To request a copy of this photo for your own personal use, please contact our state coordinator. If you are not a family member or the original photographer — please refrain from copying or distributing this photo to other websites.
Thank you for visiting the Arkansas Gravestone Photo Project. On this site you can upload gravestone photos, locate ancestors and perform genealogy research. If you have a relative buried in Arkansas, we encourage you to upload a digital image using our Submit a Photo page. Contributing to this genealogy archive helps family historians and genealogy researchers locate their relatives and complete their family tree.
Submitted: 10/23/08 • Approved: 6/20/18 • Last Updated: 6/23/18 • R84608-G0-S3
This cemetery is located on Hwy 9 next to the Church of Christ just north of the Hwy 124 junction.
CENTER RIDGE
Morrilton Democrat newspaper
Apr 25, 1930
contributed by Sharon Smith
CONWAY COUNTY HAS THE LARGEST RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICT IN ARKANSAS
Splendid Progress Being Made in Education in the Center Ridge Territory
Center Ridge is located twenty-five miles north east of Morrilton, county seat of Conway County. The Rev F.O. STOBAUGH was the first settler, having moved from Van Buren county in 1872. He bought land and built a home. This house was just across the road from where the post office is now. He began farming and is still remembered as one of the most prosperous farmers that this county has ever known. In addition to farming, he engaged in blacksmithing and wagon building. He was a great workman in both iron and wood. Uncle Frank, as he was commmonly known, became a very properous farmer and stock grower. He was industrious in every way. Uncle Frank and his wife reared a family of eleven, six of whom are still living. Three of these children, Mrs T.B. ROBBINS, M.F. STOBAUGH, and Mrs Dell COPELAND, still live near the old home. They are the three oldest residents of Center Ridge.
In 1878 L.D. JONES bought land in the same section and built a home, the second house built in Center Ridge. At that time mail came only once a week. The post office was at Springfield, eight miles south. Uncle Frank and L.D. JONES petitioned for a post office at Center Ridge. It was granted during the administration of General Grant as president of the United States. They called the surveyor and laid off the town of Center Ridge. Next they built a school house in District No. Two, the second district to be formed in Conway County after the Civil War. The first school was a rude log building which was built about three quarters of a mile north west of this place. When people saw the prosperity of these two men, they began to seek homes here too. Some of these early settlers will be remembered as the DEAN's, MAXEY's, DEATON's, BRADLEY's, PRINCE's, OWENS, Dr LANE, Uncle Bill SMITH, Uncle Bill MAJORS, Uncle Jem HILL, and WILLIAMS.
Rev STOBAUGH was a forceful minister of the gospel after being ordained to the ministry at an early age. He preached continuously throughout his life and it has been said that he preached more funerals and married more couples than any other man in Conway county. He was ever faithful and kind. He fought a good fight and departed this life about four years ago preceeding his wife by about one month. They were laid to rest in the Pleasant Hill cemetery about two miles northwest of this place.
The building of Center Ridge was not an easy task as is shown by the fact that the first settlers travelled eighteen and twenty miles to the nearest stores.
The first store and post office at Center Ridge were combined and kept by L.D. JONES.
About 1900 a printing press was established at Center Ridge by Dr SNOWDEN. Dr SNOWDEN then lived where Mr D.R. SMITH now lives and the press was in the building which Mr SMITH now uses as a barn. Here Dr STOBAUGH published a religious paper known as the Gospel Advocate pertaining to the Advent's Religion. He later printed a newspaper called the Conway County Banner. This was a county paper and the only one ever printed at this place. Dr SNOWDEN sold the press, went to Morrilton, bought the Morrilton Headlight and discontinued the Conway County Banner.
Center Ridge has had many destructive fires yet we have four general stores, shop and grist mill, garage, a modern cotton gin, barber shop and hotel. We also have two good doctors, W.R. HOLLOWAY and J.M. JACKSON. Dr JACKSON has reared a large family at this place and has practiced medicine here about fourty years.
The little log school building was replaced by a two story wooden (there is a small section too dark to read) the house burned. The work was then done in the church building until the next primary building wa erected in 1926.
Center Ridge got its name from the location, it being near the center of a ridge. The land is drained half to the east and half to the west. On the north rises Woolverton mountain and on the west Lost Mountain. On the east flows what is known as the Hogan Creek and on the south as well as the east lie some very fertile valleys. Center Ridge has several modern homes with luxuries equal to some city homes. There is a partnership light plant, owned by several of the business men and citizens, although several of the citizens own individual plants. A few of the homes containing conveniences such as frigidaires and radio. The lights from the porches of the homes add to the beauty of the little town especially when one is traveling through on a dark stormy night.
May we hope that Center Ridge will prosper in the future as it has in the past under the guiding hand of able leaders as the early settlers were.
We hope that the work may be carried on that was started by the settlers who blazed the road to future prosperity and peace.
For several years some of the citizens of Center Ridge have dreamed of a consolidated school district, one in which the boys and girls would have equal privileges with the city children. About 1928 some of the men and women began working and planning for such a school.
In 1929 the work was completed and on October 7 five new buses came bringing loads of boys and girls with smiling faces which seemed to say, "We are ready to launch out into the deep." There are ten districts in the new district number eight and over a hundred high school pupils enrolled to say nothing of all the grades under these. The school was named Nemo-Vista by Miss Ann MURDOCK. The word means "Woodland View."
On March 23 an election was held to see whether Nemo-Vista would have a new building. The vote was in favor of the new building by a large majority. The church and primary building are being used as temporary quarters pending the erection of the erection of the modern brick building which will be located just south of town on a twenty acre tract of land deeded to the district by Mr Jake RICHARDSON one of Nemo-Vista's biggest boosters.
We could hardly realize the improvement that has been made in the last half century unless we had witnessed each change. A half century ago Uncle Frank STOBAUGH could look from his home and see the wild deer roaming through the woods where Nemo-Vista may send forth leaders to step into the place of those who have passed on and that these will shoulder their burdens as the faithful few have done before them. Three cheers for Nemo-Vista and many thanks to both county and state as well as the local citizens who put up such an unceasing fight for the new high school. May the buses continue to carry an eager crowd of boys and girls who come to get the advantages of high school courses. They must realize their duty and work to do it. Let's not let the work so nobly begun drop just as we begin to reap the fruit from the labor of our earlier settlers. Here's to the future prosperity of Center Ridge and Nemo Vista.
Photo submitted by hawkinsdonna48@gmail.com
Contributed on 10/23/08 by rsvlman
Email This Contributor
Suggest a Correction
Record #: 84608