Snowball

The small town of Snowball sits in the Ozark Mountains in Searcy County, not far from the bustle of traffic headed up the road along Hwy. 65. To visit the town is to almost step back in time. There is an eclectic mix of old buildings here that provide a glimpse back into the town's history. This part of the Ozark Plateau has been settled by people for awhile - Native Americans have been here since at least the Late Archaic Period (as evidenced in some pictographs that were painted on a nearby bluff shelter sometime around the year 1500 BC). The town of Snowball was established in 1885.

There are several old buildings in Snowball, including this old home which looks to be abandoned and empty.



On the house's wide front porch sat this old blue chair, which was covered in a coating of dirt that was probably kicked up by vehicles driving down the gravel road.



It looks like it would have been a great place to sit and relax for a bit (maybe it's where Chairry from Pee Wee's Playhouse went to retire?).



Nearby is this old gas station, with some neat little architectural touches like the row of stones lining the top of the building along the roof.





According to local legend, the town got its name due what would have been a spellcheck error back in the olden days. The town was originally named Calf Creek, but in the 1880s a Masonic Lodge was built that also served as a school and church. The members of the Lodge decided to name the building after the local sheriff, Benjamin Snow. And as the town grew, the local residents petitioned to get a post office built, and decided to name their community Snow Hall. Well someone misread the paperwork and the post office ended up being granted instead under the name of Snowball.





And finally one last show from Snowball, taken while leaving the small town along a dirt road that went through a small tunnel of trees...