Old Military Road is a route to White County past

By Pat Hambrick

Thursday, August 31, 2006 7:26 PM CDT

A Southwestern Energy employee sprays down the housing of a drilling derrick at one of the natural gas wells in the county. Some historical roads could be affected by gas exploration.

The Daily Citizen

The area around Mt. Pisgah saw some of the early development in Arkansas, including the Old Military Road of 1831, but there is concern that some of the county’s developing gas industry may destroy the evidence of our older history, White County historian Bill Leach told White County Historical Society (WCHS) members Monday night.

Leach said that the Mt. Pisgah area is the site of a lot of current gas exploration and drilling. It is important to document and record such historical features as The Old Military Road, especially those portions that are a part of current roads, before the roads are widened or paved to accommodate hauling heavy drilling equipment.

“The road stays at the edge of hill country,” Leach said, as he traced the road across White County, starting near Pleasant Plains and somewhat following Highway 157 before drifting over to Little Red, then crossing Little Red River, and going near Clay, Mt. Pisgah, Center Hill, Floyd, and finally, three miles east of El Paso, leaving the county near Cypress Bayou.

Using historical documents, maps and on-site research, Leach and Scott Akridge presented a map and photos showing the probable route of the 1831 road, which is often plainly visible. Leach said that at Center Hill, on Yerby Road, the historical road is about four feet below field level. Where it crosses Turkey Mountain, the cut is more than head high, he said.

Leach believes that some areas had a main road that was used during the dry seasons and another route, or detour, that was used during wet weather. He gave some quotes from historians and travelers of the time period and mentioned early settlers, such as James Walker. He had a stop-over near El Paso that was known for serving good food, and it was noted that he owned 20 slaves.

Most older routes in Arkansas are commonly referred to as old military roads, but Leach’s presentation was focused on the road commissioned by the U. S. Military in 1831, as it pertains to White County. It is also known as the Jackson Military Road and follows much of what is often called the Southwest Trail.

In 1831, the first steamboat arrived in Batesville, so river traffic was developing at the same time as the Old Military Road was being built. By 1840, Batesville to Little Rock traffic dominated the scene and The Old Military Road was less well-traveled; travelers came through the new town of Searcy on their way to Little Rock. Much of that road followed what is Highway 267 today, Leach said, and some of the earlier settlers along the Old Military Road moved to this area of the county.

This project is not complete, Leach said, but when time permits, he plans to research the Batesville-Little Rock road.

Dewitt Yingling, president of WCHS, announced that on Saturday, Sept. 9, the “Walk Through History” event will begin at 11 a.m. at the Morris Homestead, approximately 12 miles north of Bald Knob. He said this is one of the counties few pre-Civil War homes, and it is not usually open to the public. For more information on the free event, contact Elizabeth@arkansasheritage.org or call (501) 324-9788.

The second edition of the popular WCHS cookbook, “White County Cookin’,” is called “White County’s Cooking Again” and is now on sale for $10. Checks may be mailed to WCHS, P. O. Box 537, Searcy, AR 72145. Copies will be available at the WCHS booth at the White County Fair, which begins September 11.

The next meeting of the White County Historical Society will be on Monday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. at Harding Place.