Have you noticed a change in the local landscape?  This spring, the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism added many road signs throughout Arkansas, designating different historic trails through the state. 

The Butterfield Overland Trail was included in this project!  Thanks to the Arkansas Dept. of Parks and Tourism for including this important historic trail in their program.  It is a reminder that everywhere you are in the Natural State, you are near a place where important history took place. 

The Butterfield trail was very important in the settlement of our state and the West.  Travelers going West stopped at inns like our Potts Inn in Pottsville for meals, respite, and socializing on their journeys News and mail also traveled by way of these trails.

In addition to the Butterfield Trail, visitors can follow portions of the Trail of Tears and the Civil War Trail while enjoying the gorgeous views the Natural State affords.

The Department of Parks and Tourism has an interactive map which delineates all of the trails in the state.  Visitors can choose a city along one of the trails to explore.  Just another way to enjoy the scenic beauty of our home state! 

Visit here for the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.


Here's a sneak peek at the map of all the trails:

Potts Inn Museum Outreach in Johnson County

The Outreach Program has begun, even though we have not recieved official word on our Humanities Council grant.  Today I did a program at the Johnson County Senior Activity Center in Clarksville.  What a warm reception I received!  People were eager to learn about Potts Inn and the Potts Family!  In addition to a few stories, I facilitated a "Show and Tell" session where participants bring an item: postcard, award, medal, interesting object, and share it's significance. 

Here's what Mrs. Doris Caplinger had to share:  "My Silver Plaque award and a book that has a poem in it [that I wrote].   The highest ranked award you can earn in Poetry Writing for my Poem of Babies [and] a selection of my poems I wrote for you to have."

Well, I for one am so happy to receive them!  I plan to publish them here, with Mrs. Caplinger's permission:

Each poem is represented here exactly as Mrs. Caplinger wrote it.

Thankfulness

Each moring when I awake

I look into the sky

I thank the Lord I thank my friends

That I am still alive.

If ever I should be cruel

To my family or other people,

I pray to the Lord, for themany things

While he's standing on the steeple.

If he sould ever come and take me away with Him

I hope that he will find

I'm not guilty of many sins

That hehas given to us

To take with us each day

Because in time to come

I have this verse to say

If ever I should do something

That I am grateful for,

I hope when the angels come to get me the Lord will be waiting at Heaven's Door.

Birds

Birds fly around the world each day

and make the sky so bright

and it can leade us into seeing

a more proud and happier sight.

As birds go out by the lakes and shores

and swim to take a bath,

can always leade us into seeing

a more proud and Happier Path.

As birds fly around the sky each day

Seeking to raize and lift a feather,

can always leade us into seeing

a mark and change of weather.

As we walk along lifes road each day

Listening to birds around us talk,

can always leade our journey we take

Into a more Pleasant and Happier Walk.

Parents

Of all the years that's passed on by

and marked ahead a leade,

I open my heart and see the joy

My Parents left at Deed

My Parents were there no matter what

The time of night or day.

They always knew how to cheer me up

and exactly what to always say

The many things theyve done for me

Has brought me lone from heart

and made my life into a happier life

That's never felt broken apart

I hope my Parents life ahead for them

Will be happy in all they do

and certainly bring them joy and Love

Like they've brought to me sincerely grew.

Babys

A baby enters the world each day

With tender touch and feel,

and it can help us see through life

How a baby can make our life so real

As babys go through life each day

Forming a need of care and Duty

Will also leade us into seeing

A mark and change of Beauty

A baby is a pleasure to watch

When it first begins to walk,

and it can also spread nice pride

When it first begins to talk

As babys go through life each day

Letting those around it see wan to see

How much Love a baby can bring

and will make our hearts so Gentle

Warm and Free.

P.S. This is the poem I got the Editor's Choice Award for.  It was also printed in a book from the Library of Congress.

Love

Love in life can be so nice

If we show our needs and care

To those around who need it most

and find in ways to share

When we see lifes way of helping out and lift our hearts to need,

The Love we share with others around

Will be a trustful and Happier Deed

When we take our time of finding ways

To draw others close beside,

can always have nice ways of showing

Our Love with Feeling and Pride

Love can also be rememberede at times

When joined together at heart,

and made into a heppier life

That never shall be broken apart.



Ever wonder what travel was like in the 1800's across the U.S.?  Well, it wasn't easy.  Read this article from the National Park Service.   
   "The stage route between Fort Smith, Arkansas, and San Francisco, California, passed through only two real towns: Tucson and El Paso. One stretch of route had no settlements for 900 miles; another had no water for 75." 

        

Travel on these roads was broken by stays in inns like the Potts Inn.  What comfort and luxury travelers found at the Potts Inn after days and days of cross country travel in those conditions! 



