Greenbrier
Early Development
Greenbrier is 12 miles north of Conway on Highway 65 nestled in a valley
surrounded by hills and ridges.
As early as 1818 settlers were in the vicinity of what is now
Greenbrier. Four brothers by the name Wiley lived near East Fork Cadron
which is about eight miles east of the present site. In 1837 Jonathan
Hardin settled near the Wiley settlement somewhere near the Cadron
Valley community. He became a large landholder and was a man of great
influence.
Hardin Township was named for him.
A man by the name of Hubbard homesteaded some land near the present site
of the Greenbrier public schools on Greenbrier Creek. He built a house
of sticks and mud about the same time.
In 1853 Henderson Moore’s family (with eighteen slaves) came from North
Carolina in covered wagons drawn by oxen and bought a section of land
from Hubbard. This land was just south of the Des Arc-Lewisburg road
near the present business section of Greenbrier. Henderson Moore’s
cousin Sid Moore, came in 1856. He and his young wife traveled from
North Carolina in a two-wheeled cart drawn by oxen. Sid Moore
homesteaded some land across the road and to the northwest of Henderson
Moore’s land. The log house Sid Moore built was used until it was torn
down in the early 1960’s.
Virgin soils, timber land, flowing streams, springs, and a delightful
climate attracted new settlers traveling westward. Corn was the staff of
life and the settlers found the virgin soils to be the kind for corn.
Henderson Moore capitalized on this natural opportunity to increase his
holdings and soon a horse-driven gin, a grist mill driven by a water
wheel, a general store, and a blacksmith shop were set up to accommodate
the settlers. At the time of his death in 1859, Henderson Moore owned a
section of land (640 acres) and all of his business holdings. He built a
nice home in 1857 which became the beginning of a prominent inn for
travelers along the Des Arc-Springfield Road.
Mooresville was given as the name for this fast growing community. It
was later changed to Greenbrier when the first post office was
established on September 15, 1857. Henderson Moore was the first
postmaster.
According to legends handed down, the name Greenbrier was suggested by a
traveler who camped for a week on Greenbrier Creek a short distance from
Sid Moore’s store where he bought supplies. He complained about the
extensive growth of saw briers growing along the creek and suggested
Greenbrier. (Joe Shaw, who taught sociology at ASTC (Arkansas State
Teacher’s College, now the University of Central Arkansas) said the
common name of wild smilax or saw brier is Greenbrier.)
Early Growth
Between 1860 and 1880 some of the settlers attracted to this area were
J.R. Wilson, Johnnie Love, Bob Lybarger, Jerry Cantrell, J.R. Donnell,
J.E. Martin, John Dickens, Sam Cooper, Jackie Glover, J.M.C. Vaughter,
and Dr. A. Hinkle.
Land was cheap and very fertile. Most of it was covered with virgin
hardwood trees, mostly oak, interspersed with small openings covered
with dense prairie grass waist high. Land was cleared with simple
primitive tools and manual labor. Soon crops of corn, oats, wheat, peas,
sorghum, and vegetables were harvested.
The settlers became economically independent. A story told by Frank
Cantrell to his daughter, Flossie Beene, reveals how cheap land was. In
surveying the land the government made a mistake and listed it as swamp
land which sold for 12 1/2 cents per acre. Some land went delinquent and
was auctioned at tax sales where 320 acres was bought for as little as
$11. One man traded a wagon and a yoke of steers for 40 acres of land.
Another gave a ten dollar bill for 160 acres.
Families would go into Little Rock once or Twice each year to purchase
staples that could not be bought in the village general store.
By 1871 Greenbrier was established as a fast growing inland village. By
this time cotton was being grown on most farms.
Road building and road improvement went forward at a rapid pace after
1873. Road overseers were appointed and a toll road was built across the
Cadron bottom connecting King’s Ferry on the East Fork of the Cadron. To
do this, A. Harkrider was granted a permit by the county in 1873. Poles
and slabs were laid crisscross for about one mile. A fee of 25 cents was
charged for wheeled vehicles. King’s Ferry was established in 1852. In
1879 a permit was granted to W.S. Terry to build a bridge over Cadron
Creek. This afforded better access into Conway and Little Rock.
In 1875 mail service was established between Conway and Quitman. Twice
each week mail came from Quitman and Conway. A story is told that Jimmy
Blair who carried the mail on an old gray mule would put red pepper in
his boots to keep his feet warm. He also had a press to make apple juice
and vinegar.
