Searcy has lots of churches.  Some have been added on to become almost not recognizable.  Some were torn down and rebuilt.  Some were torn down and replaced with commercial.  This church is located right across the street from our historic Rialto Theater.  Traffic passes by continuously night and day because the street has become so busy.  The church on the outside is largely unchanged and without all the grown landscaping you can see the real structure of it.  That's why I like the old photos.  Inside I don't know of the amount of changes but it is a pleasure to drive by this old church and know that it still has services and the members love it and cherish it and keep it as it was originally.  It is on the court square in Searcy Arkansas.  This view was reportedly a 1900 view and you... 08/14/2008

The Searcy Board of Realtors names Larry DeGroat as the "2008 REALTOR OF THE YEAR" I am a Realtor in Searcy, Arkansas and I sell new homes, existing homes, commercial property, farms and land as well as manage and own rental properties. If you are looking for real estate for an investment or a home, I will be glad to assist you! You can call my personal cell number at 501-278-7659 or e-mail me at Larry@Searcy4Sale.com.  Visit my website at http://www.searcy4sale.com/ 08/11/2008

  Our continuing saga about railroad depots.....here's another one.  This photo was taken by Paula in her Girl Scouts' project about photography.  That was in the 40's.  I mistakenly said it was a 4H project earlier but I've been corrected.  Paula went around old Searcy snapping photos of buildings and businesses and those photos have almost made her a new Disfarmer.  (Look him up if you've never heard of him. He was an eccentric photographer in Heber Springs and is worth a blog all by himself. His photos now sell for thousands.) I need someone in Searcy-land to tell me which railroad depot this was.  There's a very interesting article in the Searcy Daily Citizen http://www.thedailycitizen.com/articles/2008/08/09/news/local_news/news01.txt today about the M&NA Railroad line which went t... 08/09/2008

I have worked so hard, trying to finish my e-PRO course!  I worked on it every spare minute that I could manage, I didn't think I would ever get it finished!!  But, when you set your mind to it, YOU CAN DO IT!! It was a very interesting course and I am glad I took it.  They even had a section on blogging!  I whizzed through that, I love to blog! I was familiar with most of the things in the course, but there was a lot that I didn't know.  If you want to know more about the internet, e-mailing, marketing and anything that pertains to real estate, this is a great course.                                 www.http://maryjpaul.com 08/08/2008

A day or two ago we put up a picture of the bus stopping in Searcy AR for passengers to board, alight, or have a rest stop.  Lots of us boarded buses to get around. Here's an old picture of the train depot in Searcy AR.  I think it may be here still but turned into a business location.  Native Searcians may have to tell me. I hope some people can enlighten us on riding a train because my one experience with train riding was a nightmare.  I was traveling from Arkansas to Georgia and it must have been in the early 60's.  It was a rainy night and water came into the train and stood in the aisles.  I had my young daughter with me and she couldn't get on the floor at all.  Even the bathrooms flooded.  I swore that if I ever got off that train, I'd never board another one....and I haven't.  ... 08/06/2008

HAS ANYONE NOTICED THE PRICE OF POTATOES??  I have not bought them in several weeks and my husband is having withdrawals!  They are $7.99 for an 8 pound bag!!!  It used to be that people who were low on money would eat beans and potatoes, not anymore, only the rich can buy potatoes!!! I simply refuse to buy them, and I hope no one else does!  Maybe, they will all rot on the grocery shelves!!  The last time I bought potatoes I paid $3.99 for a 20 pound bag.  We are big potato eaters and we use them up quickly.  When fall comes I will buy them from the local farmers, but not at that price!! What will they raise the price on next?     www.http://maryjpaul.com 08/04/2008

    My friend Don sent this old postcard photo of Searcy and gives the following explanation of this Searcy Arkansas, White County picture.  Thanks Don.  It is a REAL oldie.    1911 May Day ParadeIf you can't read that faint caption, it tells us that those were public school children marching, and that this was taken on Spring Street, looking north toward the Court House. The court house dome can just be seen through the utility pole cross bars.The building on the left should be the Gill House built in 1882 and later replaced with the  Mayfair Hotel in the early 1920s and  the building on the right should be the location of the  Plaza Theater later. 07/30/2008

