Apr 25, 1930, pg 9
SPRINGFIELD HAS UNIQUE HISTORY
Once The County Seat, a Thriving Town Has Dwindled To A Mere Hamlet
Springfield is a village of about 350 inhabitants situated in the foothills of the Ozarks and about the center of Union township of Conway County. It takes its name from its many springs.
The first settlement in the vicinity of Springfield was made in 1839 by T.W. VENABLE about one half mile east of the present site of Springfield. One of the original log cabins erected in the village is still used as a barn on the farm owned by Wilson McCLAREN.
In June 1850, the county commissioners seeking a location for the county seat near the center of the county selected what is now Sprinfield, which at that time was virgin forest. The bringing the seat of the county government, however, gave it a start and it became an important trading center. In 1858 the town was incorporated with S.S. FORD the first mayor. Daniel WILLIS was appointed the first postmaster.
The original courthouse was used until April 1858 when it was destroyed by a tornado which swept about half the town away. The following year a two story frame building was erected at a cost of about $10,000. This was destroyed by fire in 1868, most of the county records being saved however due to the precautions of County Ckerk Joshua MOSES who had taken the records to his home. A new courthouse, costing about the same as the one which burned was erected on the same site in 1869. Springfield did not get to hold the county seat much longer, it being removed back to Lewisburg in 1873.
This courthouse erected in 1869 continued in possession of the county until 1887 when the people of Springfield purchased it for the Springfield Collegiate Institute under Professors W.B. TOON and T.P. MURRAY. Later it became the property of the Sprngfield School district and is in use today for the Springfield school.
The school maintains a full common school course and one year of high school work. Mrs Alice CARROLL, one of the county's ablest teachers is principal and Misses Lee CUP and Nora GENTRY are assistants.
The old jail was moved about two miles southeast of town and is used at present for storing hay on the farm of Mrs Mildred GLEASON.
The firs mercantile establishment was that of J.W. WILBANKS. He sold his business to HINKLE and Son. Daniel WILLIS, who became the first postmaster, built the first house in the village which was later used as a hotel. The VENABLEs, James and John, and the MORGANs were among the first business men and did an extensive business until stopped by the Civil War. Among the first to resume business after the war were HAWKINS & Co, and N.W. MOORE, the latter built a hotel in 1867, now the home of W.L. WEATHERLY. W.W. MARTIN was the first to start a credit business which seemed for a long time to be the only way in which business could be transacted. After a time he became associated with a Mr VAUGHN under the firm name of MARTIN and VAUGHN. Later Mr MARTIN moved to Conway and became a benefactor of Hendrix College.
The present business firms of Springfield are: HUETT and Co, who conduct a general merchandise business; L.W. KELLER, general merchandise and poultry dealer and being a Justice of the Peace will splice you for life; W.L. WEATHERLY and Co, handle a general line of merchandise, musical instruments and are agents for Radios and Frigidaires; J.W. NORWOOD, sells dry goods, hardware and a general merchandise line; H.L.BURNS, a druggist and licensed pharmacist handles a general line of staple drugs, patent medicines and toilet articles and is prepared to take care of anything from toothache to tummy ache.
The earliest doctors were: J.W. WESTERFIELD, J.C. AMIS, J.J. STEPHENS, and G.L. CUNNINGHAM. No night was too dark and stormy or road too bad that on horseback or in buggy for these pioneer doctors to answer the call of the sick and dying. Doctors CURETON, STEPHENS, POWELL, and FLEMING took care of the practice at a later date. The practice is now taken care of in a most scientific way by Dr R.G. HERRING.
In the early days going to mill was quite an occasion. Usually taking about three days for those who lived some distance away, a day to go, a day to wait for their turn and a day to return home. N.W. MOORE built the first steam mill at Springfield. It was really a gin, a roller mill and a grist mill combined. The old engine is still in use furnishing power for a modern Continential Gin System and stave factory. The present gin equipment was installed in 1929 and is the latest to be had at the present time. Teen BROWNING, the owner, ginned about 70 bales of cotton in 1929 and expects to gin about twice that amount in 1930.
W.E. BURNS, father of H.L. BURNS, druggist, was the old village blacksmith and you will be surprised at the number of wagons made by him in his own shop. They were sturdy and quite attractive. His son used one for quite a number of years. S.D. DANCER, familiarly known as uncle Dick who worked for Mr BURNS for a number of years is the present blacksmith doing wagon repairing, plow sharpening, horse shoeing, making coffins and doing garage work. Incidentally, Uncle Dick is 76 years old and is one of our oldest citizens.
Springfield is surrounded by fertile farms both upland and bottoms. The Carden bottoms are among the finest and most fertile lands in Conway county. As in pioneer days the principal industry of Springfield is farming. Large crops of cotton, corn and feed stuffs are produced. Dairying is becoming quite an industry. There are several herds of grade and pure bred jersey cows in and around Springfield. Hogs and poultry are raised in connection with the dairy industry. Among our laeding farmers we might mention Curtis WILSON, W.A. SMITH, Clarence DUNCAN, W.N. McCLAREN, Burton McCLAREN, J.P. JORDAN, and W.H. SMITH who is Springfield's oldest citizen.
The churches are represented by three denominations: Baptist, Christian and Methodist. Among the early preachers who by their simple faith and upright life inspired trust and confidence in their congregations, were: Rev MELTON, W.W. SMITH, A.R. RAY, Irving HARRIS, Ben HARRIS. The present Methodist church was built in 1879. Prevous to that time union services were held in the Masonic building on the hill. The Baptists used the Masonic building until 1902 until they erected a modern building of their own. The Christian church now uses the lower part of the old Masonic building for religious services. Rev George McGEHEE is pastor of the Methodist church and Dr T.G. HERRING is superintendent of the Sunday school. Rev Henry CROWDER is pastor of the Baptist church and Clarence DUNCAN is superintendent of the Sunday school. Rev G.W. KEIFFER is pastor of the Christian church and Burton McCLAREN is superintendent of the Sunday school.
During the days of the civil war there was considerable excitement around Springfield. Five companies which saw service in the Confederate army were raised in Conway county. Among those who enlisted from Springfield were W.S. HANNA, L.F. RAGSDALE, J.M. DUNCAN, Z.A.P. VENABLE, Jefferson MALLETT and William RUSSELL. Love of the country and patriotism was just as strong in the third generation as in the old village of the 60's. Springfield furnished her quota in the late World War. Among the many who saw service were Whit SPIRES, Roy BURNS, Ben STEPHENS, Arden FAULK, Robert HENLEY, F.O. McNUTT, Paul DANCER, James WILSON, Frank HENLEY, Jess LEDBETTER, Arl MILLER, and Fred ROBINSON. The two last named made the supreme sacrifice for their country.
Yes, we of the old village are proud of its glorious heritage from the past and are just as confident of its glorious future.