Small town news commentary from Imboden, Arkansas
On July 4, 2026, our nation will commemorate and celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The journey toward this historic milestone is an opportunity…
The “Hanging Tree” at Old Jackson was a landmark in the community of Jackson Arkansas, former County Seat for Lawrence County Arkansas (currently Randolph County). The only known legal hanging…
The Old Union School survives as an example of the early history of the once thriving community of Birdell. Located approximately two miles northwest of the community of Birdell, the…
In the Scrantlin Cemetery in Jackson County stands a monument with the inspiration “Brothers Killed By A Train, May 27, 1922”. The double monument erected by a grieving mother to…
On November 3, 1893, Train No. 51, a seven car train of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway was sidetracked at Olyphant Arkansas (Jackson County) so that the…
This week, we had the privilege of visiting the area of Old Jackson and the Old Jackson Cemetery. If you are not familiar with Old Jackson, it played a pivotal…
Sometime after 3am on November 8th 1931, Fred Barker, William Weaver, and most likely Alvin “Creepy” Karpis were driving around the town of Pocahontas Arkansas allegedly looking for businesses to…
Ephraim Sharp, 1815-1898, for whom Sharp County was named, was an early Arkansas pioneer. He also served in the state legislature during the 15th and 17th sessions of the Arkansas…
On June 5, 1965 Chief Master Sergeant Franklin Ellison who was born July 28, 1923 in Ravenden went missing while on a routine military flight to the Grand Turks Islands.…
June 3rd 1983, federal fugitive Gordon Kahl is killed along with Lawrence County Sheriff Gene Matthews at a residence outside of Smithville Arkansas. Kahl had been the subject of a…
It’s May 1887 and headlines in news papers reported a brutal crime near Opposition in Lawrence County. The Courier reported the following on May 19th 1887: “A Brutal Deed” “Andrew…
A brief history of Ravenden’s Raven, one of the most recognized roadside attractions in northeast Arkansas. For 35 years, the Raven has kept watch over the City Of Ravenden. The…
On a recent outing to Opposition Cemetery, we stumbled across one particular headstone with a striking engraving, the words read “My Darling Boy Was Slain In The Dark”. Naturally this…
“Doc” Driver was hanged at Walnut Ridge on January 31, 1913, for murdering a the Walnut Ridge Town Marshal in October 1912. “Doc” Driver, who was born on March 6,…
On November 18th, 1982 at approximately 9:00am as a female bank teller was opening the doors at the Smithville Branch of the Lawrence County Bank an armed robber forced his…
It sits on top of a hill next to a small natural clearing, as you walk into the wood line you notice the thick leaf covered forrest floor. If someone…