  A few months ago I wrote a blog about our new store coming to town, Harp's Grocery.  I was negligent in that I never went back to take a completed photo of it but it sprang up overnight, seemingly, and it is beautiful.   I've been there a few times and bought lovely things, at high prices for sure because they've got to recoup all the money they've invested in Searcy AR.  What happened yesterday makes me wonder about their integrity.  They lied to me and all their customers about their avocados! My husband has hinted loudly that he'd like some avocado dip because we have fresh tomatoes now and he thinks I make great avocado/tomato dip. I know when an avocado is ripe, having all this dip experience, and Harp's avocados were all hard as baseballs.  But some of them had this beautiful or... 07/27/2008

  This is a picture of the old Plaza movie theater which was located directly across Spring Street from the Mayfair Hotel in Searcy Arkansas, White County, about 50 miles from Little Rock.  According to my friend who supplied this picture, it was run by a Mr. K.K. King, who also ran the Rialto Theater which was about two blocks away.  This Plaza was mostly for "B" movies, and cheaper to get into. He does not know the date of the picture.  I have been in this city for about 41 years and it was a scene that I never saw. When I got here it was the location of a nice dress shop. Perhaps some of my readers can explain its demise and why and how. Having two movie theaters in such a small town seems strange now, doesn't it.  But probably no stranger than having five screen theaters in one buil... 07/26/2008

I love this old card that shows the dirt streets of Searcy AR.  It shows the First Methodist Church at the end of the street. The courthouse would be on the left of the solitary wagon and man on the street. I have already posted one with the street looking West.  I have several people contributing to our history of Searcy series (not intended but it has just happened).  I hope we can upload lots of great photos of our White County, Searcy AR area in the next few weeks.  Stay tuned if you like old pictures.  I personally am nuts about the black and white ones.  See below for today!   Special request to show the street as it is today!  Here's what the modern version of Searcy AR looks like on a day with low traffic.  Thanks, Harold, for sending it to me!   07/24/2008

I love this old card that shows the dirt streets of Searcy AR.  It shows the First Methodist Church at the end of the street. The courthouse would be on the left of the solitary wagon and man on the street. I have already posted one with the street looking West.  I have several people contributing to our history of Searcy series (not intended but it has just happened).  I hope we can upload lots of great photos of our White County, Searcy AR area in the next few weeks.  Stay tuned if you like old pictures.  I personally am nuts about the black and white ones.  07/24/2008

While looking through my old junk, I found this self-promotion advertisement that I mailed out in 1993.  That is the year that I went to work for RE/MAX Advantage.  Well, the truth is my friends found it and showed it me.  They'd saved it because they liked it. It really is irrelevant that when I began, curly hair styles were "in".  I wore a curly wig until I was sure I liked it and then had the frizzy perm.  I must say it was the easiest hairstyle that I ever had.  Interest rates did shoot up to 18% or above.  I loved the double knit suits!  What was relevant was the way creative financing had to be used to sell a house.  Heck!  I was new.  I didn't know any better and I just rolled with the flow. Then in 1993 interest rates were SO low.  We thought they'd never be lower.  We certainl... 07/23/2008

I have been in Natchitoches, Louisiana, for a week of baseball world series play offs!  I have missed active rain, but my grandson, Adrian, plays baseball and I can't miss those games!!  His team, the White County Title Tigers placed third  and he placed third in the home run derby!  We are proud!! If you have never been to Natchitoches, put it on your list!  It is the oldest town in Louisiana, the first settled after the Louisiana Purchase.  The Cane River runs through the town and some of the streets are brick.  Really a pretty town with lots of historical sites.  The food was wonderful, and the servings are huge!  When I go out of town I have one of my Realtor friends take care of my real estate clients, and my cell phone is always on!  My treo 680 is my home office!! This week Adria... 07/23/2008