Arkansas Heritage Month

May is Arkansas Heritage Month

At the Potts Inn, May is a busy month!  We host several school tours during the month of May every year.  The largest groups, by far, come from here in Pottsville.  The teachers in the Pottsville School District recognize the significance of the museum, and bring their students every year for special tours.

The 4th grade does its "Potts Inn Day" every year.  This event has grown from a half-day tour of the museum to a full day of tours, and activities.  The fourth grade teachers, the museum staff and board, and the Pottsville Junior High history department coordinate the event every May. 

Eighth graders from Pottsville Junior High lead tours, in period costume, of the house and grounds, while the fourth graders and teachers enjoy the living history they provide.

This year, the theme for Arkansas Heritage Month is:  "Dreams and Determination: Arkansans at Work."  With that theme in mind, the fourth graders have researched 19th Century occupations.  Each student will portray an occupation from the 1800's in Arkansas on the day of the tours.  Some of the occupations include:  riverboat captain, blacksmith, teacher, preacher, seamstress, milliner, carpenter, trapper, tinkerer, peddler...

In addition to the tours enjoyed in the morning, the afternoon will be full of fantastic pioneer activities.  Here's a list of the activities:

Civil War Hospital re-enactment
Civil War Soldier re-enactment
quilt making (every student will make a quilt square)
Lincoln Logs
squaredancing
music
storytelling
snacks

All these activities are provided by volunteers from our community. The school wants to thank each and every one of our volunteers! 

These activities offer students in Pottsville a chance to learn by intergenerational, outdoor activities. The goal is to learn Arkansas History, yes, but in a way that stimulates the imagination and helps students appreciate their unique heritage here in Pottsville, Arkansas!

Building Detectives

Today I accompanied several groups of 4th graders to the museum.  We never entered a building!  Instead, we used the "Be Building Detectives" lesson plan found at the Arkansas History Hub and found on the page to the right.  Submitted to the Arkansas History Hub by Emily Pennel, the lesson encourages students to investigate architecture.  Students were separated into groups and armed with pens and clipboards.  The lesson helped the students to pay particular attention to all the details of a particular architectural style. 

In addition to the investigation, students had fun peeking into the windows of the Potts Inn.  Many swore they saw plates move, portraits wink, and shadows move...  This was just enough to whet their appetites for their big tour in May when the Pottsville Jr. High 8th graders will lead the 4th graders on group tours through the museum.

My hope is that by investigating the architecture, students gained vocabulary and experience that will help them appreciate the architecture in their hometown!

Thank you, Emily Pennel, for a terrific activity in Arkansas History!

March is Archeology Month in Arkansas

     It is a hot afternoon in 1541 as the Spaniards, led by Hernando DeSoto, cross through Arkansas.  They have been traveling for months, searching for gold and claiming land for the King of Spain as they travel.  They encounter some Native Americans: the Quapaw.  The Quapaw instruct them to make their way further west. 
     After two grueling years, the men are still scrabbling through brush, tall pine forests, and slogging through swamps.  Still they have found no gold.  They carry with them armor, weaponry, and the provisions of a military party.  They travel by foot and on horseback.  What items from this long-ago expedition have been recovered by modern archeologists?

     Imagine a young Cherokee boy as he passes through the Arkansas River Valley on his way to Indian Territory in Oklahoma.  It is the 1830's.  What would this boy carry with him?  What might he leave behind?

     The first European settlement west of the Mississippi was at Arkansas Post. From 1686 to 1763, the Post served as a French settlement and trading post.  The Post changed hands in the middle of the 18th Century, becoming briefly a Spanish holding and then went back to the French after the American Revolution.  Finally in 1803, when Louisiana Territory was purchased from the French, the Post became part of the United States.  In all those years, with settlers and Native Americans living and working near the Post, what kinds of artifacts would have been left behind? 

Archeologists work to solve these mysteries and many more.  Take a look at some archeology links:
Archeology State Parks
Raven's Dream (a story of Native American rock art)

    

     What will be left behind a century from now?  What "artifacts" will we leave for archeologists in the future?  Broken computer parts?  Wrecked cars?  Remnants from old shopping malls?  It's an interesting thought.  The next time you throw something away, consider it leaving evidence of your way of life. 

Butterfield Overland Mail Route Subject of Study by National Parks

The National Parks Service is conducting a feasibility study for the purpose of collecting data regarding the inclusion of the Butterfield Overland Mail Route in the National Historic Trails!  There is a public comment period, which extends through May 12. 2012.  Here's a link to the NPS website which details the project and give periodic updates.  There is a form where the public can comment. 

Potts Inn is located on the "Ox-Bow" Route from Memphis to Ft. Smith.  Note the map, below. 



 

Go to the National Park Service website and log your comments today! Let's get the Butterfield Overland Route recognized as an important historic trail through our great nation!