During this period of growth, the business section of the town was
expanding in four directions. From the intersection one part grew toward
the south and Conway, another part grew north toward Quitman, and
another part grew east and west along the Des Arc-Springfield road.
Large wooden buildings were erected to house the general store, the
black-smith shop, the saloons, and the tanyard where leather businesses
were located. Sid, James, and M.E. Moore; J.D. and J.E. Martin; I.R.
Hall; Jim Walton; George Clark; and Sain “Squire” Wofford were the
leading merchants at that time.
In 1878 a large two-story building was built to the west of town which
served for many years as a school, a church for the Methodists and
Baptists, and the Masonic Hall. The first church built was erected by
the Baptist congregation in 1860.
Better homes changed from the log cabin type to more comfortable frame
and log homes as the community developed. M.E. Moore built one of the
largest homes during this period. It was a two-story frame structure
built on the site of his father’s old home. He and his brother cut the
white oak timber near Enders and hauled it to Greenbrier to be sawed
into lumber. Wrought iron nails were used and the corners were hand
pegged. After Moore’s death, his widow Mary Hardin Moore Sims, used the
home as an inn or hotel for travelers and drummers. This house was
demolished for a more modern house in the 1960s.
Continuous Growth
Greenbrier was incorporated as a town on April 5, 1880, with an
estimated population of 300 people. Hardin Township at this time had 886
people and Cadron Township had 2,916 people.
Cotton production continued to increase in the surrounding area which
necessitated the building of more and larger gins. The first
steam-powered flour and grist mill was built in 1882 by the Moores,
replacing the original horse-drawn gin built by Henderson Moore in 1857.
By 1900 four gins were in operation in the incorporated area.
Improved roads led out from Greenbrier into nearby villages. New homes,
churches, businesses, and a better school building were a result of this
prosperous period in the history of the county.
In 1905 Greenbrier could boast of eight general stores, three grist
mills, four cotton gins, a steam sawmill and a shingle mill, three
churches, a six room school building, and 350 people.
From 1905 to 1920 Greenbrier tried desperately to keep its position as a
trade center, but the fast growing town of Conway with its railroad was
strong competition and things were beginning to change. Merchants,
doctors, and traders moved into Conway for more lucrative business.
Cotton prices fluctuated from 1914 until after the inflationary period
of World War I, but farmers continued to grow more cotton and ignored
the care of their soil. Soil depletion increased with the increase in
cotton acreage causing a consequent decline in the yield.
With better roads and the coming of the automobile many people were
drawn away from Greenbrier. The mercantile business was on the decline
and this once thriving village entered into a period of stagnation and
decline.
There was a period of uncertainty from 1920 to 1940. This was the period
when Greenbrier reached its lowest point. Factors affecting this decline
were the effects of the recession of 1920-21 and the routing of U.S.
Highway 65 in 1923 from Little Rock to Harrison by way of Wooster, 6
miles to the west. It should be added that Wooster had emerged as a
fast-growing village in spite of its nearness to Greenbrier. The gravel
road built to connect Greenbrier with Wooster increased the number of
citizens trading in Conway and away from Greenbrier. After the building
of this highway, the mail was brought to Greenbrier twice each day by a
star route carrier. Cotton prices were low and unsteady causing many
farmers to turn to other types of farming. Many turned to dairy and
livestock farming. Some farmers continued to grow cotton. Paul Thompson
ginned 4,048 bales of cotton in 1931 at a price of 10 cents.
Then came floods, droughts, and the great depression of 1930 -1935 with
bank failures which plunged the town back into a state of despair. The
social and cultural atmosphere displayed the feelings of uncertainty and
dismay. As adjustments were made to the natural physical setbacks, there
emerged a conservative type of culture. Some businesses closed
permanently, others changed hands several times. Only a few stayed in
business the entire period from 1920 to 1940. Some that closed during
that period were: E. Jasper McCracken - druggist; Clyde Kelso, Tom
Waddle, and L.M. Castleberry - blacksmiths; J.S. Mobbs - gin; Will
Parks, Drew Glover, Tom Wofford, Ernest McCracken, and Lull McCrae -
general stores.
Others having businesses during this period were operated by: G.J.