  This old hotel is still in Searcy AR and still being lived in.  I don't believe it is a hotel anymore but more of a permanent home for people and office space for businesses.  It is within walking distance to our Spring Park, where people used to go for herbal water treatments.  We had a delightful "Yankee" who came in and bought it many years ago. He made himself a very fancy living area in the hotel.  He became loved by everyone in the town despite his accent.  When he sold it to someone else he had quite a few collectibles from it which he passed on to people who would appreciate them.  My favorite comment from him was this, "Baabrra (he couldn't say Barbara), your house is about the only one that is so full of junk that I think you'd appreciate this teapot from the Mayfair because... 07/20/2008

  This building was a familiar sight in Searcy Arkansas for many years.  It was torn down just about a year or two ago in order to make room for a Walgreen's Store on the old Truman Baker Cheverolet corner at Race and Main Streets.  It had changed over the years but not a whole lot.  It was made into offices for the car dealership and used that way for many years.  In fact, some of you will have to tell me what was there when it was the Armory.  Anita, are you out there?  This is a post card. 07/18/2008

   My broker often brings his 9 year old son to work with him because he lives in an area with no playmates for the child.  Rainey is a character and all of us sorta pamper him and sometimes cater to him.  He asks to do chores for us for a few cents pay.He came into my office the other day and said he had 20 cents and needed to borrow 35 cents to go with it to buy himself a coke.  He asked if he could borrow that from me.  I had two quarters and he figured the math and left with his 35 cents.  Before he left, however, he confessed that he'd borrowed the other 20 cents from Jeff, another agent.I figured he'd forget all about owing me any money.BUT, when I got to work today and opened my door I found this note.  He had repaid my 35 cents!  I thought it was wonderful that he remembered and... 07/17/2008

  This is another picture of Searcy Arkansas and is reportedly the West side of North Spruce Street.  I put up one about three days ago that showed this same area or a part of the area but it appeared to be posed with gentlemen dressed in finery.  This appears to be a more likely scene with people in their wagons and trying to maneuver the dirt streets.   The picture was given to me by a friend whose family used to own the daily newspaper.  If some of you are experts on this area and need to correct me on what it was, just make comments below. 07/16/2008

  This is another picture of Searcy Arkansas White County taken so many years ago.  I love the guy on the light pole who may have climbed up there for the photo.  I would assume photos were a big deal then.  Do you think there were people on the streets for the photo or were there that many loiterers?  This view is of Spruce Street going North or the West side of the court square.  The photo was given to me by a friend whose family owned the daily newspaper.  He remarked that he'd thrown dozens of great photos like this in the trash! 07/13/2008

BUY LAND How many times have you heard this?  Perhaps with a little more class but the saying means the same.  It's smart to buy land because no more is being produced.  I've never met a man who didn't want to have land, ranging from a big yard to acres and acres. I'm here to give a personal testimonial about land.  My first husband and I had been married just a few years.  He was from Searcy Arkansas and even though we were a military family he hoped someday to return to Searcy.  But even if he didn't he thought land would be a good investment for the future.  He picked out a little 39 acre parcel of land, called a farm, that seemed a long way from town. It had a little old farm house on it and a dairy barn and a couple of ponds and an old barn.  The price was $22,000 and that was in ... 07/03/2008

TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY!  I have finally reached the age of early  retirement, if a person could retire!  I will probally be 100 before I retire!!!  I will have to continue working to buy gas and food!! lol I have been in real estate since 1994, it is so amazing how time flies!  It seems like yesterday when I took the real estate test.  I was so nervous, afraid I wouldn't pass.  But, I did. Then I took my brokers test, passed that too!  The cost of living has changed so much in the past years.  I can remember gas being eighteen cents a gallon!  Bread was nineteen cents, hamburger meat was five pounds for a dollar!  When my husband and I got married, 1964, we ate on $12.00 a week, and that was good eating!  My, how times have changed! Birthdays don't bother me, the only other alternative is... 07/02/2008