Pea Ridge, Arkansas

Since today is my birthday, I wanted to take a trip to my hometown and the only way to do it was through these photos. This first building is now Pea Ridge, Arkansas City Hall. When my family moved to Pea Ridge nearly 50 years ago, this was a cafe on the right and a closed gift shop on the left. We moved to Pea Ridge where my Mom opened the cafe. Until we could find a house we lived in the back of the cafe. I am taking the photo from what once was the school grounds.

I did a blog post about Webb's Feed and Seed 10-9-11.

There once was a drug store with a fountain where everyone went for cokes and coffee.

The Pea Ridge Community Library moved this year to a newer facility that was donated to them south of town. This library building is the old Bank of Pea Ridge, incorporated in 1911, and was one of only two banks in Benton County that did not fail during the Depression. After fifty-seven years at this location, the bank moved in 1968 to the new facility at Curtis and Leetown. Most of the businesses have moved south of the original downtown.

In the second block of the Main Street these buildings all stand empty.

There was a hardware store, grocery store, and post office all in this block.

This is a sad site, but still makes me feel like I have traveled home.

If this building was built in 1928, I can't imagine when the other block was built!

This next building is one of a couple buildings left standing on the old school campus. This is where I took Home Economics classes. I learned about sewing, decorating, flower arranging, setting a proper table, cooking, menu planning, budgeting for meals, and lots of other things about everyday life.

The Museum building was the Extension Homemakers building. I went to 4-H meetings there. The baby shower when my son was born was held there. Family reunions have been in the building. The upstairs was the place where my Mom went to Eastern Star. Now this building has some awesome memories of the Pea Ridge area and it's people. There is even a bit of information about the Pea Ridge Riding Club and when I was the riding club queen.

This final photo is one of the "newer" buildings in the downtown area. This was the Continental Telephone office. This is where I got my ears pierced! My mom's friend Carolyn Sue was the office manager at the telephone company. Since my mom was the person who usually pierced every one's ears, I ask Carolyn Sue if she would do mine.

I "rolled" my  ear lobes between my fingers to get them numb the entire last class at school. Then I borrowed a pair of earrings and went to the telephone company office. I took a needle, alcohol, and small potato with me. Carolyn Sue wiped my ear lobes and needle with the alcohol. Put the potato behind my ear and stuck the needle through. Then she put the borrowed earrings in the holes. Cracks me up when people get their ears pierced with a "gun," because I am pretty sure it must hurt less than the old fashion way of doing it. LOL

Thanks for sharing these wonderful memories with me.

Pea Ridge now has four or five banks, McDonalds, Sonic, Subway, Pizza Hut, lots of other eating facilities, dollar store, parts store, several gas station/stores, a huge new school, and the population has exploded. All of Northwest Arkansas has grew beyond anyone's wildest imagination.