Times Past
This photo, from the Feb. 4, 1965, edition of the Times, shows some of the 1,767 “babies” delivered by Dr. M. J. Hoerman during the 25 years between his arrival here on Jan. 29, 1940, and the Dr. and Judy Hoerman Appreciation program held at Gainesville High School on Jan. 29, 1965. The program was sponsored by the Gainesville Lions Club. The Hoermans, who had no children, died within six months of each other in 1972. Among other bequeaths, they left 10 percent of their estate to the city of Gainesville and another 10 percent to the Gainesville School District. In 1973, the city and the school district cooperated in developing what is now the Hoerman Memorial Park, which adjoins the Gainesville School campus off Highway 160 east of the Gainesville square.
Ozark County News
Jan. 31, 1895
Joe Harlin and James Pratt returned from Ark. last Friday with 114 head of cattle. They report cattle scarce in that part of the country.
The Democrat
Jan. 18, 1905
J. C. Harlin was thrown from a coasting sled one night last week and sprained his knee. He is able...
This photo shows the Gainesville kindergarten class of 1958, mentioned in the Times Past item below. The six-week class, sponsored by the Gainesville Extension Club, was held in what is now the Gainesville Lions Club building. Teacher Julia Anna Taber is shown with her students: from left, Geraldine Hayes (or possibly Shirley Robbins), West Plains resident R.C. Alexander (visiting the Pace family), Audie Luna, Vickie Pace, Kim Veatch, Larry Wade, Rick Sims, Mike Breeding, Danny Weston, Beth Taber, Mike Bushong, Louise Pace and Lee Wayne Wallace. (Thanks to class members Mike Breeding and Larry Wade for identification help.)
Ozark County News
Nov. 3, 1887
Mr. Simon Clark left Wednesday, with his family, for north Missouri, where he will make his future home – that is, like all others, until he comes back to Ozark, which we think he will do about next fall.
Jan. 9, 1890
Collector Morrison has made fair collections...
The Algar Worm Farm consists of 40 worm beds lodged in a well-insulated building. In the foreground are Mrs. Donna Gargione and her son, Tom.
By Sue Ann Luna Jones
Jan. 16, 1975, Ozark County Times:
One night in October 1972, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Gargione of Elijah were entertaining guests in their home. As they talked, a night crawler earthworm appeared from beneath the couch and slowly began to cross the living room floor. In a...
119 YEARS AGO
Jan. 6, 1906, Bakersfield News: The Big oil drill will soon be ready for business. A force of men are setting up the monster machine as rapidly as possible, but the rainy weather has greatly retarded the work. If no more delays occur, it is believed that the drill will be ready...
This 1910 photo from the collection of April Arington Legler shows the general merchandise store at the Ozark County community of Birdtown, also known as Toccoa. West Plains resident Jim Decker provided this information about those in the photo: Seated, from left: Pat Briscoe (a local blacksmith), Dr. Gordon (a local doctor), Tim Gordon (Dr. Gordon's son), John Decker (Jonathon's son), Marty Moody, Arthur Gordon, Sam Thompson, Walter Tabor, Homer Decker (father of Jim Decker), Mont Tetrick and Bill Moody (and his dog, Molly Cottontail). Standing: John Gordon, Jonathon Decker (who built this store building in 1905), Charles Decker (son of Jonathon), Eddie Lewis, Claude Moody and Eldon Decker (the two boys in front of window).
Ozark County News
Jan. 2, 1890
A disease known as influenza, or “grippe,” is raging in many of the large cities of Europe, causing as many deaths as the worst scourge of Cholera ever known.
The Recorder issued a marriage license one day last week to Mr. Hiram Welch, aged 47 years old. He is...
As reported in the 1906 Times Past item below, J. N. [Newt] Ford bought a partnership in the Gainesville business that became Ford & Force and relocated it to a building that is shown in this undated photo of the west side of the Gainesville square. We're unsure exactly which building housed Ford & Force, originally a drugstore, but the report says it was "just south of the bank," which was in the bright-white two-story building in the center of the photo – the first awning from the right. Ford bought out his partner, Harry Force, in 1907, and the drugstore eventually became Ford's Village Market, a grocery store that, except for 11 years (1939-1950), continued to be operated by a Ford family member until it closed in October 1980. The original frame building was rebuilt in brick in 1929 and today houses Mischa Kastning's The Hair Shop and Tanning.
Ozark County News
Nov. 22, 1883
Dr. Small has built a "cyclone" stable for his horse.
The woods are said to be full of game, and our sportsmen are fattening on fried squirrel.
Several thousand fruit trees passed through town the first of the week bound for the west end of the county. Farmers out...
Burned to Death Fighting Fire.
DAVID W. WALKER, 69, FALLS INTO BURNING HOUSE WHEN ROOF COLLAPSES.
Donald W. Walker, 69, well known farmer of near Pottersville, was burned to death about noon on Thursday of last week, while fighting fire at the home of a neighbor, Jess May, a mile away. Mrs. May...
PAPER GOES DEAD
And Editor Attempts Suicide.
The Bakersfield Republican, a newspaper published at Bakersfield, this County, the past year or two, went dead last week.
The editor, Wm. McNair, attempted to commit suicide Friday evening about 5 o’clock by taking an overdose of morphine, but the...
The Dec. 17, 1909, editor’s comment, below, about “hog-killing weather” reminded us of this undated photo of an Ozark County butchering day that was shared with the Ozark County Historium by April Arington Legler in 2016. The people in the photo are unknown, but April is a descendant of the Bushong and Luna families, so most likely the people in the photo are members of one of those families.
Ozark County News
Dec. 19, 1889
Christmas next Wednesday. We wish all our readers a Merry Christmas.
The young people of the town are to have a concert at the courthouse Saturday night. Admission free and all invited.
Dec. 21, 1899
Messrs. Eli Meiser and W. A. Sims of Paragould, Ark., were in...
This photo, from the collection of Mountain Home, Arkansas, resident Randy Fouts, shows the 7-mile-long conveyor belt that carried rock from the quarry at Flippin, Arkansas, to the construction site at Bull Shoals Dam on the White River around 1950. The photo came from Fouts’ father-in-law, Charles Reed of Flippin, who worked on the construction of the dam. In fact, said Fouts, he lost his Flippin senior class ring somewhere in the concrete of the dam. When Fouts posted the photo on Facebook page several years ago, several people responded that their fathers or other relatives had worked on the incredibly long conveyor.
Ozark County News
Dec. 12, 1889
Work on Guy T. Harrison’s new store house is progressing. It is to be a commodious building.
The material has been procured to build a new belfry at the Christian church. The work will be commenced this week.
Dec. 15, 1904
Gainesville post office schedule: West...