Buffalo National River - Parker-Hickman Farmstead

The next morning I woke up before sunrise again and headed back to the Buffalo River. This time it was to visit the old Parker-Hickman Farmstead at Erbie. It was still raining as I drove north from Jasper, but the rain slacked by the time I made it to the old homestead.



The cabin was built by the Parker family in the 1840s, and is the oldest building within the boundaries of the Buffalo National River. It was built just a few years after Arkansas became a state, and the old place has seen a lot of history. During the Civil War, there was a small skirmish nearby involving guerrilla fighters and the old Parker house was used as a field hospital.



The cabin and the property were then purchased by the Hickman family, who lived there until 1978. In 1982, the National Park Service acquired the cabin and the surrounding farm. You can take a peek inside the cabin, which is in remarkably good shape considering how old the structure is. In one room, you can see the layers of wallpaper and newspaper on the walls that was used as insulation back in the olden days.





The farmstead also contains several other historic buildings, including several barns. This one was built in the 1912:



Which sits next to a smaller barn, which was built in the 1920s:





And also there are these two old buildings - they were used as a machine shop and a chicken coop. They were both built in the 1950s.



From here a road heads off through the trees, leading to a small cemetery.



And behind the old cabin is a small outhouse, which was built in the 1930s. The outhouse, or privy, was built as part of a Works Progress Administration program during the Great Depression. Rural farmers across the US could apply for a WPA privy, with the intention that it would help cut down on diseases like cholera or typhoid that was caused by contaminated water supplies or from flies. Between 1933 and 1945, over 2.3 million privies like this one were built across the country. The Hickman family were later reported as saying that the outhouse was the only federal assistance they received during the Depression.



It's incredible to me that this house has managed to survive, and is still standing after all these years. It is really hard to imagine the people who lived here, building a house deep in a forest in the middle of the frontier back in the days before electricity. Could they have ever imagined that their old house would still be here after almost two centuries? Or that tourists in the future would travel there and take a picture of their outhouse?

Buffalo National River - Boxley Valley

The ongoing government shutdown didn't seem to impact the Buffalo National River much during our visit last weekend. Unlike previous shutdowns, the access roads to the river were open. The campgrounds and bathrooms were also open (but the Visitor Centers at Tyler Bend and Buffalo Point are closed). Hopefully the rangers and other NPS staff up there are getting paid, or the shutdown will end soon and they will get paid for the last few weeks.

Maybe it was because of the shutdown (or the rainy weekend), but the park didn't seem all that crowded. We did end up seeing a crowd of people as we drove into the historic Boxley Valley. There was a line of cars parked near the Ponca access point, with a bunch of people taking pictures with their phones (and a few real cameras). Which meant one thing - there were elk out there! We pulled over so the kids could see the elk, and I joined the scrum to get a few pictures too. There was one large bull elk walking around, seemingly oblivious to the people nearby.



The elk lazily walked through the field, and the throng of people would all hurry to change position along the nearby road. It was almost comical, the slow-moving elk on one side of the fence and the people on the other side creating a small traffic jam as they all moved their cars further down the road to get a better shot. We left the elkarazzi behind and drove deeper in the historic Boxley Valley. Our next stop was along this little dirt road, which leads to the old Beechwoods Church and cemetery.



And a shot of the old church (built 1915).



It started to rain again as we drove across the valley. We stopped by this old barn (built in the 1920s), and the kids happily ran inside to explore. It was also a good place to sit and watch the rain.



The next stop was a spot along the Buffalo River. The raindrops created ripples across the water, as fog drifted along the tops of the nearby mountains.





The fall colors seemed to get more vibrant as the day progressed, probably thanks to the steady rain. It was a good day to be out and about around the Buffalo.

Buffalo National River - Steele Creek

Last weekend we made a family trip up to the Buffalo River, with the hopes of catching some nice fall color. It was cloudy and rainy as we were driving up to the Ozarks, and the mountains were covered with thick fog.





