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| Abandoned House along AR-285 |
With nothing but a lot of spare time, a mini-adventure around the northwest portion of central Arkansas seemed in order. There was no particular plan or destination outside of two different items, an abandoned ICBM site, and a historic bridge. The remainder of the day, set aside for discovering anything else of note along the way.
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| The Henry Hotel Garden |
The Henry Hotel is one such thing. The only photographic representation obtained to date, the Pegasus-on-a-Pole. As it loomed around the bend, a brief intermission was in order to take a few photos. Conditions were not ideal though, with the sunshine of yesterday utterly blotted out by clouds.
It had not been that way, when starting out. The sun shone down on Greers Ferry Lake, but traveling west, the skies became more ominous. Everything east seemed to be the sunny side of the street, and I almost turned around a few times, but assumed that would change the moment I did.
The “hotel” is an odd little place though. I am not entirely sure it is, or ever really was a hotel. Deeper investigation is undoubtedly in order, and as of late, there appears to be more activity around the place. Perhaps one of these times, a longer visit will reveal someone on the grounds to explain the assortment of peculiarities adorning the front yard of this establishment.
Aside from Pegasus-on-a-Pole, there are snowmen, giraffes, multiple birdbaths of all shapes and sizes, and a variety of other yard ornamentation. All of this ascribed to Betty Henry and the Henry Hotel. Nobody was available for questioning on this particular trip, so I headed on down the road.
Out of pure curiosity, and without looking at the map at all to see where it went, I decided to detour up the Gravesville Cutoff from there. While it was mildly interesting that it landed on US-65 near Bee Branch, it really did not seem very useful or interesting to be in possession of that knowledge.
. . .
The first planned stop of the day, a Titan II ICBM site, was purported to be a few miles south of that point. Quickly heading that way, I was anxious to see what I had apparently and unknowingly driven past so many times before.
The destination proved impossible. Road construction forced a backtrack after passing the Google Maps marker, and then on return to the point I was thwarted by signs demanding No Trespassing. A house sat just to the side, but it appeared nobody was home, so I quickly abandoned that enterprise.
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| Abandoned Buildings along AR-285 |
While traveling along to the next and only other planned stop on this loop, I encountered a different sort of historic preservation on AR-285, where some extensive road improvements were underway. Drainage fencing and barbed wire blocked easy access to a few dilapidated wooden structures, so I quietly moved along.
Arriving at the site of the Springfield-Des Arc Bridge, I was relatively surprised to discover a well-trodden path heading into the woods. It seems this particular bridge is not quite as abandoned and forgotten as previously assumed. That makes some sense, since Google even had its location on their maps, and there are several brief entries on the Internet about the affair.
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| Springfield-Des Arc Bridge |
It is surprising that the bridge is not in better shape though; then again, maybe not so much. As an item on the National Register of Historic Places, along with the same for the State of Arkansas, one assumes some level of preservation. As with many other similar points I have stumbled across, neglect and disrepair seem to be the standard.
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| Springfield School &/or Community Center |
With no other destinations planned, I continued on the same path to the bustling metropolis of Springfield, and then headed south in the hopes of avoiding the rain that was just starting. It worked for a little while, and I thought I might press on and visit Point Remove, but then it began a deluge.
I paused briefly for a photo of the former Springfield School, now a Community Center, or perhaps some combination of the two. It is hard to know for certain. It seemed interesting enough at the time, with its yellow brick and hand painted signage, but not for any length of time. The rain was looming.
It cleared a bit by the time I reached Plumerville, but the skies in the east were much more presentable, so I jumped on and raced down Interstate 40, picked up US-64, then turned north on AR-36, just to see what there was to see; and, not much, really.
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| Mount Vernon — Enola Elementary School |
The only thing of interest along the way appeared in the form of the Mt Vernon-Enola Elementary School. With Crepe Myrtles all around, it is the typical old-world Arkansas construction of stone. It is another that seems as though it should likely be on the National Register of Historic places, although the well kept appearance is probably foiling any efforts to do so.
Pressing on proved less than interesting, excepting the wonderfully empty countryside of north central Arkansas. If ever there were a place to go and get away from it all, without being too far away, this is the region.
Jumping on AR-5 briefly, I thought I might head on back and do some fishing, but a little voice in my head told me I should wander on over to Floyd and come back up through Pangburn. In truth, the little voice just wanted to stop and visit Suzie’s for ice cream.
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| Lake Barnett |
I never quite made it to Floyd; almost, but not quite. A little north of AR-305, I was distracted by an access point. I was not aware of any rivers or lakes nearby, so went to investigate, and discovered the 247-acre Lake Barnett, a dammed up situation along the Bayou Des Arc. Very little to see beyond a beautiful lake deep in the woods though, a few folks fishing in vain against skies threatening lots of rain, and that is about it; stumps sticking out of the water, but nothing more.
Continuing along AR-305 until I stumbled on AR-36 again. I had to pause and look at the map to make sure I had not gone the wrong way, since I had left that particular road many miles to the south. Roads in Arkansas can be a little weird though, and sometimes reemerge in the most unlikely places.
I was definitely on the right track though, so followed AR-36 for a little while, but intent on not going all the way over to Searcy. Another road caught my attention, while reviewing the map. The name implied there might be another old school nearby.
The implication was unfounded. Morris School Road runs quite a little stretch north, bypassing Searcy, but there is no sign of school along the route. If there was, I missed it completely; again, beautiful countryside, but not a sign of life.
Somewhat disappointed, but really kind of ready to start heading back anyway, I finally met up with AR-16, and begrudgingly began the trek northerly again. The little voice singing jubilantly about ice cream, it must have a bout with narcolepsy, as silence ensued and no reminder forthcoming Suzie’s passed.
There was nothing left to see along the way that had not already been seen during prior expeditions. The voice in my head had been replaced by an angry sort of bellowing from the pit of my stomach. Home base, fishing, and more importantly, something to shut that sound off became priority.
. . .
Further Reading
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