Other than the Pony Express, how did early settlers receive their mail? Ever wondered? The Potts Inn was a stagecoach stop on the Butterfield Overland Stagecoach Line which was also a mail carrier service. The company was organized by John Butterfield in 1857 who negotiated a contract with the U.S. Postal Service to carry all letter mail from St. Louis and Memphis to San Francisco. The postal rate was 10 cents a letter.
Passengers paid $200 to travel from St. Louis to San Francisco. "Way passengers" were sometimes picked up between stations and paid 10 cents per mile.
What is known of the stops and stations along the Memphis, Tennessee to Ft. Smith, Arkansas line has been gathered from newspapers and from accounts of travelers. The first station was Madison on the St. Francis River. The Des Arc station was operated by M.M. Erwin, located on the main street. The next station was the Atlanta Hotel at the town of Atlanta, an early name from Austin, run by J.J. Peebles. In Little Rock, the well-known Anthony House stood on the east half of the block bounded by Markham, Scott, Cherry (Second), and Main Streets. Next came Augustus Hartje's log tavern near Rocky Gap, four miles southwest of Conway, later called the "Old Stage Coach house." Following the line one came next to Lewisburg, on a bluff about half a mile upstream from the bridge across the Arkansas on the road from Morrilton to Petit Jean State Park. From Lewisburg, the route was by way of Hurricane, Potts' Station to Norristown. Little is known of specific stopping places between Pottsville and Ft. Smith. The site of Norristown is now a field.
Passengers could never be sure of their arrival time or date or that of the mail due to weather and road conditions. Imagine waiting days or weeks for news of the outside world--letters and newspapers. In our Age of Information, some of us would go insane waiting to hear of news from loved ones in another state.
The best preserved of these stations is the Potts Inn in Pottsville, Arkansas, which is a tourist destination today. Visitors are welcomed Wednesday through Saturday, 10:00 am-4:00 pm. The charge for the tour is $5 for adults and $2 for children over 5. Children under 5 are free.
A visit to Potts Inn will open your eyes to the hardships of frontier life and allow you a glimpse into a "simpler" time. After your visit, be sure to visit the gift shop for one-of-a-kind souvenirs and gifts. Wander over to Tina's Diner for some home-style cooking. Come see the progress and the preservation efforts of this unique Arkansas city!
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