Of the people, By the people, For the people
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Donald Bailey
TUESDAY, December 8, 2020 / Vol. 6 Issue 49 / 75 cents
Restoration underway for early pioneer cabin by Warren Johnson
Photo taken right before disassembly began in 2012.
Reassembly Fall 2020
and
restoration
progress
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Dwight and Judith Wilson spent many of their married years together in South Arkansas after moving from their hometown in Mississippi. They traveled north through Van Buren County many times throughout the years while vacationing. With each passing trip, Mr. Wilson would look at an old cabin along the path and dream of owning and restoring it. When Mr. Wilson was in the third grade, the school he attended burned. Fortunately, there was a little log cabin in the park next door for the children to continue classes as the school was being rebuilt. He said, “Old cabins have amazed me all of my life.” Twenty years ago,
the Wilson’s decided they would stop traveling through Van Buren County and make the community their home. Mr. Wilson said, “You would be hard-pressed to find a place any prettier than this.” After purchasing their land and beginning to settle in, Wilson said he made an offer to buy the old cabin he had looked at so many times in his travels. Mr. Wilson recalled, “We couldn’t get close enough on the price to close a deal.” The old cabin remained neglected for another twelve years. As time went by, the owners decided the cabin had to go and made plans to have it demolished. Mr. Wilson heard the news and made another offer. This time the own-
ers accepted. Mr. Wilson disassembled the cabin and carefully encoded the ends of each log by color and number. All the pieces of the puzzle were thoughtfully placed in his barn for reassembly at a future date. “I am sure there were people who thought we would never be able to put it back together.” he stated. Dwight Wilson is a contractor by trade. He built many new log homes in his career but never restored and reassembled one. Dwight and Judith retired earlier in the year. Shortly thereafter, the quarantine began. He decided to use the time to begin the project he had been dreaming of for years. He cleared some land on his proper-
ty in April and began putting the big puzzle back together. With a little help stacking them, he was able to reassemble the cabin putting almost every log where it was originally placed over 170 years ago! Mr. Wilson pointed out that all the beams, each measuring eight by eight and twenty feet long, were hewn and notched using a broad axe and possibly a crosscut saw as well. He said, “I don’t think I could cut the beams any squarer with a saw mill than they did with a broad axe.” As for the type of wood used, Mr. Wilson said, “I thought the wood was white oak until I started putSee Cabin on page 3
Christmas Comes to Clinton
See more Christmas in Clinton photos on page 12. Photo by Tina Johnson by Tina Johnson
It was a beautiful sight at Archey Fork Park Saturday evening. When the sun went down and the switch was flipped, the park was transformed into a magical wonderland. Thousands of twinkling lights lit the
way for the Cowboy Clydesdales and the Polar Express Train as they paraded by the river and through the woods. What fun it was to ride in a one horse open carriage pulled by Don and Verda Nunley's mare Bessie. Santa's helpers served hot cocoa
Inmate roster
and cookies courtesy Cash Saver, McDonalds, Subway, and Western Sizzlin. Marshmallows were roasted on an open fire from the flaming glow of the Death Star. The newest attraction this year is so sweet it will give you a toothache... a life-size gingerbread house!
Coronavirus By the numbers December 6, 2020 State of Arkansas
Bradley Mitchell Hinkle Booking Date: 12-04-2020 Release Date: 12-04-2020 Theft of property
Kaleb Colt Kirkendoll
Booking Date: 12-04-2020 Failure to appear
• Arkansas • Hospitalizations: 1,056 • Active cases: 18,607 • Deaths: 2,620
Van Buren County
James Dale Simpkins
Booking Date: 12/01/2020 Booking Date: Weapons Felon 12-04-2020 in possession. Possession of Possession of drug drugs and firearms. paraphernalia. Theft of Property. Bond: $50,000
David Lee Barker
• Total Cumulative Cases: 448 • Confirmed Cases: 361 • Total Active Cases: 57 • Total Recovered Cases: 386 • Total Deaths: 4
Whether naughty or nice, everyone had a chance to sit with Santa Claus and whisper in his ear. D.J. McCool played songs of holiday cheer and the carolers sang merrily and bright bidding a Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
The Cowboy Clydesdales were in Clinton all day Saturday giving sleigh rides and spreading holiday joy. Special thanks to Steve Landers for bringing them to town. Photo by Robert Snyder
OEM defunded for 2021 by Warren Johnson
Near the end of last Thursday’s final 2021 budget committee meeting, the Office of Emergency Management chief Jeana Williams asked to speak. Williams began, “I was notified by Judge James last week the OEM will be defunded effective December 31, 2020. I would like answers.” Williams expressed her concern with defunding the OEM during a pandemic. She continued, “This one predicament is what I have trained for. “ Committee chairman Brian Tatum explained the funding for OEM will not be available. “Half of Williams salary has been paid by the county road department for the past two years. At that time, county general was being forced to make substantial budget cuts. Judge James agreed to pay half of OEM with county gen-
eral picking up the balance.” James announced at the regular quorum court meeting last month that the county road department will have a reduction near $500,000 in 2021 due to a decrease in severance tax. Tatum explained, “The OEM budget for 2019 was $72,000. We called other counties. Many of them use part-time staffing and a few use volunteers.” J.P. Sarah Brown said, “I feel like our hands are tied.” Tatum concluded, “We have commitments from the fire services and other volunteers. Hopefully, when we find ourselves in an emergency situation, we can just handle business. This is not personal from any of us. When working on budgets, the numbers have to balance. I hope we can bring the position back someday, if only part-time."
Smash and grab leaves resident disheartened Katie Smith was broken-hearted when she arrived home November 30th to discover she had become the victim of a home invasion. Smith said the robbers stole irreplaceable items belonging to her husband Ernest who passed away earlier this year. The thieves smashed a trophy case containing small items and took belt buckles he won from bull riding competitions as well as a jar of coins. If you have information, please contact the Van Buren County Sheriff's Office at 745-2112. Smith is offering a reward for information leading to the return of her property.