We booked a place right in Jasper, which was just a few blocks from the Ozark Cafe and the Jasper Pizza Company. And it was also fairly close to the river, so early the next morning I woke up before sunrise and drove over to the Steele Creek access along the Buffalo. I arrived as the river, the trees and a few campers started to awaken for the day.

There was a nice amount of water in the river, which was a big difference from last year when there was a bad drought and the water was really low. A soft rain continued to fall as I set up the camera under an umbrella and started to take a few pictures.



The fall colors hadn't peaked yet that weekend, but the rain and mist seemed to help bring them out and saturate them.



I got back in the car and returned to Jasper, and we then took the kids for breakfast to the Ozark Cafe. After filling up on pancakes and bacon, we then all headed back up to the Buffalo River and made another quick visit to Steele Creek. Luckily at this point it wasn't raining, and the kids scrambled over the rocks along the river.



And then from there we headed back to the car, and then went to see a few other favorite spots along the scenic Buffalo River...

Right Before The Storm

After leaving the Harper-Alexander House, I drove deeper into the Delta. Almost all of the farms and fields had already been harvested and cleared, with an occasional tractor or combine still out working and kicking up clouds of dust. It would storm later that day, and the clouds were heavy and leaden with the promise of rain.

The next stop was an old barn located just outside of Lonoke. It doesn't look like its used much anymore, considering the missing pieces of walls and roof.





And down the road was another old barn, sitting in some tall grasses that had turned brown over the dry summer. The front was covered with some vines, which grew like snakes slithering across the weathered wood.





And further down the road was this abandoned church. It looks like it's not been in use for awhile, considering the congregation of mud dauber nests that surrounds the front door of the church.





And then heading down the road again, I made another stop at this large farm building. It was surrounded by a small flock of some sort of ducks/poultry (not sure what exactly?).



And then turning to the east, I headed past more farms and fields that had just been harvested for the end of the season. I had to stop the car and turn around after passing by this small complex of farm buildings, which included some grain silos and an old cotton gin.



Protected under the rusted metal of the building was an old Buick, which was covered with a thick blanket of dust.



If you look closely, you can see the dust had been slightly disturbed by a few paw prints from a cat.



This old tractor was parked by the old cotton gin.



And I took a quick peek through the broken window on the door, which showed a bunch of rusty machinery inside.



And from there I headed further east, eventually going through the small community of Hamilton. I was here a few years ago, but the old buildings here seemed to sing out and say "You'll Be Back."



I'm not entirely sure what this old building was used for. Presumably back in the olden days, you could say that this was the room where it (farm stuff?) happened.



While I was in Hamilton, I was sure to get the camera out and make sure that I got My Shot.



And also in Hamilton was this old building, and I know I wouldn't have been satisfied if I didn't stop for another picture.



And then I made one last stop at this old building, as the storm clouds sat heavy on the horizon.



And then it was time to head home. Which was good timing since it started to pour rain. At one point it was raining so hard that the poor windshield wipers couldn't keep up and I had to pull over (it didn't help that the other drivers on the road were deciding to randomly slam on their brakes, for fun I guess).

Harper-Alexander House

People driving by the Harper-Alexander House probably don't even see it. The old house is almost entirely obscured by overgrown bushes and shrubs, hidden away and all but forgotten.



The house was built in 1885 and was part of the Longbridge Plantation, a large postbellum plantation that covered over 2,500 acres. In front of the house are several crepe myrtle trees, including one that has been designated as the state's champion tree, which means that is is the largest known crepe myrtle tree in Arkansas. It towers over the lawn, over 60 feet tall.



It is a beautiful looking old house, though it looks like it is starting to deteriorate. Hopefully someone will be able to renovate and save this old place.



Next to the house are a few other old farm buildings, also silently weathering and fading with age.







The old house sits lonely and empty, and the plantation is long gone. But the land around it is still active and farmed. Which just shows the contradictions and stubbornness of the Delta, and its land, and its history. A history that is all around us, even if we don't see it as we speed down the road.