ten minutes it now takes one to drive to Springfield. |
| Various tribes of Indians marked the first paths, followed by "notch" roads and later the "big road" referred to as the Springfield Road. Crossing the White River, the James River, and creeks such as Bear Creek and Bull Creek, had to be a major challenge for teams of mules pulling wagons filled with goods. Just imagine what the hills between here and Springfield must have been like before paved roads. Those rocky knobs, rutted and washed, steep ridges, and deep hollows could make for a miserable trip for the freighters. |
| There probably could not have been drummers without freighters. How could they sell goods without a way to deliver what they sold? So together, these two took on an important job. The drummers traveled the Springfield to Harrison Road and sold goods to the country stores and to merchants in towns along the way. One mention of a drummer calling on the Middleton Store in Omaha was found in an old newspaper - what he was selling and where he spent the night before going on to Burlington. |
| These drummers faced the same dangers as freighters - floods, wild animals and bad weather. Settlements of farm houses provided a sleeping place for drummers, who were often willing to pay for a place to sleep after covering 40 or more miles in a day's travel. |
| Robberies were common, especially if the drummer was thought to be carrying a good sum of money. The fancier he dressed and the more important he acted, the more likely he was to become a target for criminals - who were sometimes surprised to find the drummer ready with a loaded pistol. |
| Wagons and buggies, built sturdy, with room for trunks filled with samples, caused excitement when they pulled into a community. News from the big town of Springfield and stories of things that happened on the drummer's trip gave the store and hotel keeper a glimpse of the outside world. |
| Driving cattle, hogs and even turkeys to Springfield has been well documented. Can you just imagine what a job it would be to drive 100 head of hogs 100 miles? Since farmers had very little market news, they took a chance on what prices they would receive for their animals, but many men were made rich driving their livestock to market on the Springfield to Harrison Road. |
| Old stories of adventures along this road are on file at the Boone County Heritage Museum and we invite you to stop and spend a Thursday at the museum. Beginning in March, the museum will be open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Volunteers are needed for the summer season, so if you would like to give three hours per week helping preserve the history of Boone County, give us a call. |
| Two hundred and fifty family histories, with pictures, were picked up this week by the publisher of Boone County, Arkansas Family History Book, Volume II. The deadline has been extended, so please submit your family's history for publication in this upcoming book. Organizations, churches and businesses are encouraged to join in this effort to document the county's history. |
| This column appears Fridays in the Harrison Daily Times. Mail questions to Boone County Heritage Museum, P. O. Box 1094, Harrison, AR 72601. Marilyn Breece can be contacted at bchm@windstream.net |
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