Logan County Ties

Before the electric chair, how did the state execute people?  The surest, most humane execution up until the time of the electric chair was by public hanging.  The last legal hanging in Arkansas occurred in Paris, Logan County, Arkansas, in 1914.  Pamelia Potts' family name was Logan, thus the Pope County/Logan County connection.  Here's a link to an article about the last public hanging in Arkansas. Last Hanging in Arkansas

Visitors can see the jail cell where Mr. Arthur Tillman was held until his execution and the gallows where he was hanged at the Logan County "Old Jail" Museum in Paris, Arkansas.   If interested in the murder and trial, there are books available for purchase that detail the whole ordeal. 



American History: What would we be without it?

    How many historic connections can you and your students find to the Potts Family and/or Potts Inn?  The Inn has stood for 160 years, and in that time has borne witness to much of America's history, good and bad.

 The Gold Rush:
     Mr. Potts was a pioneer, entrepreneur, and an adventurer.  He, like so many, rushed to California in the 1840's seeking his fortune in gold.

The Trail of Tears:
     The Trail of Tears proceeded through the River Valley, and Mr. Potts speaks of an encampment near his home (the earlier log home at the foot of Crow Mtn.).  We know that some of the Potts sons served in the Civil War on the side of the Confederacy.  We also know the Potts were a slave-holding family.      

The coming of the railroad: 
     Following the closure of the stage coach route, the railroad came through Arkansas, and the Potts Inn housed railroad workers, still serving in the capacity as an inn.

Revolutionary War:
     Go back further, the Revolutionary War.  General Washington's encampment at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania was on Potts land.  It was here, that Isaac Potts, a Quaker, a Whig, and a Tory witnessed General Washington kneeling in prayer in the snowy woods.  This encounter changed Mr. Potts views on the American "rebels" and on the war. 

Click here to read about Mr. Potts' encounter with General Washington as quoted to Rev. Nathaniel Randolph Snowden.



Challenge your students to find more connections to the Potts Family.  What were members of the Potts family doing during the War of 1812? World War I? World War II?  

What artifacts are housed at the Potts Inn from these wars? 

Hint: check out the painting over the mantel in the ladies' parlor for a WWII connection!!! 

Planning for Summer 2012

Summer will be here before we know it!  That's why here at Potts Inn we are planning for our summer workshops for teachers and our programs for children. 

Our first workshop is scheduled for February 10 for the Pottsville School District.  We'll welcome 45 Arkansas History Teachers from Pottsville on that day.  They will leave with valuable lesson plans and ideas for using Potts Inn in their teaching. 

Summer Workshops 2012 are scheduled as follows:
Tuesday, June 12, 9 am-12 noon. 
Friday, June 22, 9 am-noon.
There will be 2 more dates announced for July 2012.

Attendants will gain 2 hours of Arkansas History Content Inservice and 1 hour of Instructional Strategies Inservice.  The cost for each teacher is $15 ($5 if you are a Pope County teacher).  Please call Kellie Van Es to register yourself or your group: 479-970-5334, or email: pottsinn@gmail.com . Please include your name, and a phone number. 

More dates TBA!

Halloween Trick-or-Treating

Looking for a safe alternative to door-to-door trick-or-treating this Halloween?  Kids, bring your parents to the Potts Inn Museum in Pottsville, Arkansas for some 1800's style trick-or-treating fun!  We'll have trick-or-treating at all the museum buildings: 8 in all!  Plus bobbing for apples and free stagecoach rides! 

Don't miss the fun!  Saturday, October 29, 2-4 pm at the Potts Inn Museum, 15 Birch St., Pottsville, Arkansas!

Trick or Treating

PJHS Jr. Beta Members  Thanks for a great day, kids! 

Face-painting by Jr. Beta Member

Links to Pope County Articles

Here's an interesting article about the Butterfield Stage.

Photo of John Butterfield, founder of the Butterfield Stage and Overland Mail Company.  His vision and entrepreneurial spirit helped settle the Arkansas River Valley.

News at the Potts Inn!

We have several items of news to report about the museum!  First, we are now able to offer Arkansas History Professional Development hours at the museum.  Our first scheduled group of teachers is the Pottsville k-8 teachers of Arkansas History in February.  I sure hope they don't mind being guinea pigs!  That process was a little intimidating to say the least.  First there's dealing with the Arkansas Department of Education which is daunting in itself.  Then there's the technology...posting profiles, making the title search-friendly, and meeting all the requirements of PD for teachers!  Luckily, I had the assistance of a very helpful lady at the ADE, and I made it through...  Unfortunately for her, I have edited the title a couple of times and that means she has to approve the whole program again!  Sorry!

