Log Cabin Democrat

Centennial Edition

History of Faulkner County Towns and Townships


From the LCD Centennial Edition 1873-1973:

HOLLAND IN HARVE TOWNSHIP

"From Hamlet, about eight miles east of Conway on Highway 64, one takes the junction left on State Road 36 for perhaps five miles to reach another junction, State Road 387. Three miles farther along this latter road is the tiny hamlet of Holland.

It is told that three hunters, U.S. Bratton, a Mr. Boyd and John Holland lived west of Leslie on the Buffalo River. They prepared to make and extensive hunt into the area south of their homes.

Near a kind of low ridge, covered with oak and other primeval woods near Gooseneck Bend of Cadron Creek, they emerged in to a green knoll with a free-flowing spring. These hearty men found this site more than ample for the hunt, for the deer came to the nearby creek and to this spring. Turkey and other wild fowl abounded here where the soil is rich Hanceville sandy loam. Their camp became known as Holland's Camp.

The home of Dr. Bennett, a mile and a half west of the present site of Holland, was the beginning of that inland village in 1850. The main road was on the mail route established in the early 1840s from Little Rock to Clinton and this route followed the 1836 Clinton Road. Jess Witt carried the mail along this route. Witt would leave Little Rock on Monday, spend the night at Saltillo, then travel to Jonathan Hardin's stagecoach house by late Tuesday. He spent the night with Hardin and would arrive in Clinton by late the following evening.

After the Civil War another mail route was established from a tiny place called Portland, near Morrilton, to Des Arc. Mail for Holland was deposited at the McGlone place a mile and a quarter east of Enola. It was another decade before a post office was established April 1, 1878, at Holland. Jesse B. Garrett was named the first postmaster. When it became necessary to petition for the establishment of the post office at this place, the settlement was called simply Holland.

Shortly after the Civil War, J.W. Thompson moved into this area. There was a fine spring in the area and it had come to be known as Green Grisham Spring. Thompson also taught the first school.

Jim Parsons opened a 10x12 log store building. A horse powered treadmill cotton gin was placed in operation by J.B.Garrett.

A Smith family also moved here, G.P. Smith was born here in 1870, while his brother, R.H. Smith, was born Sept. 29, 1871.

Other early families not previously mentioned in this chapter were those of H.F. and Susan Patrick. One of their daughters, Laura Patrick Hardin, was born here Nov. 29, 1866.

The 1880 population of Harve township was 792. In 1889 the town had a saw and grist mill, a general store, a blacksmith and woodworking shop and the Baptist church. The Methodist church was one mile away from the town site.

April 7, 1882, upon petition of the required number of adult citizens living within three miles of this Oakland school, located in Section Sixteen, T 6 N, R 12 W, and order was issued in the county court ending the sale of liquor within three miles of the school.

In 1898 four schools in this area were consolidated. Oakland merged with Frog Pond, which was located one mile west, and Hardin, located one mile east. The Holland school, which had been held in the Baptist church, became one school of the area. The Baptist church continued to be the consolidated place of assembly and was taught by Newton Jones and Miss Stella Moore.

In 1900 a two-room school building was erected and Judge J.S. Sim Utley taught the first classes in it. The winter term of the 1908 school opened Nov. 18, with 109 students enrolling under the tutorship of a Prof. Fretwell.

Aug. 23, 1928, the new six-room brick schoolhouse was completed at a cost of $8,500. Arch W. Ford was named the head of the school which was the first year for the high school program.

We have told in another place of the church building and school at Oakland, near Holland. This building was erected in 1856 under the supervision of Jim Ford. Most of the labor was done by slaves owned by Jonathan Hardin. School District No. 82 was organized in 1885. This building was used until 1898, when it consolidated with the Holland system.

Feb. 26, 1924, a raft of 40,000 board feet of gum timber was floated about 20 miles down the Cadron Creek to Gleason, from near Holland, where it had been cut and collected by Matthew Mills, John Lowry, Jess Lowry and Sam Glover.

The logs were to be shipped to the Memphis market by rail. This is the only extant mention of commerce using either fork of Cadron Creek as a waterway."



Back to Faulkner County Arkansas