Old Cross County Roads, Arkansas

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Submitted by:  Michelle Slabaugh <michslab @ cablelynx . com>
        Date:  20 March 2005
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
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Mrs. Thomas D Hare (Jewell Sigman), former Cross County, AR historian,
wrote this special article about old roads of the county.
Mrs. Hare was born 14 Sept. 1879 and died 26 Dec. 1970.


At the mouth of the bay on the St. Francis River there operated a ferry, a
boat propelled by two men with big oars. When a child, I would watch the
wagon trains come down the bank onto the ferry.

What was I doing there? Fishing with my family. I had a good view of the
wagons which were always a source of wonder to me. They were headed west to
the new country. Some were pulled by horses and mules, others by oxen,
behind which were milk cows, dogs, coops of chickens with black pots
swinging under the wagons. Mothers with babies in their arms looked out of
the back. The spring seats in front held the driver and others.

The Bay Ferry road they traveled led out to the Bay Road at the foot of
Crowley's Ridge and continued north past the Deadrick, Hare, Copland and
Hamilton, on to Walnut Grove campground, Bond farm, Bay Village, out of the
county into Harrisburg and on north.

The road went south also to old Wittsburg and on to the old Jones farm where
the Military Road crossed the St. Francis River going east and west. Other
laterals lead from Bay Road. One from Wittsburg over the hill to Harris
Chapel and to Wynne and vicinity.

The Augusta road passed Poinsette Female Academy (later Cobb's Boarding
School near) Pineville, also near Cleburne and old Mt. Zion, a stage coach
stop at Sanders, Old Vanndale. This old road crossed what is now Highway 1,
corner of Rolland and Sam Vann farms, out near Jones, Halk and Jamerson
farms, crossing L'Anguille River, Brush Lake, Cache and White Rivers.

The Batesville Road led out north and west passing Rev. Thomas P. Hare's
home, Oak Grove (now Vanndale), Joe Lewellen, Warren Dilliard, Ned Hare,
Applewhite, and McFerren farms, over L'Anguille River. There was a covered
bridge at this crossing, a toll bridge I've heard.

These, the main roads, were neighborhood roads which connected and brought
neighbors together. The Sharpsburg Road which led to a little community and
post office. The late Col. Tom Fitzpatrick lived a short distance from
there. The Andersons, Fountains, Clark, Ball, Rooks, Jones, Parkers, Massey,
Simmons and Manleys lived in that neighborhood. The ridge road from old
Vanndale crossed Morgan's Creek out south by another old post office, Mill
Ridge, at Rensellear Vann farm. The farms of Jas. Lewellen, John M Maggett,
Barnes, Williams, Cogbill and Brookfields near this road, further south the
John Graham neighborhood and road, west out by Smith Chapel and McElroy.

According to the late Col. T. O. Fitzpatrick, "some of oldest land in
cultivation from Ebony and this side of Earle and the ridges around
Crawfordsville never were overflowed. You can look at railroad tracks and
see them on the level." He said one road crossed Tyronza River, old Neeley's
Ferry on St. Francis River through bottoms to Walnut Camp ground on to Bay
Village.

Over the highways of yesterday, the pioneers traveled. One of my early
Sunday School teachers, Mrs. W. C. Malone, mother of the late Mrs. O.N.
Killough, told of her husband, Rev. W. C. Malone, driving through in a wagon
with the remains of Rev. J. A. Hare, father of the late Dr. Dabney Hare, to
Macron, Tenn., for burial.

Quite different the highways of yesterday. Horseback wagons, buggies and
surreys - but they got us there for church meetings, barbecues, fish frys,
log rolling, quilting bees and visiting the sick. Also for hog killing time,
community "sings". At Christmas time open house with tables laden with the
best of food for our friends to enjoy.

Another well-traveled road was the one the Shaver, Hydrick and Stacy
families had from Bay Village over toward Cherry Valley, Washington Spring,
on over the hill above Cherry Valley, south past the Halk, Brown, F.M. Hare,
Mann, Pipkin, Woodward and Lea places. Old Marvin Church was in that
neighborhood.