Woolly, Ewing Woolly, J.O. Turner, J.O. Cantrell, W.B. Love, George
Lieblong, J.W. Dillaha, Harrison Reynolds, Oliver Brannon, and Jim
Cantrell. The two physicians of this period were Dr. E.T. Williams and
Dr. J. S. Lieblong.
After 1935 the New Deal ushered in activities that provided employment
which gave a new spurt of life. Some were given jobs building roads;
others were given jobs improving facilities on the school grounds. The
Soil Conservation program got under way to aid the farmers in rebuilding
the depleted soil. In 1936 electricity was brought to the community by
the Arkansas Power and Light Company. Camp Halsey, one of the CCC Camps
established as a national program, was located at Centerville, 10 miles
to the east. A farm-to-market road was built by the WPA from Greenbrier
to Centerville, east of Greenbrier.
The Smith-Hughes building and Home Economics building and a small
heating plant were erected by the NYA Program. Three rock veneer
buildings-a post office and two general stores-were erected during this
period.
Dr. E.T. Williams established a summer baseball program in 1938 which
became nationally known. Professional players from Greenbrier coming out
of this school were: Otis and Doyle Brannon, Royce and Dibrell Williams,
Fred and Lois Cato, Dibrell Lyons, and Alton Biggs.
The next two decades saw a reprieve from the earlier stagnation and
people were again motivated to make Greenbrier into a thriving village.
World War II came. Many left for service for their country. Many men in
Class 4 and the nonmilitary men and women of military age worked in
defense plants at Maumelle and Jacksonville. The good wages enabled them
to raise their socio-economic status far above the pre-war level. New
homes were built and older homes were improved. Radios, refrigerators,
cars, and other luxuries came to be enjoyed by many families.
The relocation of U.S. Highway 65 through Greenbrier in 1942 gave a real
boost to the town. Pride was manifested through new home building and
landscaping. Soil conservation was taught in the schools and farmers
were encouraged to diversify their farming and to use new and more
efficient techniques. Following the drought of 1950, a rapid movement
from cotton to dairy and livestock farming was observed. The income from
the average farm tripled.
On September 9, 1949, the townspeople again asserted themselves and
reorganized - electing Hugh Henry as mayor; P.B. Matthews, recorder; Joe
Castleberry, treasurer; and these five aldermen: Div Williams, W.A.
Dillaha, Marvin Cantrell, S.C. Case and C.R. Denton. J.A. Dickens was
elected marshal. Mayors since 1949 have been: Royce Williams, Howard
Lawrence, Percy Matthews (acting due to the resignation of Howard
Lawrence), Cecil Garrett, Eddie Garrett (no relation), and D.P. (Press)
Kelso.
It was not wholly harmonious politically during this period, but steady
growth was manifested.
Conway’s industrial development fostered an influx of many new families
and has made varied contributions to this rapidly growing community. The
population in the incorporated area in 1980 was 1,423. The expanded
residential developments will in time reveal the constant growth.
Today street lights and paved (seal coated) streets are in all areas.
Residents are served by Arkla Gas, Allied Telephone system (franchise
granted February, 1960), and a water system since 1963 supplied by four
wells. There is also a volunteer fire department with five engines and
twenty-one volunteers, including one woman. (Greenbrier had the first
volunteer fire department organized and sponsored by the Conway fire
department at the time Wilson Drews was chief.) A rural fire department
has been in operation since March 3, 1980, with a reciprocal agreement
in other communities. Cable TV began operation in 1984. There are two
branch banks: First State Bank (since February 22, 1968) and First
National Bank (since July, 1981).
Small businesses have supported the economy, contributed to individual
pride, and enhanced the total welfare of the community. The business
district extends along U.S. Highway 65. As this highway is widened and
made into a four-lane highway, greater changes will come and add to the
existing business.
A consolidated school system began in the early 1930s and by 1960 the
district was made up of 24 former small one room schools. This made
Greenbrier one of the first big consolidations in the state. With
increased economic growth, the coming of many new families, and the
development of new residential areas, the school system has grown by
leaps and bounds. In 1950 a large gymnasium was built which has since
been re-enforced and enlarged. Football was added to the curriculum in
the late 1960s. A supportive PTA organization since 1953 has had its
impact in developing a wholesome community spirit as well as in making
many physical improvements through the years. Although the community is
large and is made up of many smaller communities, a harmonious
relationship is evident and is demonstrated through the togetherness in
school achievement.