Next, the museum was featured in the Atkins Chronicle newspaper with a photo of our own Margaret Motley on the front page!  Teachers from Craighead County, touring our area, stopped for a tour of the museum, and from the comments we received, they were delighted!  In addition, a representative from www.Arkansasonline.com is coming to tour.  Hopefully we'll get some positive promotion from that visit! 

Last, sadly, I  will no longer be employed at the museum after July 30.  "sniff, sniff"  I have enjoyed every minute of my summer as tour guide at the museum!  I will be available to help with special events, planning and promoting the museum everywhere I go!   My replacement, Alicia Powell, will do a fantastic job.  She already has so many great ideas.  She is young and enthusiastic!  Go by and visit with Mrs. Alicia and take a tour of the Potts Inn Museum!!!

Christmas in July!

I was browsing the aisles at Wal-mart today and they have moved the canning supplies and replaced them with school supplies! Really?  It happens every year! Right after July 4---it's back to school shopping time!

Well, how about moving Christmas shopping up a little too?  We have just received the 2011 Ornaments for the Potts Inn Museum Gift Shop! They are adorable, thanks to Benita Drew of Benita's Photography in Pottsville! She is so talented and here's the proof!



Here's the 2011 Christmas Ornament
A photo of the Falls-Sinclair Grocery Building and
with several period cars parked out front.









There are still plenty of the beautiful 2010 ornaments left also!

I told you she was talented!  But don't take my word for it, come down to Potts Inn Museum and take a look! These fantastic ornaments are only $10.00. Perfect gift for a teacher, Sunday School teacher, babysitter, hair stylist, BFFs, anyone on your list! 

The Butterfield Overland Mail

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.            

Sources:  "The Butterfield Overland Mail in Arkansas" by W.J. Lemke and Ted R. Worley
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!

Work Day at Potts Inn

     Early Saturday will find most of us sleeping in.  A few of us might brave the aisles of Wal-mart just to get a jump on the weekend rush.  But few of us are volunteering to preserve our local history.  That is just what a group of Pottsville Citizens did a couple of weeks ago.  A handful of dedicated citizens cleaned, raked, clipped and mowed the buildings and grounds of Potts Inn Museum in readiness for the summer season.

     I enjoyed a personal tour from one of the board members who proudly showed me the progress that was being made in the converted caretakers cabin/office. I was privy to a tour of the newly acquired Pottsville Grocery Building where Mrs. Margaret Motley, Potts Inn Board Member, shared future plans for the building and for the historic downtown area. Big changes are on the way for the museum and I'll share a few of those here!

This is the sign on the Caretaker's Cabin.  The cabin once housed an onsite full-time caretaker.  Now the cabin will house an office and gift shop.  The upstairs will be an area for museum archivists to preserve atrifacts.

Inside the newly rennovated office/giftshop, rough logs are exposed on the walls.

Souvenirs will be available for purchase from this corner of the Office.

The entry to the Pottsville Grocery Building.  The list denotes donors who made its purchase possible.

List of donors who made the purchase of the Pottsville Grocery Building possible.

Inside the Pottsville Grocery Building, Mrs. Motley shares the vision for rennovating/restoring the store.

Members of the Pottsville Community like Mr. George Woolf spent their Saturday cleaning, clipping, and cutting on the grounds of Potts Inn Museum.

Mr. Van Tyson and Mrs. Pam Scarber pause in their groundskeeping tasks.

The Grocery Building promotional ad.

Potts Inn Day, 4th Grade Pottsville Middle Grades

Friday, May 6, was the 3rd annual Potts Inn Day for Pottsville fourth graders.  The fourth grade students were led through the museum by Pottsville Junior High School eighth grade students in Mrs. Tina Taylor's class.  As the students toured, the leaders taught them about the history and folklore of the museum and of their home town.  These kinds of activities foster a sense of history and heritage in our Pottsville students.  There is a real sense of "ownership" among these kids that this is "their" history, and this program helps to instill that.  This program will hopefully be remembered by these students and teachers for the rest of their lives. 

Students were required by their teachers to dress in period costume for this event.  They all looked so precious in their outfits!  Pottsville is so lucky to have the teachers and parents that are willing to go the extra mile to help their students have an outstanding pioneer experience!  They are so fortunate to have a community that supports this kind of activity.  From city hall to the Potts Inn Museum Board, everyone has been so supportive and enthusiastic.  A great big thank-you to all the people who helped make this possible!

Following the tours, students experienced an afternoon of pioneer and Civil War activities.  Students rotated through several stations in which they experienced square dancing, Civil War "fan language," snacks, quilt-making, music, a Civil War soldier, "old-timey" photos, and building log cabins with Lincoln Logs.

The project was funded by a grant from the Department of Arkansas Heritage as an Arkansas Heritage Month Event.